Economic and Environmental Sustainability of Farms from Three Different Brazilian Regions (original) (raw)
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Sustainability
This study aimed to evaluate the sustainability of integrated dairy–crop production systems by employing emergy and economic theory perspectives, and to identify strategies to improve the intensification of dairy production systems. A case study of a small Brazilian dairy production system (PROP) was created to assess dairy herd feed exchanges as a sustainability pathway. Three scenarios were proposed for the examination of a dairy production system: extensive (EXT); semi-intensive (SIS); and intensive (INT). The Interlink Decision Making Index (IDMI) was used to compare sustainability among them. The PROP demonstrated higher environmental performance than the other scenarios (ESI = 1.30, 0.65, 0.95, and 0.71, for PROP, INT, SIS, and EXT, respectively); however, PROP’s profitability was 1.6 times lower than that of SIS and INT, although PROP’s profitability was higher than that of the EXT scenario. Notably, the IDMI identified the SIS scenario as having the best sustainability among...
Characterization and analysis of specific energy consumption in the Brazilian agricultural sector
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 2017
For emerging countries such as Brazil, improved performance in the agricultural sector can be achieved by studies on the factors that have affected the performance and on economic perspectives relative to their internal structure and its relation with the external market. The present work aims to contribute with sustained economic expansion by studying strategies for expanding the energy supply in agribusiness. The characterization of specific energy consumption and energy indicators was performed considering a process of natural evolution, using logistic curves that describe the growth or evolution process. The specific energy consumption in agricultural activities was determined from data on the consumption of energy by machinery and equipments used in agricultural activities, as well as by establishing specific consumption indicators (ratio of energy consumed per unit produced) for each stage of production and by end-use. Nine crops and three herds were evaluated. In conclusions, the technology levels reached by the Brazilian agricultural sector have reflected on increased productivity and competitiveness in the international market with improvement in machines and equipments efficiency and operational capacity. In sugarcane culture, for example, the productivity increased 10% from 2009 to 2015. It has also been noticed a trend to reduce the use of low-power tractors and to increase the use of medium-to high-power tractors, which has also favored the productivity increase. The incorporation of new technologies tends to be more intense in the crops and herds that have an already established market.
Tropical Animal Health and Production, 2015
The objective of this study was to assess the sustainability of 10 dual-purpose cattle farms in a subtropical area of central Mexico. The IDEA method (Indicateurs de Durabilité des Exploitations Agricoles) was applied, which includes the agroecological, socio-territorial and economic scales (scores from 0 to 100 points per scale). A sample of 47 farms from a total of 91 registered in the local livestock growers association was analysed with principal component analysis and cluster analysis. From results, 10 farms were selected for the in-depth study herein reported, being the selection criterion continuous milk production throughout the year. Farms had a score of 88 and 86 points for the agroecological scale in the rainy and dry seasons. In the socio-territorial scale, scores were 73 points for both seasons, being the component of employment and services the strongest. Scores for the economic scale were 64 and 56 points for the rainy and dry seasons, respectively, when no economic cost for family labour is charged, which decreases to 59 and 45 points when an opportunity cost for family labour is considered. Dual-purpose farms in the subtropical area of central Mexico have a medium sustainability, with the economic scale being the limiting factor, and an area of opportunity.
Efficiency and sustainability assessment for a group of farmers in the Brazilian Amazon
The aim of this paper is to use DEA models to evaluate sustainability in agriculture. Several variables are taken into account and the resulting efficiency is measured by comparison. The performance of family farms is analysed here (variables: farmed area, work force, and production). As agricultural sustainability depends on the maintenance of systems of production for long periods of time, the models were run for the years of 1986 and 2002. Tiered DEA models were used to group farmers in sustainability categories. Non-parametric regression models were used to identify the factors affecting the efficiency measurements. All the results indicate that the majority of the farmers increased their efficiency along the time. These improvements may support the existence of sustainability.
Energy demand in agricultural biomass production in Parana state, Brazil
Energy flow analysis is an interesting approach to assess and to improve sustainability of agricultural production systems, represented by the economy of energy resources and other inputs translated into energy terms. This type of analysis can complement the economic view contributing to more efficient production systems. Moreover, assessing crops with traditional food use may play an important role in energy provision. Energy efficiency tools were applied in order to determine the energy demand as well as the efficiency of the biomass production of several forage crops in mechanized systems conducted at Paraná state, Brazil. Material flow, input and output energy, energy balance, energy return over investment and embodied energy were used and identified that maize and sorghum were the crops that uses energy in the most efficient way, represented by the best results at net energy availability, profitability and embodied energy at the final product. Oat and ryegrass were the crops th...
Emergy analysis was used to analyze three agricultural systems to compare and contrast resource use, productivity, environmental impact, and overall sustainability. Emergy analysis was appropriate for this task because of its ability to transform different types of inputs to a common form (solar energy equivalents) to allow meaningful comparisons across the three systems. The systems analyzed were conventional corn (Zea mays L.) production in Kansas, USA, blackberry (Rubus rubus Watson) production in Ohio, USA, and a Lacandon polycultural rotation system in Chiapas, Mexico. Despite these different systems and diverse inputs, emergy allowed the quantification and comparison of flows for each system on a common basis. This allowed system-level conclusions and demonstrated the utility of emergy analysis when evaluating agricultural systems. The greatest inputs of emergy across the three systems were for fertilization and irrigation of the corn system. These two inputs accounted for 95% of the purchased emergy input to the corn system. The indigenous system was most reliant on renewable resources, and therefore, had the lowest level of environmental loading. The sustainability index for the three systems ranged from 0.06 for the corn system, to 0.65 for the blackberry system, to 115.98 for the indigenous system. The respective energy and emergy yield for each system were 2.6E9 J ha À1 year À1 and 3.57E15 sej ha À1 year À1 for the indigenous system, 3.71E10 J ha À1 year À1 and 8.59E15 sej ha À1 year À1 for the blackberry system, and 1.40E11 J ha À1 year À1 and 1.30E16 sej ha À1 year À1 for the corn system. While the indigenous system has the highest level of sustainability, its energy yield was 14 times less than the blackberry system, and 53 times less than the corn system. The results confirm the need for food production systems with large yields that are more dependent on renewable energies. #
Energy, 2012
Energy from sources alternative to fossil fuels is being studied and interest in energy derived from vegetal biomass is increasing. In Brazil -mainly at Sao Paulo State -, sugarcane ethanol is being intensively produced on large-scales, giving rise to social and environmental concerns about its production. If ethanol production systems are to maintain a balance between economic, social and environmental aspects, a systemic approach needs to be considered in their assessment. Particularly, human needs other than energy must be taken into account. In this sense, the Integrated Food, Energy and Environmental Services Production (IFEES) on small-scale suggests an alternative approach. The aim of this work is to assess, in a multi-criteria way, the energetic-environmental aspects of a common IFEES found in Brazil and compare its indices against large-scale ethanol production. For this, embodied energy analysis, emergy accounting, ecological rucksack and gas emission inventory are used as tools. Results show that IFEES has better overall energetic-environmental indices than large-scale ethanol production. At the same time, IFEES produces several other by-products than just ethanol (i.e. food, forestry products and environmental services), although productivity of large-scale process is 25 times higher than for IFEES, if only ethanol is considered.
Semina: Ciências Agrárias
In the present study, we aimed to develop and apply a model to evaluate the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of dairy production systems (DPS). In addition, we sought to analyze structural and production characteristics of DPS of different sustainability levels. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect structural and production data as well as information on sustainability actions taken by rural producers in 152 DPS located in Paraná, Brazil. The proposed model was applied to analyze the data. Each DPS received a score to represent its level of social, environmental, and economic sustainability, and DPS with similar sustainability levels were grouped according to these indicators using hierarchical cluster analysis. Three groups were formed: G1, comprising the largest proportion of DPS (63.8%); G2 comprising 20.4% of DPS; and G3, comprising 15.8% of DPS. The mean values of the sustainability indicators of each group were compared to those of other groups...
Ecological Modelling, 2006
The present study uses emergy methodology to evaluate environmental aspects of integrated production systems of grains, pig and fish in small farms in the South region of Brazil. New emergy parameters that use partial renewability factor of each input were used to improve emergy accounting. These parameters were already applied to different case-studies and are very appropriate for use in emergy assessment of integrated agricultural systems. The following indicators were calculated for the integrated production system of grains, pig and fish: Transformity: 948,000 sej/J; Renewability: 24%; Emergy yield ratio: 1.44; Emergy investment ratio: 2.28; Environmental loading ratio: 3.13 and Emergy exchange ratio: 6.8. These values were compared with results calculated for grains, pig and fish production subsystems working in a separated way. The results obtained signalize that an integrated system has better emergy efficiency, is more sustainable and is less stressful on the environment in comparison with separated production subsystems. The emergy indicators presented are discussed in the text and they will be useful in further work to assist the formulation of public policy.