4458: Life Cycle Assessment of Conventional and Organic Farming in the DOC trial
(2005) Life Cycle Assessment of Conventional and Organic Farming in the DOC trial. Paper presented at Researching Sustainable Systems - International Scientific Conference on Organic Agriculture, Adelaide, Australia, September 21-23, 2005.
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Summary
The environmental impacts of the conventional and organic farming systems practised in the DOC trial (organic-dynamic, organic and conventional farming) have been assessed by the SALCA life cycle assessment method. Both organic farming systems were more favourable for the environment in all investigated impacts per area unit. When analysed per product unit, clear advantages of organic farming were found for ecotoxicity and the use of mineral resources, while energy use and eutrophication were similar to conventional farming. Reducing fertilisation by 50% led to lower or equal environmental impacts for all systems, depending on the impact category and the functional unit. The analysis of single crops revealed large differences that are partly counterbalanced by other crops in the crop rotation. The eco-efficiency of organic potato production in particular should be improved.
| Document Language: | English |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Life Cycle Assessment, Eco-Efficiency, Organic Farming, Conventional Farming, Fertilisation Level |
| Subject Areas: | Knowledge management > Research methodology and philosophy > Specific methods |
| Research affiliation: | International Conferences > ISOFAR conferences > Researching Sustainable Systems 2005 |
| Total budget (Euro): | 0 |
| Orgprints ID Number: | 4458 |
| Contact: | ISOFAR, |
| Deposited On: | 03 November 2005 |
| EPrint Type: | Conference paper |
| Published?: | Unpublished |
| Peer Review Status: | Peer-reviewed and accepted |
| Additional Publishing Information: | The paper presented here is the final paper submitted by the authors to the conference Researching Sustainable Systems. The final edited papers are available with the following publication: Köpke, Ulrich; Niggli, Urs; Neuhoff, Daniel; Cornish, Peter; Lockeretz, Willie und Willer, Helga, (Hrsg.) (2005) Researching Sustainable Systems. Proceedings of the First Scientific Conference of the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR), Held in Cooperation with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia (NASAA), 21 – 23 September 2005, Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide, South Australia.. Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, CH-Frick, and International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR), c/o Institute of Organic Agriculture (IOL), DE-University of Bonn. http://orgprints.org/4013/ Distribution: Paper copies may be ordered from FiBL at a cost of 28 Euros plus mailing costs (see FiBL shop at http://www.fibl.org/shop); FiBL order number 1394. A PDF version is available free of charge for ISOFAR members via the member area of www.isofar.org. |
| Related Links: | http://orgprints.org/4013/,, http://www.isofar.org/adelaide2005, http://orgprints.org/view/projects/int-conf-isofar-2005.html |
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