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How does Life Cycle Assessment capture the environmental impacts of agroforestry? A systematic review

Quevedo-Cascante, Monica; Mogensen, Lisbeth; Kongsted, Anne Grete and Knudsen, Marie Trydeman (2023) How does Life Cycle Assessment capture the environmental impacts of agroforestry? A systematic review. Science of the Total Environment, 890, pp. 1-13.

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Summary in the original language of the document

In this paper, a systematic review approach was used to evaluate how environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has
been applied in agroforestry in the context of food systems. This review was used as the basis for discussing methodological issues in the LCA framework for agroforestry systems (AFS) and relevant environmental outcomes in the agroforestry literature. A total of 32 LCAs in 17 countries identified in four databases and spanning a decade form the
basis for this paper. Studies were selected based on pre-defined inclusion criteria and followed established guidelines and a review protocol. Qualitative data were extracted and categorized into multiple themes. Results were quantitatively synthesized for the four phases of the LCA for each individual agroforestry practice (i.e., based on its structural composition). Results showed that around half of the selected studies are located in tropical climates, the rest being in temperate climates, predominantly in Southern Europe. Studies primarily used a mass functional unit and rarely included post-farmgate system boundaries. Almost half of the studies account for multifunctionality, and most allocation methods were based on physical properties. Climate change had the greatest coverage from all impact categories with some variations within milk, meat, and crop production systems. Methodological issues were related to limited system boundaries, few impact categories, and differing functional units and multifunctionality approaches. The identified effects
of AFS on biodiversity, climate change mitigation, water, soil, pollination, and pest and disease were only partially
documented or not analyzed in the LCA studies or the LCA framework. Gaps in knowledge and limitations of
the present review were discussed. Further methodological improvements remain necessary to determine the net environmental effects of food products resulting from individual AFS, especially within the area of multifunctionality, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity.


EPrint Type:Journal paper
Agrovoc keywords:
Language
Value
URI
English
life cycle analysis
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_9000105
English
agroforestry
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_207
English
agroforestry systems
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_330982
English
environmental impact
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_24420
Subjects: Farming Systems
Environmental aspects
Research affiliation: Denmark > AU - Aarhus University > Faculty of Science and Technology > Department of Agroecology
Denmark > Organic RDD 6 > OUTFIT
Horizon Europe or H2020 Grant Agreement Number:862357
DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164094
Deposited By: Knudsen, Researcher Marie Trydeman
ID Code:53058
Deposited On:04 Apr 2024 11:49
Last Modified:04 Apr 2024 11:49
Document Language:English
Status:Published
Refereed:Peer-reviewed and accepted

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