Emergy evaluation for decision-making in complex multifunctional farming systems

Area of Science:

• Agroecology
• Environmental Accounting
• Resource Management

Background:

• Montado farms in Southern Portugal rely on renewable resources.
• Traditional economic evaluations may not fully capture environmental contributions.

Purpose of the Study:

• Compare traditional economic and emergy evaluations for montado farms.
• Assess how each method values natural resources and purchased inputs.
• Propose a combined approach for comprehensive resource accounting.

Main Methods:

• Applied economic and emergy evaluations to a case study montado farm.
• Analyzed the valuation of local natural resources and purchased factors.
• Compared the results of both accounting methods.

Main Results:

• The montado farm's renewable component represents 27% of total social costs.
• Economic accounting undervalues the contribution of natural resources.
• Purchased factors and services are valued 3.5 times higher in economic terms than in emergy terms.

Conclusions:

• Complementing economic accounting with emergy accounting offers a benchmark for evaluating environmental contributions in agriculture.
• Emergy accounting incorporates external factors and the biophysical system's contributions, enhancing total economic value.
• This integrated approach supports informed sustainable economic decisions and public policies.