LCA of Barley Production: A Case Study from Cyprus

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Environmental Science
• Life Cycle Assessment

Background:

• Agricultural activities, including barley production, contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating global warming and climate change.
• Existing farming practices require evaluation to identify and implement measures for mitigating environmental impacts.
• Rain-fed barley production in Cyprus presents a specific case for assessing environmental performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the environmental impact of barley production under rain-fed conditions in Cyprus.
• To evaluate four different nutrient management scenarios for their environmental performance.
• To quantify impacts across six categories: acidification, eutrophication, global warming, ozone depletion, photochemical ozone creation, and terrestrial ecotoxicity.

Main Methods:

• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was employed to quantify environmental impacts.
• System boundaries were defined from field to harvest, with a functional unit of one bale of hay.
• Four nutrient management scenarios, with and without manure, were investigated across Nicosia and Larnaca.

Main Results:

• The addition of manure to nutrient management plans increased impacts across all environmental categories assessed.
• Field preparation was identified as a major contributor to global warming potential (GWP), especially in scenarios with manure.
• Machinery maintenance significantly contributed to GWP in scenarios involving manure application.

Conclusions:

• Reducing fuel consumption by agricultural machinery and optimizing fertilizing and seeding are key to mitigating environmental impacts.
• Improving nutrient management and adopting better cropping practices can substantially decrease the carbon footprint of barley production.
• The findings offer a pathway to mitigate the agricultural sector's environmental footprint in Cyprus.