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Assessing the eco-efficiency of milk production systems using water-energy-labor-food nexus
Xinyi Du1, Hao Yang2, Jinming Gui1
1College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, PR China; Key Laboratory of Agricultural Engineering in Structure and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100083, PR China.
Abstract:
Globally, massive resource inputs and undesired outputs hindered the further development of the dairy industry. This study proposed a method applying data envelopment analysis to the water-energy-labor-food nexus to assess the eco-efficiency of the milk production system (MEE) from a systemic perspective. Using national statistics on scale farms for the period 2014-2021, we illustrated the effects of scale and intensification on MEE in China. In the study period, the production cost increased by 23 % and milk production rose by 30 % at the same time. Despite the increases in both water and energy inputs, the rise in milk production weakened the resource burdens and thus lifted MEE by 24 %. The resource investment pattern shifted from water- and labor-oriented to energy-oriented. Under current conditions, production technology and system management were at higher superiority to advance than farm scale, while mechanization and on-farm clean energy production are the keys to further lifting MEE.
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