Environmental Sustainability Assessment of Two Crop Ecosystems with Ecological Footprint Analysis Approach (Case Study: Dez Catchment)
Journal Title: Journal of Agroecology - Year 2024, Vol 15, Issue 4
Abstract
Introduction Wheat and maize are important and strategic crops in Iran. These crops are widely grown in the Dez catchment area. Therefore, due to climate change, recent droughts, water bankruptcy in the country, low water consumption efficiency in agriculture, and the excessive consumption of input, which pose a serious threat to agriculture and food security, it is necessary to achieve a correct understanding of the sustainable production of crops in the region. Improper use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fossil fuels, and machinery causes irreversible environmental damage. To reduce these adverse environmental effects, the idea of sustainable agriculture and the transformation of agriculture from high-input to low-input consumption are very important. The footprint index determines the pressure on nature caused by man or other man-made systems. The carbon uptake criterion is used to assess the ecological footprint. Ecological footprint estimates the amount of productive land needed to compensate for the environmental impacts of a particular activity by calculating resource consumption and carbon dioxide production. According to studies, each hectare of land can absorb 1.8 tons of carbon. The carbon uptake criterion is used to assess the ecological footprint. Materials and Methods The method of the present study has a practical approach because it is in line with achieving sustainable agricultural development. This research was carried out in the cropping year of 2019-2020 at the Dez catchment. To determine agriculture's environmental sustainability, we used the modified ecological footprint method presented by Kissinger and Gottlieb (2012) and Guzman et al. (2013). In this study, the ecological footprint was determined based on a place-oriented approach by obtaining the inputs' energy consumption and the amount of crop and land energy. All the variables were collected in the form of a questionnaire and through interviews with 400 wheat and maize farmers in the study area. Equivalent factors were also selected from similar studies. An independent samples t-test was performed between the two crops to determine whether there were differences in the evaluation of EF. Results and Discussion The results of evaluating the ecological footprint method of wheat and maize cultivation in the study area at the level of one hectare were 3.50 and 4.66 global hectares, respectively. The results of the ecological footprint assessment for wheat and maize showed that both cropping systems are in an unsustainable state in terms of the environment. These systems produce 1.7 tons and 2.86 tons of excess carbon to produce wheat and maize, respectively, which are more than the ecological capacity of one hectare to absorb environmental pollution. For both wheat and maize crops, nitrate fertilizer at 40.85% and 49.36%, diesel fuel at 18.57% and 17.60%, and water consumption at 14.57% and 16.31%, respectively, had the greatest impact on environmental instability in the study area. The mean comparison of the ecological footprint between the two crops showed no significant difference between wheat and maize. The high ecological footprint of traditional agriculture was consistent with previous studies (Naderi Mahdei et al., 2015; Kissinger and Gottlieb, 2012; Bevec et al., 2011). Also, the important role of nitrate fertilizer and fossil fuels in increasing environmental hazards and ecological unsustainability was consistent with Fallahpour et al., (2012). It should be noted that no study was found to contradict the current study's findings. Conclusion Both wheat and maize cropping systems were not environmentally sustainable, and the total consumption inputs for both crops, chemical fertilizers, especially nitrate fertilizer and diesel fuel, have had the greatest impact on environmental instability in the study area. As a final result, the ecosystem of irrigated wheat production is more desirable than grain maize in terms of environmental sustainability; therefore, the production of both crops, especially maize, must be done with the highest accuracy and consider environmental considerations in the region.
Authors and Affiliations
nasim zadeh dabagh,Seyed Masood Monavari,Nargess Kargari,Lobat Taghavi,Saeid pirasteh,
Keywords
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- EP ID EP731347
- DOI DOI: 10.22067/jag.v1i1.51328
- Views 16
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