Carbon footprint assessment using synthetic fertilizer and liquid organic biofertilizer in cassava cultivation to promote good cultivation practices and prevent greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural cultivation in Thailand.
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Abstract
Typically, agricultural crop production contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, especially the use of synthetic fertilizers and, less frequently, the application of organic fertilizers. Synthetic fertilizers not only have positive effects but also have many deleterious effects on the natural ecosystem. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate cassava root yields harvested using two different cultivation methods: synthetic fertilizers and liquid organic biofertilizers. We investigated the amount of raw material fertilizers required for each cultivation method to evaluate the effects of global warming potential (GWP) on cassava cultivation methods in northeastern Thailand. The system boundary was defined from cradle to farm gate, starting with cultivation and progressing until harvest, using life cycle assessment (LCA). The input and output data were analyzed to determine the potential impacts of global warming over 100 years. The experiments found that 1000 kg of cassava root product harvested with synthetic fertilizer released the most GHGs, 51.83 kg CO2eq/1000 kg. This was 10 times that of the experimental plot using a liquid organic biofertilizer at 2.74 kg CO2eq/1000 kg. Therefore, as farmers are challenged with everything from drought to low yields and as agriculture becomes less predictable in the face of a changing climate, it is essential to help farmers transition to practices that increase resilience and dramatically decrease reliance on fossil-fuel-based chemicals. To develop guidelines for reducing GHG emissions in cultivation, the focus should be on farmers’ cultivation activities, especially fertilizer application.
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