Closed-Loop Agricultural Production and Its Environmental Efficiency: A Case Study of Sheep Wool Production in Northwestern Kyrgyzstan

Monika Komorowska (), Marcin Niemiec, Jakub Sikora, Anna Szeląg-Sikora, Zofia Gródek-Szostak, Pavol Findura, Hatice Gurgulu, Joanna Stuglik, Maciej Chowaniak and Atılgan Atılgan
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Monika Komorowska: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
Marcin Niemiec: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
Jakub Sikora: Faculty of Production and Power Engineering, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 30-149 Krakow, Poland
Anna Szeląg-Sikora: Faculty of Production and Power Engineering, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 30-149 Krakow, Poland
Zofia Gródek-Szostak: Department of Economics and Enterprise Organization, Cracow University of Economics, 31-510 Krakow, Poland
Pavol Findura: Faculty of Engineering, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
Hatice Gurgulu: Faculty of Agriculture, Ege University, Izmir 35100, Turkey
Joanna Stuglik: Institute of Management and Production Engineering, Cavalry Captain Witold Pilecki State University of Małopolska in Oświęcim, 32-600 Oswiecim, Poland
Maciej Chowaniak: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agriculture and Economics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
Atılgan Atılgan: Department of Biosystem Engineering, Alaaddin Keykubat University, Alanya 07450, Turkey

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-19

Abstract: As a country with not only significant production potential but also fragmented land ownership, the Kyrgyz Republic struggles with environmental efficiency, which is a strategic element of environmental management in agricultural production. The objective of this study was to assess the environmental efficiency of sheep’s wool when used as a fertilizer in bean production in northern Kyrgyzstan. In this study, the efficiency indicator was taken to be GHG emissions per functional unit of product, using a proprietary methodology for calculating GHG emissions to determine the true value of this material as a source of soil nutrients and organic matter. Two experimental factors were used in the experiment: fertilizer type and fertilizer rate. Fertilization with sheep wool resulted in a 15% higher bean yield compared to when fertilized with mineral fertilizers at a comparable rate, converted to pure nitrogen. By using sheep wool as a source of mineral nutrients for the plants, the carbon footprint was reduced by almost 10% compared to a facility with mineral fertilization. Therefore, the use of sheep wool as a source of plant nutrients is environmentally justified.

Keywords: renewable energy sources; Kyrgyzstan; sheep wool; quality systems; management; sustainable development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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