A Life Cycle Assessment Approach for Vegetables in Large-, Mid-, and Small-Scale Food Systems in the Midwest US

Tiffanie F. Stone, Janette R. Thompson, Kurt A. Rosentrater and Ajay Nair
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Tiffanie F. Stone: Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Janette R. Thompson: Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Kurt A. Rosentrater: Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Ajay Nair: Horticulture, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 20, 1-20

Abstract: Although vegetables are important for healthy diets, there are concerns about the sustainability of food systems that provide them. For example, half of fresh-market vegetables sold in the United States (US) are produced in California, leading to negative impacts associated with transportation. In Iowa, the focus of this study, 90% of food is imported from outside the state. Previous life cycle assessment (LCA) studies indicate that food consumption patterns affect global warming potential (GWP), with animal products having more negative impacts than vegetables. However, studies focused on how GWP, energy, and water use vary between food systems and vegetable types are less common. The purpose of this study was to examine these environmental impacts to inform decisions to buy locally or grow vegetables in the Midwest. We used a life cycle approach to examine three food systems (large-, mid-, and small-scale) and 18 vegetables commonly grown in/near Des Moines, Iowa. We found differences in GWP, energy, and water use ( p ≤ 0.001 for each) for the three food systems with the large-scale scenario producing more emissions. There were also differences among vegetables, with the highest GWP for romaine lettuce (1.92 CO 2eq /kg vegetable) approximately three times that of leaf lettuce (0.65 CO 2eq /kg vegetable) at the large scale. Hotspots and tradeoffs between GWP, energy, and water use were also identified and could inform vegetable production/consumption based on carbon and water use footprints for the US Midwest.

Keywords: food-energy-water systems (FEWS) nexus; climate change action; carbon footprint; water footprint; LCA approach; local vegetable production; environmental impact mitigation; vegetable supply chain (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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