Carbon Footprint Assessment Based on Agricultural Traceability System Records: A Case Study of Onion Production in Southern Taiwan

Zi-Yi Lee, Yi-Huang Kang, Yao-Tsung Chang, Shun-Ho Lin, Chuan-Chi Chien, Shih-Chi Lee and Wen-Ching Ko ()
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Zi-Yi Lee: Central Region Campus, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Nantou 540219, Taiwan
Yi-Huang Kang: Department of Information Management, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan
Yao-Tsung Chang: Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, Ministry of Agriculture, Pingtung 908126, Taiwan
Shun-Ho Lin: Hengchun Township Farmers Association, Pingtung 94641, Taiwan
Chuan-Chi Chien: Central Region Campus, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Nantou 540219, Taiwan
Shih-Chi Lee: Central Region Campus, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Nantou 540219, Taiwan
Wen-Ching Ko: Central Region Campus, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Nantou 540219, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 20, 1-17

Abstract: This study proposes an improved methodology based on life cycle assessment (LCA), which is used to calculate the carbon footprint of agriculture, provides a simple and feasible calculation path, and constructs a streamlined framework for calculating the carbon footprint based on the agricultural traceability system records. Using important economic crop (Onion) as research subject, and choose the largest planting area in R.O.C. (southern Taiwan) as a case study. A total of 64 farm production history records have been collected, includes all of farms certified with a traceable agricultural products (TAP) label. Through a detailed analysis of the traditional carbon footprint calculation method, found that agricultural traceability system records could replace the data source in carbon footprint verification (CFV) process, and system records could be used as activity data after being organized. With our method, no need to go through a complicated CFV process, just download the existing data on agricultural traceability system, can start calculating carbon footprint as soon as possible. To compared to traditional assessment method, results show a margin of error is less than 6% compared to traditional assessment methods. Advantages of improved method were be found, such as easy data acquisition, simplified calculation steps, and improved data transparency and accuracy. From statistical data, show that at least seven categories of carbon emission sources for carbon footprints, the most significant of carbon emission impact are fertilizers. The result of improved methodology based on life cycle assessment (LCA), show that using the improved methods can help promote the carbon footprint management efficiency of agricultural organizations such as Farmers’ Association or Agricultural Production Marketing Group, promptly monitor the carbon footprint status of their fields and adjust strategies to reduce carbon footprints in real-time, advancing towards the goal of net-zero carbon emissions.

Keywords: traceability; carbon footprint; enhanced carbon footprint calculation; agricultural management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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