Environmental Performance of a Mixed Crop–Dairy Cattle Farm in Alexandria (Romania)

Saker Ben Abdallah (), Belén Gallego-Elvira, Dana Catalina Popa, José Francisco Maestre-Valero, Alberto Imbernón-Mulero, Razvan Alexandru Popa and Mihaela Bălănescu
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Saker Ben Abdallah: Agricultural Engineering Department, Technical University of Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII 48, 30203 Cartagena, Spain
Belén Gallego-Elvira: Agricultural Engineering Department, Technical University of Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII 48, 30203 Cartagena, Spain
Dana Catalina Popa: Faculty of Animal Production Engineering and Management, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 59 Marasti Blvd, 011464 Bucharest, Romania
José Francisco Maestre-Valero: Agricultural Engineering Department, Technical University of Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII 48, 30203 Cartagena, Spain
Alberto Imbernón-Mulero: Agricultural Engineering Department, Technical University of Cartagena, Paseo Alfonso XIII 48, 30203 Cartagena, Spain
Razvan Alexandru Popa: Faculty of Animal Production Engineering and Management, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 59 Marasti Blvd, 011464 Bucharest, Romania
Mihaela Bălănescu: R & D Department, Beia Consult International, 041386 Bucharest, Romania

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: Agricultural specialization has increased considerably in Europe over the last decades, leading to the separation of crop and livestock production at both farm and regional levels. Such a transformation is often associated with higher environmental burdens due to excessive reliance on exogenous inputs and manure management issues. Reconnecting crop and livestock production via mixed farming systems (MFSs) could improve circularity and resilience, leading to reduced environmental impacts. The objective of this study was to evaluate the life cycle environmental performance of a commercial mixed crop–dairy cattle farm in Romania and to compare it against the corresponding specialized systems. The evaluation covered both dairy cattle production (milk and meat) and cash crops. Overall, the results show that the coupled system improves environmental performance by reducing the over-reliance on high-impact inputs like synthetic fertilizers and exogenous feed. The carbon footprint for the milk production of the studied system (1.17 kg CO 2 eq.) per kg of fat- and protein-corrected milk (FPCM) was 10% lower than the mean value of common intensive milk production systems. The eutrophication impacts (2.52 × 10 −4 kg P eq and 2.67 × 10 −4 kg N eq./kg of FPCM) presented values of one order of magnitude less than their specialized counterparts. However, the impacts of the studied MFS, albeit lower than those for comparable specialized systems, still remain relatively high. In particular, methane emissions from enteric fermentation (0.54 kg CO 2 eq./kg FPCM) were a major contributor to the carbon footprint. This highlighted the need to address the elevated emissions from enteric fermentation with better feed management, as well as improving and reinforcing the system’s self-sufficiency.

Keywords: specialization; cash crops; dairy cattle production; life cycle assessment; mixed farming systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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