Sustainability Assessment of Rice Farming: Insights from Four Italian Farms Under Climate Stress

Savoini Guglielmo, Pietro De Marinis (), Casson Andrea, Abhishek Dattu Narote, Riccardo Guidetti, Stefano Bocchi and Valentina Vaglia
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Savoini Guglielmo: Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
Pietro De Marinis: Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
Casson Andrea: Department of Agri-environmental Science, Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
Abhishek Dattu Narote: Department of Agri-environmental Science, Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
Riccardo Guidetti: Department of Agri-environmental Science, Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
Stefano Bocchi: Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
Valentina Vaglia: Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-36

Abstract: The study compares the overall sustainability of two organic and two conventional rice farming systems during the 2022 drought. The research aimed to develop an experiment exploring the ability of an integrated methodological approach to identify tradeoffs and provide actionable insights for a sustainable agricultural transition under extreme climate stress. To this aim, the study employed economic analysis, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for environmental impact, and the OASIS framework for broader social and resilience indicators. The study revealed tradeoffs between the economic efficiency of conventional rice farming and the ecological resilience of organic systems, a conclusion made possible only through its integrated assessment methodology. By combining different methods, the research suggested that while conventional farms achieved clear financial superiority and greater efficiency per ton of rice, organic systems showcased superior ecological performance per hectare, greater biodiversity, and enhanced resilience. This highlights a crucial research frontier focused on designing hybrid systems or new economic models that can translate the environmental resilience of organic methods into tangible market value, effectively resolving the very tradeoffs this comprehensive assessment suggested.

Keywords: rice; organic farming; conventional farming; agroecology; sustainability (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: 2025
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