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Accounting emergy flows to determine the best production model of a coffee plantation

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  • Giannetti, B.F.
  • Ogura, Y.
  • Bonilla, S.H.
  • Almeida, C.M.V.B.

Abstract

Cerrado, a savannah region, is Brazil's second largest ecosystem after the Amazon rainforest and is also threatened with imminent destruction. In the present study emergy synthesis was applied to assess the environmental performance of a coffee farm located in Coromandel, Minas Gerais, in the Brazilian Cerrado. The effects of land use on sustainability were evaluated by comparing the emergy indices along ten years in order to assess the energy flows driving the production process, and to determine the best production model combining productivity and environmental performance. The emergy indices are presented as a function of the annual crop. Results show that Santo Inácio farm should produce approximately 20 bags of green coffee per hectare to accomplish its best performance regarding both the production efficiency and the environment. The evaluation of coffee trade complements those obtained by contrasting productivity and environmental performance, and despite of the market prices variation, the optimum interval for Santo Inácio's farm is between 10 and 25coffee bags/ha.

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  • Giannetti, B.F. & Ogura, Y. & Bonilla, S.H. & Almeida, C.M.V.B., 2011. "Accounting emergy flows to determine the best production model of a coffee plantation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(11), pages 7399-7407.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:39:y:2011:i:11:p:7399-7407
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2011.09.005
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    6. Giannetti, B.F. & Ogura, Y. & Bonilla, S.H. & Almeida, C.M.V.B., 2011. "Emergy assessment of a coffee farm in Brazilian Cerrado considering in a broad form the environmental services, negative externalities and fair price," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 104(9), pages 679-688.
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    5. Cristian Méndez Rodríguez & Juliana Salazar Benítez & Carlos Felipe Rengifo Rodas & Juan Carlos Corrales & Apolinar Figueroa Casas, 2022. "A Multidisciplinary Approach Integrating Emergy Analysis and Process Modeling for Agricultural Systems Sustainable Management—Coffee Farm Validation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-20, July.
    6. Yang, Q. & Chen, G.Q. & Liao, S. & Zhao, Y.H. & Peng, H.W. & Chen, H.P., 2013. "Environmental sustainability of wind power: An emergy analysis of a Chinese wind farm," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 229-239.
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