Life cycle assessment of bean production in the Prespa National Park, Greece

The aim of this cradle-to-farm-gate LCA study is the comparison of the impacts generated by different modes of cultivation of beans in the Prespa National Park in Greece. More specifically, three different bean varieties have been assessed based on three different cultivation practices: conventional, integrated and organic. Moreover, the cultivation practices of the three bean varieties are compared based on two different functional units, namely a mass and an area unit. The bean cultivation inventory is compiled from raw agricultural data for the year 2008, extracted from multiple producers involved in a pilot labelling programme. Impact assessment was performed using the CML baseline 2000 method. The results of our analysis indicate that the high input high yield bean varieties are environmentally preferable if we base our assessment on a mass-based functional unit, while the lower input lower yielding variety is preferable if we base our assessment on land use. The integrated agricultural practice is the preferable among the three, in terms of the regional acidification and eutrophication impacts and the global warming potential. On the other hand, organic cultivation of beans leads to protection of the global abiotic resources. Electricity required for irrigation is the major input that affects the environmental impacts followed by the application of sheep manure. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.