Eco-efficiency evaluation of piglet production: An economic value added approach to GWP

IF 6.1 1区农林科学 Q1 AGRICULTURE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Agricultural Systems Pub Date : 2025-06-10 DOI:10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104404

Carolina Obregão da Rosa , Rita Therezinha Rolim Pietramale , Juliana Dias de Oliveira , Clandio Favarini Ruviaro

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

CONTEXT

Swine farming is a key contributor to rural and regional development in several Brazilian states. However, the sector faces significant sustainability challenges. Integrated assessments of environmental and economic performance are therefore essential to support more sustainable production practices.

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluates the eco-efficiency of weaned piglet production systems in response to the growing emphasis on sustainability and resource-use efficiency in livestock value chains.

METHODS

Environmental performance was assessed using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), focusing on climate change potential and identifying environmental hotspots. Economic performance was evaluated through the Value Added (VA) metric. The integrated LCA–VA approach was applied over a one-year production cycle on a wean-to-growing farm comprising seven production batches.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The system evaluated exhibited eco-inefficiency. Attaining a positive Value Added is a key long-term strategic goal, as it enables reinvestment in technologies and management practices that reduce environmental impacts and improve overall eco-efficiency.

SIGNIFICANCE

Performance indicators such as weight gain and duration of production phases (days in phase) showed strong potential for improving eco-efficiency. Balancing these indicators should be a priority in optimizing weaned piglet production. This study contributes novel insights by applying a combined LCA–VA framework to a production phase underrepresented in the literature.

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仔猪生产的生态效率评价：全球潜能值的经济增值方法

生猪养殖是巴西几个州农村和地区发展的关键因素。然而，该行业面临着重大的可持续性挑战。因此，对环境和经济绩效进行综合评估对于支持更可持续的生产做法至关重要。本研究旨在评估断奶仔猪生产系统的生态效率，以应对畜牧业价值链中对可持续性和资源利用效率的日益重视。方法采用生命周期评价法（LCA）对环境绩效进行评价，重点关注气候变化潜力，识别环境热点。通过附加值（VA）指标评估经济绩效。综合LCA-VA方法在一个由七个生产批次组成的从播种到种植的农场进行了为期一年的生产周期。结果与结论评价系统表现出生态低效。实现积极的附加价值是一个关键的长期战略目标，因为它使对技术和管理实践的再投资能够减少对环境的影响，提高整体生态效率。增重和生育期持续时间（生育期天数）等性能指标显示出提高生态效率的巨大潜力。平衡这些指标应该是优化断奶仔猪生产的首要任务。本研究通过将LCA-VA组合框架应用于文献中未被充分代表的生产阶段，提供了新颖的见解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Agricultural Systems 农林科学-农业综合

CiteScore

13.30

自引率

7.60%

发文量

174

审稿时长

30 days

期刊介绍： Agricultural Systems is an international journal that deals with interactions - among the components of agricultural systems, among hierarchical levels of agricultural systems, between agricultural and other land use systems, and between agricultural systems and their natural, social and economic environments. The scope includes the development and application of systems analysis methodologies in the following areas: Systems approaches in the sustainable intensification of agriculture; pathways for sustainable intensification; crop-livestock integration; farm-level resource allocation; quantification of benefits and trade-offs at farm to landscape levels; integrative, participatory and dynamic modelling approaches for qualitative and quantitative assessments of agricultural systems and decision making; The interactions between agricultural and non-agricultural landscapes; the multiple services of agricultural systems; food security and the environment; Global change and adaptation science; transformational adaptations as driven by changes in climate, policy, values and attitudes influencing the design of farming systems; Development and application of farming systems design tools and methods for impact, scenario and case study analysis; managing the complexities of dynamic agricultural systems; innovation systems and multi stakeholder arrangements that support or promote change and (or) inform policy decisions.