Determine and assess benefits/impacts and trade-offs of agroecology, and identify best practices
Our aim: quantify in and holistic way that the agro-ecological practices that are put forward have an effect on productivity but also on the soil.
We are experts in the use of the LCA methodology to assess environmental impacts. However, this methodology has shortcomings when used to assess agroecological and organic farming practices. One of the main shortcomings is that in LCA improvements or losses in soil quality are not quantified. Therefore, we have proposed a methodology (which has already been published as a European standard https://www.cencenelec.eu/news-and-events/news/2022/workshop/2022-06-28-cwa-17898-2022/ and research articles https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122297 ) to assess soil quality based on exergy. We propose an indicator that evaluates the regeneration costs of soil due to its loss of quality. It includes biotic and abiotic parameters, organic matter, microorganisms, erosion, sodicity, acidification and loss or excess of nutrients. It is measured in energy units (Megajoules/hectare) which allows it to be included in the overall efficiency of the agricultural process. In this way, changes in the agricultural soil, which will not be perceived in the crop yield in the short term but in the long term, can be identified. Our interest is to validate and optimise this methodology with data from different agricultural processes in order to achieve a complete evaluation of all the environmental and economic improvements that agroecological practices provide.
The University of Zaragoza is the public university of Aragon (Spain). Within the University, the Energaia Institute was founded in 2009 with the strong objectives of promoting research and technological development, as well as its dissemination; and to catalyse innovation in the field of energy, seeking the the sustainability of natural resources. In short, its founding and central objective is to to examine and work for the future of energy and resources by identifying and analysing opportunities and threats, developing opportunities and threats, developing useful knowledge for people and the planet; and the training of professionals beyond the academic context of professionals beyond the academic context.