An Evaluation of On-Farm Food Loss Accounting in Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Four California Specialty Crops

摘要: The majority of the environmental impacts associated with agri-food supply chain occur at production phase. Interests in using life-cycle assessment (LCA) for accounting chains as well food losses and waste (FLW) has increased recent years. Here, first time, we estimate production-phase embedded resources greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions California specialty crops considering on-farm losses. We use primary, survey-derived qualitative, quantitative data consider loss prevention avoided GHG through two different scenarios applied an illustrative example processing peach stage. Further, contribute a mathematical approach discrete, unique flows within net flow chain, LCA. Through detailed LCAs, identify hotspots four diesel use, fertilizer application, direct water electricity irrigation pumping. Impacts from cultivation practices additional vary significantly by crop. Including LCAs resulted increases overall resource 4–38% (percent varies depending on crop type). used LCA models set straightforward calculations to evaluate action (a 50% reduction losses) secondary end-of-life (EOL) biomass peach. results this evaluation showed 11% compared baseline (full harvest). In conclusion, explicitly including LCA, highlight challenges opportunities target interventions that simultaneously reduce these agricultural systems.