LCA - reducing GHG's from food through community-supported urban agriculture

Overview

Currently, the production and supply of food is thought to account for as much as 20-30% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. The government and environmentally-oriented Non-Governmental Organisations are seeking to reduce the environmental burden of food production. Local community farms in urban areas may provide one possible option.

This study used Life Cycle Assessment to estimate the potential savings of food-related greenhouse gas emissions that may be achieved with the implementation of an urban community farm and identified strategic elements of the local food production system that could be used to maximise reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. Much of the research was undertaken at Sutton Community Farm in south London. The results showed that the local food production and distribution scheme in the urban fringe could bring considerably diversified reductions depending on the crop. The greatest reduction was by crops providing the highest yields and supplied to shops throughout the year from energy-intensive production systems such as greenhouses. As monocultures on the community farm are not envisaged, mixed cropping scenarios were also examined as well as the possibility for the further development of the scheme over the local, derelict land. These showed that a pattern of land use that aimed to optimise greenhouse gas reductions within local market requirements resulted in a reduction of 85 t CO2e ha-1 a-1.

The results envisaged that community farms can be used to help reduce the greenhouse gas burden associated with food production and supply in urban areas and that Life Cycle Assessment can be strategically used to examine the various available options.
 

Published September 2010

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