An Examination of Life Cycle Energy Consumption and Carbon Balance on Agricultural Activities in Rural Area

For the purpose of applying Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) to the rural planning, life cycle energy consumption and carbon balance on agricultural activities in an irrigation area are examined as a preliminary case study. The life cycle energies of crop and livestock framings are estimated at 56.6TJ/yr (27Gj·yr-1/ha) and 44.4Tj/yr respectively. Carbon balance through the agricultural activities in the area is also calculated as 4, 478t-C/yr of C-emission and C-import, 1, 750t-C/yr of C-recycling and 3, 348t-C/yr of C-production. The overall C-balance of agricultural activities in the area is estimated at 1, 040t-C/yr of release. The results suggest that a study on lifecycle C-balance might be useful to evaluate the eco-efficiency of the agricultural activities in rural area.