Assessment of the economic and environmental sustainability of Variable Rate Technology (VRT) application in different wheat intensive European agricultural areas. A Water energy food nexus approach

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00027049%3A_____%2F20%3AN0000038" target="_blank" >RIV/00027049:_____/20:N0000038 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1462901119313292?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" >https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1462901119313292?via%3Dihub</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2020.08.019" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.envsci.2020.08.019</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Assessment of the economic and environmental sustainability of Variable Rate Technology (VRT) application in different wheat intensive European agricultural areas. A Water energy food nexus approach

Original language description

In this paper we assess the sustainability of Variable Rate Technology (VRT) application for different wheat intensive agricultural areas in Europe. Within the H2020 FATIMA project we developed an analytical framework to assess the environmental and economic sustainability of nutrient management in two Case Studies in Greek and Czech Republic, implemented with different fertilization strategies in the winter wheat production, compared with the conventional one. We look at the economic and environmental dimension expressed throughout a set of specific performance indicators implemented under the Water Energy Food (WEF) nexus framework. Considering that fertilization strategies significatively affect environmental impact as well as economic performance at farm level, we investigated how Precision Agriculture (PA) tools, and particularly VRT, most suitable for increasing efficiency in fertilization distribution, can improve and maximize efficiency of inputs and profitability of individual fields by targeting application where needed and at optimum rates. The study shows how, despite a general reduction of production cost and increase in gross margin, farm sizes and the level of efficiency of the “as usual scenario” influence the economic impact of the VRT. Looking instead at the environmental perspective of the analysis, the results provide evidence of a decrease of nitrogen (N) due to lower amount of fertilizers, as well as a better distribution according to the potential productivity of the field, causing reduced impact of groundwater quality (nitrate loss by leaching). On the other side, some constraints arise from the high cost and the investments needed to adopt VRT at farm level, one of the main challenges to be solved through adequate policy instruments.

Czech name

—

Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10501 - Hydrology

Project

—

Continuities

R - Projekt Ramcoveho programu EK

Publication year

2020

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Environmental Science & Policy

ISSN

1462-9011

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

114

Issue of the periodical within the volume

december 2020

Country of publishing house

NL - THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

Number of pages

11

Pages from-to

366-376

UT code for WoS article

000591436800019

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85090883104