The environmental footprint of an organic peri-urban orchard network

Environmental impact assessment of vegetable production in West Java, Indonesia

Indonesia is one of the world's economies contributing the most to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the global food system. This study aimed to quantify the environmental impacts of Indonesian vegetable production and the relative contribution of different farm inputs. Data were collected from 322 vegetable farms in the Lembang sub-district in West Java. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was carried out to estimate global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), freshwater eutrophication potential (EP), and abiotic resource depletion. Results of the LCA showed that GHG emissions were 14.1 t CO₂eq ha^-1 yr^-1 (0.5 t CO₂eq t^-1), AP was 39.3 kg SO₂eq ha^-1 yr^-1 (1.4 kg SO₂eq t^-1), EP was 45.3 kg PO₄eq ha^-1 yr^-1 (1.7 kg PO₄eq,), and depletion of phosphate, potash, and fossil fuel resources were 60.0 kg P₂O_5, 101 kg K₂O, and 6299 MJ ha^-1 yr^-1, respectively (1.9 kg P₂O₅, 3.7 kg K₂O, and 281 MJ t^-1). Organic fertilizer use contributed the most to impact categories of global warming, freshwater eutrophication, and acidification, followed by synthetic fertilizer. The sensitivity analysis showed that yield and organic fertilizer use explained most of the variation in GHG emission per ton product. Therefore, it is recommended to include organic fertilizer use in the fertilizer advisory system for vegetable production in Indonesia.

Periurban Transformations in the Global South and Their Impact on Water-Based Livelihoods

Urban sprawl and population increase are fundamentally transforming periurban areas in the Global South. These areas often suffer from inadequate environmental planning, resulting in water sources being overexploited, degraded, and redistributed. These processes affect water-based livelihoods due to disadvantages in water access and inadequate water governance. On the positive side, these transformation processes are leading to alternative water-based livelihoods. We systematically review and critically comment on the literature on water-based livelihoods in periurban areas of the Global South to provide the current scientific knowledge on this topic. Transformations of water-based livelihoods in periurban areas were also evaluated in terms of their sustainability. We conclude that rapid developments of periurban areas contain threats and potentials for water-based livelihoods and some emerging water-based livelihoods, whereas some emerging water-based livelihoods provide interim solutions for institutional supply gaps. Major lacunae in research are the (1) lack of holistic approaches, which address social dimensions of transformations, (2) the lack of studies applying a differentiated perspective on neighbouring areas within the urban fringe and (3) a lack of knowledge on emerging (water-based) livelihoods.

Identifying the environmental footprint by source of supply chains for effective policy making: the case of Spanish households consumption

Household consumption has been identified to have an essential role in influencing ultimately the environmental pressures generated by human activities. This study assesses the indirect environmental footprint of the Spanish households applying a combination of consumer expenditure surveys with environmentally extended multi-regional input-output analysis. A total of fourteen environmental impact categories are studied from 2006 to 2015. All the impact categories present a similar trend, particularly affected by the economic crisis. The impacts decreased from 2008 to 2013 and finally slightly started rising again from 2014 to 2015. Results show that the dominant categories influencing the indirect environmental footprint in 2015 are (1) food and beverages, (2) housing, and (3) furnishings. From the intensity perspective, housing, transport, and food and beverages appear to be the most intensive consumption clusters in the Spanish household indirect environmental footprint. In relation to the indirect water impacts embodied in the Spanish households' imports, the largest amount is from European countries and the highest virtual water (59%) corresponds to food and agriculture, in particular from wheat, fruit, vegetables, and dairy products. The findings obtained in relation to the sources generating indirect impacts from household consumption could aid the implementation of future mitigation policies.

Biological and biochemical assessment in Phorcus articulatus (Lamarck 1822): contamination and seasonal effect

This work aims to diagnose the state of the northeastern coasts of Tunisia using P. articulatus species. Biological parameters, protein and metallothionein content, enzymatic activities, and metallic concentration were assessed at four stations during four seasons and analyzed by multiple regressions. The comparison of biological ratios showed minima at Sidi Daoued and maxima at Korbous where metallothioneins were maximal. The catalytic activity was low during summer and higher during cold periods contrary to acetylcholinesterase activity. Concerning glutathione S-transferase, its activity was important at Kelibia in autumn and at La Goulette and Sidi Daoued in warm seasons. The metallic concentrations were low at Korbous and maximal at Kelibia and Sidi Daoued stations. Kelibia seems to be the most polluted site followed by Sidi Daoued and La Goulette (industries, urbanization and fishing ports). The pollution seems to be reduced at Korbous station having more suitable conditions for the proliferation of monodonts.