Environmental and Economical Assessment of Maize Cultivation in Northern India

In recent times, India has witnessed a remarkable surge in agricultural production, surpassing the demand and establishing itself as a leading global exporter in agronomy and horticulture crops. However, it is important to note that this sector has also been associated with environmental impacts, contributing to various forms of pollution that negatively affect water, soil, air quality, and human health. To address the environmental impact of food production, it is essential to assess the overall environmental consequences of the entire food supply chain. Maize cultivation significantly impacts the environment, especially concerning resource usage and the environmental effects of fertilizer, insecticides, and electricity production. In order to evaluate the environmental consequences associated with maize cultivation, a life cycle assessment was conducted using the cradle-to-farm gate approach. The aim was to quantify and pinpoint the system's environmental hotspots. A land-based functional unit (i.e., one hectare of potato cultivation) has been taken in the study. For the evaluation of environmental correlations and estimation of potential environmental impact, the LCA research incorporated the use of SimaPro version 9.5 software in conjunction with the ReCiPe midpoint and endpoint methods. This selected approach facilitated the assessment of all inputs and outputs included in the study, providing valuable insights into their environmental implications. The characterization results show that fertilization, irrigation, sowing, and harvesting have considerable environmental impacts, with fertilization having the most influence. Irrigation contributes 94.5 percent to water usage and 21.3 percent to freshwater eutrophication. Based on the recipe endpoint scores, the overall impact totals 144.8 points, with human health prominently leading at 129.0 points. Additionally, in order to see the environmental and economic viability of the selected crop an alternative scenario along with life cycle costing has been performed.