INCIHUSA   20883
INSTITUTO DE CIENCIAS HUMANAS, SOCIALES Y AMBIENTALES
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Assessing land use impacts of rapeseed production in drylands: a case-study of experimental plots in Mendoza, Argentina
Autor/es:
B. CIVIT; SILVA COLOMER, J; ARENA, AP; BRANDAO, M
Lugar:
Praga
Reunión:
Congreso; 13th International Rapeseed Congress; 2011
Resumen:
The use of biomass for energy purposes has raised high expectations for the production of liquid biofuels that can replace fossil fuels. Biofuels can be produced in many regions of the world, although developing countries have a competitive advantage over developed ones due to their lower land and labor costs. Although Argentina has a long tradition in producing and exporting plant oils, some emerging problems from land-use change, increasing energy use, carbon emissions and water withdrawal are causes of concern. Mendoza, an arid province in Argentina, can potentially produce oil from winter rapeseed and thereby avoid the competition for irrigation water with traditional crops like vines and fruit trees that grow during spring and summer. Despite the uncertainties regarding the environmental impact of changes in land-use and management, this alternative cropping system has attracted many producers during the last five years. With reference to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) we have evaluated the land use impact of rapeseed cultivation considering a sequence of farming steps until the product leaves the farm-gate (cradle-to-gate). During the farming year of 2008-09, five experimental plots on fields of the experimental station of INTA in Junín (Mendoza province) were assessed for changes in soil properties. The Biotic Production Potential (BPP) and the Desertification Factor (DF) were selected to asses land use impacts. Given improvements in some soil properties and other biological and ecological indicators, results suggest that rapeseed cultivation is, in the mid- and short-term, a novel and viable farming alternative for irrigated drylands in Mendoza