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PARALLEL SESSION 4A: CARBON FOOTPRINT 8 th Int. Conference on LCA in the
Agri-Food Sector, 1-4 Oct 2012
The carbon footprint of Brazilian canary melon
Maria Cléa Brito de Figueirêdo 1,* , Imke J.M. de Boer 2 , Carolien Kroeze 3 , José Potting 3 , Viviane da Silva
Barros 1 , Fernando Aragão 1 , Rubens Sonsol Gondim 1
1 Embrapa Tropical Agroindustry, Ceará, Brazil
2 Animal Production Systems Group, Wageningen University, the Netherlands
3 Environmental System Analysis Group, Wageningen University, the Netherlands
* Corresponding author. E-mail: mariacleabrito@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) is an environmental concern that has been the focus of food producers and consumers worldwide.
The objective of this study, therefore, is to quantify GHG emissions along the production chain of Brazilian melon, and, to
identify improvement options. The product system encompasses (i) upstream processes, i.e. the production and transport of inputs,
such as seeds, pesticides, diesel and plastics, (ii) melon processes in the Low Jaguaribe and Açu region, i.e. the production of seedlings,
melons and packing, and (iii) downstream processes, i.e. transport of melons to Europe and solid waste disposal. The functional
unit is one tonne of exported canary melon. Primary data related to inputs and solid waste generation was obtained from farmers
and researchers at the Brazilian Agriculture Research Corporation (Embrapa) - Tropical Agroindustry branch, through a structured
questionnaire, during the first semester of 2011. The emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane are estimated
from the amount of input used in different activities, applying emission factors proposed by IPCC and Brazilian GHG Inventories.
GHG emissions from melon processes in the Low Jaguaribe and Açu region are considered, regarding the following activities: land
use change (biomass loss, with cutting and burning, and soil organic matter mineralisation); nitrogen fertilisation (including incorporation
of field residues in soils); and fossil fuel combustion by tractors. The impact on climate change is calculated in CO2equivalentes,
considering the global warming potential of GHG in a time period of 100 years. GHG emissions from upstream and
downstream processes are mainly taken from the Ecoinvent database. Considering all processes and the uncertainty in measurements,
the total impact on climate change of canary melon, up to their distribution in the European market, can reach 710 kg CO 2-eq/t
melon. Indirect emissions, from the production of inputs and transports, exceeded direct emissions from melon processes located in
the Low Jaguaribe and Açu region. The major melon process in this region contributing to GHG emission is crop production,
whereas the major upstream and downstream processes were fertiliser and plastic production. Moreover, scenario analyses showed
that the carbon footprint of canary melon can be reduced by 24% if melon fields are located in former agricultural areas and by 6% if
nitrogen fertilisation is reduced to best practice levels in crop production. The results of this study may support Brazilian melon
producers when accounting melon carbon footprint and deciding about which management practices use to reduce it.
Keywords: canary melon, Brazil, carbon footprint, climate change
1. Introduction
Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is a cucurbit crop, whose fruit is rich in vitamins, minerals, and has low calorie
content. It is produced mostly in tropical regions, and subsequently exported across the world. The high
luminosity (about to 3,000 h/year) together with the low precipitation rate (from August to December) and
humidity constitute excellent conditions for melon production (Silva and Costa, 2003).
Brazil was the second largest world melon exporter in 2010 (FAO, 2011). The main exporting melon
producers in Brazil are clustered in the Low Jaguaribe and Açu region, in the Northeast States of Ceará and
Rio Grande do Norte. In 2009, melon production in this region contributed to 99% of the country melon
exports (MDIC, 2011). From 1999 to 2009, the area cultivated with melon in this region increased more than
60% (IBGE, 2011).
The type of melon commonly produced and exported belongs to the Cucumis melo inodorous Naud
group, popularly known as canary yellow melon (Silva and Costa, 2003). Melon production occurs in open
fields and relies on drip irrigation and fertirrigation (i.e. application of soluble fertiliser through an irrigation
system). Fertirrigation is required because of insignificant rainfall during the production period (from July to
December) (Miranda et al., 2008) and a low nutrient content of soils (Crisóstomo et al., 2002).
The release of new requirements related to carbon footprint (CF) certification has raised the attention of
Brazilian melon producers. Examples of CF protocols are PAS 2050 (BSI, 2011) and the Product Life Cycle
Accounting and Reporting Standard (WRI, WBCSD 2011). These standards consider emissions from
processes related to the life cycle of a product, and facilitate identification of improvement options through
product value chains. According to Pandey et al., (2011), the CF of a product is defined as the amount of
GHGs expressed in terms of CO2-eq or CO2-equivalents emitted by that product during its life cycle, with
specific system boundaries.
So far, few studies have assessed the CF of melon. Audsley et al., (2009) quantified the CF of melon
produced in- and outside Europe in general terms, using proxy values from existing data related to similar
food products. Cellura et al., (2012) quantified the CF of Italian melon produced in pavilion and tunnel
greenhouses in a Sicilian agricultural district. These studies, however, do not address melon production in
tropical countries such as the market-leader Brazil. They did not look into the emission reduction potential of
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