The combination of social demands and the change/scarcity problems expected in the future (climate impacts, energy) requires every farmer to examine their strengths and weaknesses. The aim of determining the location must be to achieve the most favorable relationship possible between economy, ecology and resource dependence. The life cycle assessment tool bundles all of the above-mentioned areas with its parameters and presents the effects comprehensively and neutrally. At the farm gate level, all operating and auxiliary materials as well as the fixed equipment, area and animal populations are recorded and subjected to an impact analysis. The overarching intention of the project is to introduce individual farm life cycle assessments for agricultural businesses in Austria.
The project pursues three central goals
- Increasing the efficiency of the agricultural business, taking into account economic and ecological production functions
- Presentation of agricultural performance and environmental impacts
- Creation of data bases for decision-makers along the food chain (farmers, authorities, actors in the food industry, private individuals
The novelty and advantages of this project are: It creates an opportunity for farmers, consultants and decision-makers in Austria to be able to comprehensively assess and evaluate the environmental impacts of agricultural production sectors and ultimately of the entire company through life cycle assessment.
