Estimation of the Carbon Footprint in Rice Crops in the ASOZULIA Irrigation District, Norte de Santander, Through the Application of Life Cycle Analysis

Abstract

The present study carries out an estimate of the carbon footprint in the rice crops located within the Irrigation Ringy district, Santander Norte, Colombia, through descriptive research that uses as a methodological reference The analysis of the life cycle established in international standards ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. In the first instance, the production system is divided into three segments (studies of study) to collect primary information of the balance sheets of mass and energy that there are intervened, subsequently, the inventory of CO2 emissions is built using the Ecoinvent database 3.1, the inventory data is processed through the LCA-Manager software to quantify the impact on the carbon footprint generated in each of the study blocks.  Within the results, it was found that for each hectare of culture the system issues 7,316 KG CO2 EQ and that the factors with the highest incidence in its order are watering, urea, fertilizers, burning of vegetable material, fuels, agrochemicals, seed, agricultural machinery, and lubricants. Finally, the following strategies are proposed as alternatives to reduce carbon footprint: implementation of precision agriculture technologies, laser bearing leveling for zero earrings, modernization of agricultural machinery park, machining transplant technique, favorable agronomic practices to recover the soil, disposal of burns, preventive maintenance and predictive plan and training plan for staff. Keywords: rice, life cycle analysis, environmental impact, carbon footprint