Assessing greenhouse gas emissions from potato production and processing in the Czech Republic

This study evaluates the impact of selected potato farming and processing activities on the environment in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was used for this evaluation, and was applied to products cultivated under both conventional and organic production, and processed under technological conditions common in the Czech Republic. Farm questionnaires were supplemented with information from the scientific literature to acquire the necessary data for modelling. The SIMA Pro software and the ReCiPe Midpoint (H) method were used for simulation. The results show a lower level of emissions under organic production (0.126 kg CO(2)e per kg of potatoes, compared with 0.145 kg CO(2)e per kg of conventionally grown potatoes). However, this benefit is cancelled out by higher emissions due to the transportation of organic products over long distances.