Abstract This paper applies an integrated methodology which is constituted of the following: (i) the Emergy-Data Envelopment Analysis (EM-DEA), (ii) environmental Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), (iii) Value Chain Analysis (VCA), and (iv) Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) approaches, -to support multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) for strategic agricultural land use planning, which could contribute to improve food security in northern Ghana. Five scenarios of land use and resource management practices for maize production were modelled. The business-as-usual scenario was based on primary data, which were collected using semi-structured questionnaires administered to 56 small-scale maize farmers through personal interviews. The dominant land use was characterised by an external input ≤12 kg/ha/yr inorganic fertilizer with/without the addition of manure in rainfed maize systems. The project scenarios were based on APSIM simulations of maize yield response to 0, 20, 50 and 100 kg/ha/yr urea dosages, with/without supplemental irrigation. The scenarios were dubbed as follows: (1) no/low input systems were denoted by Extensive0, Extensive12, and Intercrop20, and (2) moderate/high input systems were denoted by Intensive50, and Intensive100. The EM-DEA approach was used to assess the resource use efficiency (RUE) and sustainability in maize production systems, Ghana. The measured RUE and sustainability were used as a proxy for further analyses by applying the environmental CBA and VCA approaches to calculate: (a) the environmental costs of producing maize, i.e. resource use measured as total emergy (U), and (b) benefits from the yielded maize, i.e. (b i) food provision from grain measured in kcal/yr, and (b ii) potential electricity (bioenergy) which could be generated from residue measured in MWh/yr. The information which was derived from the applications of the EM-DEA, CBA and VCA approaches was aggregated by applying the SBSC approach to do a sustainability appraisal of the scenarios. The results show that, when labour and services are included in the assessment of RUE and sustainability, Intercrop20 and Intensive50 achieved greater marginal yield, better RUE, sustainability and appraisal score. The same scenarios caused lesser impacts in terms of expansion of area cultivated compared to Extensive0 and Extensive12. Meanwhile the impacts of Intercrop20 and Intensive50 in terms of ecotoxicity, emissions, and demand for resources (energy, materials, labour and services) were lesser compared to Intensive100. The implications of the various scenarios are discussed. The environmental performance of the scenarios are compared to maize production systems in other developing regions in order to put this study within a broader context. We conclude that, the EM-DEA approach is useful for assessing RUE and sustainability of agricultural production systems at farm and regional scales, as well as in connecting the management planning level and regional development considerations.

中文翻译：

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玉米生产和环境成本：通过耦合能值和数据包络分析实现加纳北部粮食安全的资源评估和战略土地利用规划

摘要 本文采用由以下组成的综合方法：(i) 能值数据包络分析 (EM-DEA)，(ii) 环境成本效益分析 (CBA)，(iii) 价值链分析 (VCA) ，和 (iv) 可持续性平衡计分卡 (SBSC) 方法，支持多标准决策分析 (MCDA) 用于战略性农业用地规划，这可能有助于改善加纳北部的粮食安全。对玉米生产的土地利用和资源管理实践的五种情景进行了建模。一切照旧的情景基于主要数据，这些数据是通过个人访谈对 56 名小规模玉米农民使用半结构化问卷收集的。在雨养玉米系统中，主要土地利用的特点是外部输入≤12 kg/ha/yr 无机肥料，添加/不添加肥料。项目情景基于 APSIM 模拟对 0、20、50 和 100 kg/ha/yr 尿素剂量的玉米产量响应，有/没有补充灌溉。这些场景被命名如下：（1）无/低投入系统由 Extensive0、Extensive12 和 Intercrop20 表示，（2）中/高投入系统由 Intensive50 和 Intensive100 表示。EM-DEA 方法用于评估加纳玉米生产系统的资源利用效率 (RUE) 和可持续性。测量的 RUE 和可持续性被用作进一步分析的代理，通过应用环境 CBA 和 VCA 方法来计算：(a) 生产玉米的环境成本，即 以总能值 (U) 衡量的资源使用，以及 (b) 来自已生产的玉米的收益，即 (bi) 以千卡/年为单位的粮食提供的粮食，以及 (b ii) 可从残留物中产生的潜在电力（生物能源）以 MWh/年为单位。从 EM-DEA、CBA 和 VCA 方法的应用中获得的信息通过应用 SBSC 方法对情景进行可持续性评估来汇总。结果表明，当劳动力和服务被纳入 RUE 和可持续性的评估中时，I​​ntercrop20 和 Intensive50 实现了更高的边际产量、更好的 RUE、可持续性和评估分数。与 Extensive0 和 Extensive12 相比，相同的情景在扩大耕地面积方面造成的影响较小。与此同时，间作 20 和集约化 50 在生态毒性方面的影响，与 Intensive100 相比，排放量和对资源（能源、材料、劳动力和服务）的需求较少。讨论了各种情况的影响。将情景的环境绩效与其他发展中地区的玉米生产系统进行比较，以便将本研究置于更广泛的背景下。我们得出的结论是，EM-DEA 方法可用于评估农场和区域尺度农业生产系统的 RUE 和可持续性，以及将管理规划水平和区域发展考虑联系起来。将情景的环境绩效与其他发展中地区的玉米生产系统进行比较，以便将本研究置于更广泛的背景下。我们得出的结论是，EM-DEA 方法可用于评估农场和区域规模的农业生产系统的 RUE 和可持续性，以及将管理规划水平和区域发展考虑联系起来。将情景的环境绩效与其他发展中地区的玉米生产系统进行比较，以便将本研究置于更广泛的背景下。我们得出的结论是，EM-DEA 方法可用于评估农场和区域规模的农业生产系统的 RUE 和可持续性，以及将管理规划水平和区域发展考虑联系起来。