Water–Energy–Food Nexus of Sugarcane Production in Ethiopia
Wasihun G. Hailemariam, Thapat Silalertruksa, Shabbir H. Gheewala, Napat Jakrawatana
Environmental Engineering Science · 2019
Abstract Globally, the human population is facing difficulties vis-à-vis the ability to secure a sustainable supply of water, food, and energy due to the rising number of population, urbanization, globalization, and so on. The Ethiopian government has given emphasis on sugar and ethanol production from sugarcane, which will highly increase water and energy utilization in Ethiopia. The study aims to assess the water–energy–food nexus (WEFN) in the sugarcane production sector of Ethiopia. The set of indicators considering the consumption, mass, and economic productivity of water and energy in three different sugarcane producing factories in Ethiopia (Wonji-Shoa, Metehara, and Fincha) has been applied. An integrated indicator, so-called “water–energy–food nexus index (WEFNI),” is calculated to identify and compare the WEFN performance of the study sites. The assessment results helped to understand the water–energy–sugarcane relationships. The best nexus performance was found for Wonji Shoa, which has the highest WEFNI score that is, 0.63, followed by Fincha (0.47) and Metehara (0.45). The nexus assessment showed that the higher energy use in Wonji Shoa due to the modern irrigation technology implemented can be compensated by the reduction of water loss and productivity improvement, which finally lead to the increased WEFNI score. Recommendations such as adoption of modern irrigation system and substitution of fertilizers by filter cake are made for improving the WEFN of sugarcane cultivation. This study helps producers and stakeholders to understand their management performance and take actions to improve their productivity, profit, and resource management.
The impact of sugarcane production on biodiversity related to land use change in Ethiopia
Tilahun K. Semie, Thapat Silalertruksa, Shabbir H. Gheewala
Global Ecology and Conservation · 2019
Ethiopia produces sugar and ethanol from sugarcane as an integrated business. Ethanol production is expected to increase from 30,000 to over 300,000 metric tonnes per year in the second growth and transformation plan (GTP II) of 2020. In GTP II, the total sugarcane plantation area will be 320,000 ha. The intense acquisition of land for large-scale Ethiopian sugarcane plantations has a significant impact on biodiversity. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of sugarcane cultivation on terrestrial biodiversity of Ethiopia as well as on the global species status. Countryside species area relationship model was used to assess the number of species that might be driven to extinction because of land use. The impact was assessed by comparing the status of five taxa: mammals, birds, vascular plant , reptiles and amphibian of the same ecoregion in five broad land use type with three management intensity. The results show that sugarcane cultivation has significant impacts on biodiversity at two stages, which are transformation and occupation, with different magnitudes across five taxa in the three ecoregions. Recommendations for minimizing the impacts of sugarcane cultivation in Ethiopia are suggested including changing the management intensity from intense use to light use.
List of Contributors
Mercedes Ballesteros, Natàlia Caldés, María Dolores Curt, Jean-François Dallemand, Cristina de la Rúa, Rocío Díaz‐Chavez, J M. Barreiro Fernández, Uwe R. Fritsche, Benoît Gabriel, Felipe García Cardona, Shabbir H. Gheewala, Francisco Gı́rio, Israel Herrera, Maria Hingsamer, Jorge Islas, Gerfried Jungmeier, Carmen Lago, Yolanda Lechón, Paloma Manzanares, Fabio Manzini, Omar Masera, Siwa Msangi, Paul F. O’Reilly, Francisco José Domínguez Pérez, Aurélie Perrin, Mateo Prada Quintero, Robert Nicolas, Javier Sánchez, Nicolae Scarlat, Thapat Silalertruksa
Elsevier eBooks · 2018
Eco-Efficiency Assessment of Bioplastics Production Systems and End-of-Life Options
Kunnika Changwichan, Thapat Silalertruksa, Shabbir H. Gheewala
Sustainability · 2018
Bioplastics demand has been increased globally due to concerns regarding environmentally friendly consumption and production. Polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), and polybutylene succinate (PBS) are promising bioplastics with bio-based feedstocks and property of biodegradability. They are produced by bacterial fermentation of sugars from carbohydrate sources. With flexibility in their properties, PLA, PHAs, and PBS can potentially substitute conventional plastics such as polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polystyrene (PS). This study aims at evaluating the environmental and economic sustainability of bioplastics production together with end-of-life (EOL) options. The combination of environmental and economic indicators, eco-efficiency (E/E), was selected to investigate the performance of PLA, PHAs, and PBS from sugarcane and cassava in comparison with PP. The environmental impacts were determined using life cycle assessment. The product cost was used to represent the economic value. The E/E results showed that the environmental and economic sustainability could be enhanced with 100% mechanical recycling of all kinds of studied plastics. It is also important to highlight that mechanical recycling showed a better performance in terms of E/E than composting of bioplastics.
Implications of Water Use and Water Scarcity Footprint for Sustainable Rice Cultivation
Thapat Silalertruksa, Shabbir H. Gheewala, Rattanawan Mungkung, Pariyapat Nilsalab, Naruetep Lecksiwilai, Wanchat Sawaengsak
Sustainability · 2017
Rice cultivation is a vital economic sector of many countries in Asia, including Thailand, with the well-being of people relying significantly on selling rice commodities. Water-intensive rice cultivation is facing the challenge of water scarcity. The study assessed the volumetric freshwater use and water scarcity footprint of the major and second rice cultivation systems in the Chao Phraya, Tha Chin, Mun, and Chi watersheds of Thailand. The results revealed that a wide range of freshwater use, i.e., 0.9–3.0 m3/kg of major rice and 0.9–2.3 m3/kg of second rice, and a high water use of rice was found among the watersheds in the northeastern region, like the Mun and Chi watersheds. However, the water scarcity footprint results showed that the second rice cultivation in watersheds, like in Chao Phraya and Tha Chin in the central region, need to be focused for improving the irrigation water use efficiency. The alternate wetting and drying (AWD) method was found to be a promising approach for substituting the pre-germinated seed broadcasting system to enhance the water use efficiency of second rice cultivation in the central region. Recommendations vis-à-vis the use of the water stress index as a tool for agricultural zoning policy were also discussed.