Life Cycle Assessment of equine production in marginal areas

Italy’s inner areas, culturally and ecologically valuable regions, are threatened by land abandonment and environmental degradation that negatively affect agricultural viability and animal and vegetal diversity. As a part of the SUNEQUMAR project on the innovations contributing to the resilience of extensive livestock farming in Centre South Italy (Molise Apennine), besides the geolocalization of grazing equines for a better evaluation of pasture quality, a cradle-to-gate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is carried out following ISO 14040/14044 standards. The LCA approach quantifies the environmental impact, climate change, resources use, eutrophication, land and water use, by the means of a robust Life Cycle Inventory database from primary and secondary data. Primary data on inputs and outputs of crop and livestock systems were collected on site (in the field) and secondary data were obtained from literature and databases (mainly ECOINVENT®). The assessment was carried out with 1 kg of live weight as the functional unit. The project multidisciplinary frame investigated in inner areas of Centre South Italy is intended to be used in the development of predictive models addressed to fragile ecosystems for improved sustainable land use and livestock management. Best practices and future-proof management will be generated with respect to environmental issues for a sustainable resilience of agro-alimentary sector in inner marginal areas. The research is supported by PRIN project 20224L4WSR Sustainable Innovations in Equine Production of Marginal Areas (SUNEQUMAR), funded by Next Generation EU. (CUP: H53D23005120).