European Journal of Sustainable Agroecosystems

Background: Wheat–chickpea cropping systems are important production systems worldwide (approximately 150 million ha), and they are a major source of agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a systematic approach to quantify the environmental impacts of a product or service from the field to the final harvest.
Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the carbon footprint of conservation agriculture in Triticum aestivum L.–Cicer arietinum L. cropping systems using cradle-to-farm-gate Life Cycle Assessment and compare environmental impacts to conventional management practices.
Methods: A 4-yr field experiment was carried out to evaluate three management systems: 1) conventional tillage, complete residue removal and monoculture rotation; 2) reduced-tillage, partial residue retention and legume inclusion; and 3) conservation agriculture, zero-tillage, complete residue retention and integrated crop rotation. Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) analysis was used to quantify agricultural inputs including fertilizer, diesel fuel consumption, irrigation energy and machinery operations. Impact assessment quantified Global warming potential (GWP), carbon footprint and soil C sequestration.
Results: The total carbon footprint was 38.4% lower under conservation agriculture than conventional management (1.24 vs. 2.02 Mg CO 2-equivalent ha -1). Greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer production and application in the field were reduced by 42% in conservation systems. Soil C sequestration was 0.51 Mg C ha−1 year−1 with zero-tillage, counteracting production phase emissions. The conservation agriculture led to 32% improvement in energy-use efficiency due to reduced machinery operations and fuel consumption.
Environmental Significance: Conservation agriculture in wheat–chickpea systems is a high impact climate mitigation strategy whereby emissions in the production phase are reduced and soil carbon stocks are built, contributing to dual climate change adaptation and mitigation objectives.
Conclusion: This LCA shows that conservation agriculture in cereal–legume cropping systems significantly reduces the carbon footprint while maintaining or increasing productivity, facilitating transitions of sustainability toward climate-resilient agriculture.