Improving Energy Efficiency of Barley Production Using Joint Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): Evaluation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Optimization Approach

Eco-efficiency has become a cornerstone in improving the environmental and economic performance of farms. The joint use life cycle assessment (LCA) data envelopment analysis (DEA), known as LCA + DEA methodology, is an expanding area research this quest. estimates impacts products or services, while evaluates their efficiency, providing targets benchmarks for inefficient ones. Because energy consumption quality are highly interdependent, we carried out study to examine efficiency emissions associated with rain-fed barley farms Kermanshah Province, Iran. Fifty-four were randomly selected, production collected using questionnaires interviews. used quantify compare indicators before after improvements applied To accomplish this, efficient identified DEA. Then measured again reached limit through management improvements. results showed that by managing resource use, both can be reduced without yield loss. initial amount consumed averaged 13,443 MJ/ha optimal state was determined 12,509 MJ/h, resulting savings 934 MJ/ha. Based on DEA, reductions nitrogen fertilizer, diesel fuel, phosphate fertilizer offered greatest possibilities savings. Combining could reduce important abiotic depletion (fossil fuels), human toxicity, marine aquatic ecotoxicity, global warming (GWP100a), freshwater terrestrial ecotoxicity. This contributes toward systematically building knowledge about crop eco-efficiency assessment.