Balancing environmental quality and economic profitability for sustainable rice-soybean cropping system

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The rice-soybean cropping system plays a significant role in the agricultural landscape of northern Thailand, providing crucial food and income sources for farmers. A major challenge persists in reconciling the economic gains provided by these systems with their environmental effects. This study analyzed the compromises between economic outcomes and environmental impacts within rice-soybean cropping systems in northern Thailand. The objective was to identify farming practices that balance profit maximization with environmental impact reduction.METHODS: Data on the cropping system were collected from rice farmers in Chiang Rai province, located in the northernmost part of Thailand during the 2023 cropping year covering nine farms across nine different districts. The environmental impacts were quantified using life cycle assessment, while multi-objective linear programming was implemented to to identify optimal agricultural practices. The analysis assessed baseline environmental performance and explored scenarios aimed at minimizing global warming potential and human toxicity potential and/or maximizing profitability.FINDINGSAccording to the baseline analysis, rice cultivation was found to have a major environmental impact, largely attributed to fertilizer usage and emissions from the fields. In contrast, soybean cultivation demonstrated a lower environmental footprint, primarily influenced by fuel consumption and herbicide application. Profit-maximizing practices yielded the highest net profit but were associated with the greatest environmental impacts. In contrast, scenarios minimizing global warming potential and human toxicity potential achieved reduced environmental harm but at the expense of profitability. The eco-optimal farming model provided a harmonious solution, reaching close to peak profits while simultaneously minimizing environmental impacts to a reasonable extent.CONCLUSION: The eco-optimal farming model highlighted the trade-offs involved in optimizing these two objectives. The profit-maximizing scenario achieved the highest net profit but led to increased environmental impacts, while scenarios focused on minimizing the environmental impacts resulted in decreased profitability. The eco-optimal farming strategy presented a harmonious balance, reaching close to peak profits while simultaneously lessening environmental impacts to a reasonable extent. These findings underscored the potential of integrating sustainable practices into the rice-soybean cropping system to enhance both economic and environmental outcomes.