LCA analysis of conventional and organic onion production in Poland

Abstract This study presents a comparative analysis of onion production technologies under conventional and organic farming systems, focusing on their environmental impacts. The research covered onion cultivation in southern Poland—a region that is not only one of the country’s leading production areas, but also among the largest in Europe. A “cradle-to-gate” approach was applied, since at this stage of production considerable technological differences exist between the two cultivation systems. The analysis considered the type of field operations, the machines used and their operating time, the amounts of fertilizers, pesticides, fuel, and water consumed. Onion yield was measured, and the results were related both to cultivation area (1 ha) and production volume (1 Mg). To identify the environmental relationships of all inputs and outputs within the LCA scope and to estimate their impacts, the software package SimaPro (version 8.1.0.60) was applied. The results demonstrated greater negative environmental impact of individual operations in conventional onion cultivation compared to organic farming, regardless of the chosen functional unit. Critical processes were identified in terms of environmental burden: harvesting in both systems, and mineral fertilization in the case of conventional cultivation.