An integrated framework of emergy analysis and LMDI for assessing sustainability: a case study of tobacco production system

To tackle the challenges of resource consumption and environmental pressure in agricultural production systems, quantifying sustainability performance and identifying its driving mechanisms are critical. This study introduces an integrated framework based on emergy analysis and the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI), covering production investigation, system analysis, sustainability evaluation, and driver exploration, and ultimately guiding targeted production recommendations. The results reveal that tobacco energy output rose from 3.5 × 1016 J in 2004 to 5.1 × 1016 J in 2013, before declining to 3.3 × 1016 J in 2021. Total emergy input exhibited a similar pattern, peaking at 2.2 × 1022 sej in 2013. From 2004 to 2021, the environmental sustainability index increased from 0.46 to 0.54, while the environmental loading ratio decreased from 3.36 to 3.00, indicating a steady improvement in sustainability. Significant spatial variability was observed across provinces. LMDI decomposition revealed that economic efficiency contributed significantly to the sustainability improvement (0.53), while changes in renewable resource dependency offset –0.52 of this gain. Based on this framework, targeted strategies are proposed to optimize curing energy utilization, refine fertilizer management, and enhance economic efficiency. These findings offer practical support for promoting the sustainable transformation of the tobacco production system.