Life Cycle Assessment of Land Use Trade-Offs in Indoor Vertical Farming
Urban agriculture (UA) is emerging as a promising strategy for sustainable food production in response to growing environmental pressures. Indoor vertical farming (IVF), combining Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) with Building-Integrated Agriculture (BIA), enables efficient resource use and...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8429 |
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| author | Ana C. Cavallo Michael Parkes Ricardo F. M. Teixeira Serena Righi |
| author_facet | Ana C. Cavallo Michael Parkes Ricardo F. M. Teixeira Serena Righi |
| author_sort | Ana C. Cavallo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Urban agriculture (UA) is emerging as a promising strategy for sustainable food production in response to growing environmental pressures. Indoor vertical farming (IVF), combining Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) with Building-Integrated Agriculture (BIA), enables efficient resource use and year-round crop cultivation in urban settings. This study assesses the environmental performance of a prospective IVF system located on a university campus in Portugal, focusing on the integration of photovoltaic (PV) energy as an alternative to the conventional electricity grid (GM). A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted using the Environmental Footprint (EF) method and the LANCA model to account for land use and soil-related impacts. The PV-powered system demonstrated lower overall environmental impacts, with notable reductions across most impact categories, but important trade-offs with decreased soil quality. The LANCA results highlighted cultivation and packaging as key contributors to land occupation and transformation, while also revealing trade-offs associated with upstream material demands. By combining EF and LANCA, the study shows that IVF systems that are not soil-based can still impact soil quality indirectly. These findings contribute to a broader understanding of sustainability in urban farming and underscore the importance of multi-dimensional assessment approaches when evaluating emerging agricultural technologies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e1cf7e29bbd8454e9af8d264c31df3f5 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-e1cf7e29bbd8454e9af8d264c31df3f52025-08-20T03:02:56ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-07-011515842910.3390/app15158429Life Cycle Assessment of Land Use Trade-Offs in Indoor Vertical FarmingAna C. Cavallo0Michael Parkes1Ricardo F. M. Teixeira2Serena Righi3CIRI FRAME Interdepartmental Centre for Industrial Research in Renewable Resources, Environment, Sea and Energy, University of Bologna, Via Sant’Alberto 163, 48123 Ravenna, ItalyMARETEC—Marine, Environment and Technology Centre, LARSyS—Laboratory of Robotics and Engineering Systems, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco País 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, PortugalMARETEC—Marine, Environment and Technology Centre, LARSyS—Laboratory of Robotics and Engineering Systems, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco País 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, PortugalCIRI FRAME Interdepartmental Centre for Industrial Research in Renewable Resources, Environment, Sea and Energy, University of Bologna, Via Sant’Alberto 163, 48123 Ravenna, ItalyUrban agriculture (UA) is emerging as a promising strategy for sustainable food production in response to growing environmental pressures. Indoor vertical farming (IVF), combining Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) with Building-Integrated Agriculture (BIA), enables efficient resource use and year-round crop cultivation in urban settings. This study assesses the environmental performance of a prospective IVF system located on a university campus in Portugal, focusing on the integration of photovoltaic (PV) energy as an alternative to the conventional electricity grid (GM). A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted using the Environmental Footprint (EF) method and the LANCA model to account for land use and soil-related impacts. The PV-powered system demonstrated lower overall environmental impacts, with notable reductions across most impact categories, but important trade-offs with decreased soil quality. The LANCA results highlighted cultivation and packaging as key contributors to land occupation and transformation, while also revealing trade-offs associated with upstream material demands. By combining EF and LANCA, the study shows that IVF systems that are not soil-based can still impact soil quality indirectly. These findings contribute to a broader understanding of sustainability in urban farming and underscore the importance of multi-dimensional assessment approaches when evaluating emerging agricultural technologies.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8429urban agriculturebuilding-integrated agriculturephotovoltaic systemsenvironmental footprintLANCAsoil quality |
| spellingShingle | Ana C. Cavallo Michael Parkes Ricardo F. M. Teixeira Serena Righi Life Cycle Assessment of Land Use Trade-Offs in Indoor Vertical Farming Applied Sciences urban agriculture building-integrated agriculture photovoltaic systems environmental footprint LANCA soil quality |
| title | Life Cycle Assessment of Land Use Trade-Offs in Indoor Vertical Farming |
| title_full | Life Cycle Assessment of Land Use Trade-Offs in Indoor Vertical Farming |
| title_fullStr | Life Cycle Assessment of Land Use Trade-Offs in Indoor Vertical Farming |
| title_full_unstemmed | Life Cycle Assessment of Land Use Trade-Offs in Indoor Vertical Farming |
| title_short | Life Cycle Assessment of Land Use Trade-Offs in Indoor Vertical Farming |
| title_sort | life cycle assessment of land use trade offs in indoor vertical farming |
| topic | urban agriculture building-integrated agriculture photovoltaic systems environmental footprint LANCA soil quality |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8429 |
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