The research collected, analysed and combined indicators of
techno-economic performances (rice production, costs, and product
value) with environmental impact indicators based upon the
life cycle approach. Both approaches apply at the same plot level
(cropping system level) and complement each other. Technoeconomic
analysis typically results in monetary values as per factor
of production (e.g. labour, land, agro-chemicals) while LCA expresses
environmental impacts as per selected functional units (in
this case: mass of product and area of land used). The research
reported here is problem-oriented; it focuses on midpoint indicators
for different environmental impact categories (e.g., global
warming potential, eutrophication, or acidification) and resource
use (land, water and energy). Overall, the chosen approach is of an
accounting nature (as opposed to process change purpose, which
would require technological scenarios). The performed LCA is
therefore attributional and static. The primary functional unit (FU)
for LCA is the mass (1 kg) of raw paddy rice (unmilled) at the farm
gate (approximately 15% humidity content). The secondary FU is
1 ha of land used for the production of raw paddy rice (unmilled) at
the farm gate. A third “hidden” FU is 1 dollar of profit earned by the
farmer, because eco-efficiency is a ratio that expresses how many
dollars are made as per impact, which is the reverse ratio of impact
as per dollar made, as expressed in LCA. Total value product (or
gross income, i.e. market price of product multiplied by mass of
product) has been used to represent the total economic value of the
product.