Converting maize production with low emergy cost and high economic return for sustainable development

• Published in: Renewable & sustainable energy reviews 2021-02, Vol.136, p.110443, Article 110443
• Main Authors: Wang, Xingya, Tan, Weiming, Zhou, Shunli, Xu, Yang, Cui, Tao, Gao, Hong, Chen, Mingli, Dong, Xuehui, Sun, Hongyong, Yang, Jinzhong, Wu, Yongcheng, Kong, Fanlei, Zhan, Ming, Pan, Jinbao, Wang, Ye, Wang, Xinglong, Luo, Ning, Huang, Shoubing, Mi, Guohua, Zhang, Dongxing, Yuan, Jichao, Chen, Xinping, Meng, Qingfeng, Wang, Pu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adapted hybrid; Cropping system; Emergy assessment; Sustainable agriculture
• ISSN: 1364-0321; 1879-0690
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2020.110443

Promoting more sustainable agriculture while simultaneously meeting the increased demands for food due to the growing population is a great challenge in the 21st century. Here we addressed this challenge by conducting on-farm field experiments at 40 sites across the broad aro-ecological maize region in China during 2017–2018. According to a modern understanding with emergy and economic aspects, a set of new variety-based low emergy system was developed. Compared with the current traditional farmers’ system, the new system improved the sustainability (emergy sustainability index) by 19% and increased economic return by 47% while similar productivity (maize yield) was achieved. More than 80% of the modeled yield potential was realized. Moreover, the decrease of nonrenewable materials input in the new system contributed to 88% of the sustainability improvement. As food and resource concerns become more severe in many global regions, this new system is likely to supply a typical case and could be adopted widely to realize the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in agricultural transformation. •The sustainability (ESI) was improved by 19% in the new system.•The total economic return was increased by 47% in the new system.•Compared with the CS, similar grain yield was achieved in LES.•The decrease of nonrenewable materials contributed to 88% of improved ESI.•Crop production will be more sustainable by decreasing nonrenewable materials.