Energies (Aug 2022)

Closed-Loop Agricultural Production and Its Environmental Efficiency: A Case Study of Sheep Wool Production in Northwestern Kyrgyzstan

  • Monika Komorowska,
  • Marcin Niemiec,
  • Jakub Sikora,
  • Anna Szeląg-Sikora,
  • Zofia Gródek-Szostak,
  • Pavol Findura,
  • Hatice Gurgulu,
  • Joanna Stuglik,
  • Maciej Chowaniak,
  • Atılgan Atılgan

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/en15176358
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 17
p. 6358

Abstract

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As a country with not only significant production potential but also fragmented land ownership, the Kyrgyz Republic struggles with environmental efficiency, which is a strategic element of environmental management in agricultural production. The objective of this study was to assess the environmental efficiency of sheep’s wool when used as a fertilizer in bean production in northern Kyrgyzstan. In this study, the efficiency indicator was taken to be GHG emissions per functional unit of product, using a proprietary methodology for calculating GHG emissions to determine the true value of this material as a source of soil nutrients and organic matter. Two experimental factors were used in the experiment: fertilizer type and fertilizer rate. Fertilization with sheep wool resulted in a 15% higher bean yield compared to when fertilized with mineral fertilizers at a comparable rate, converted to pure nitrogen. By using sheep wool as a source of mineral nutrients for the plants, the carbon footprint was reduced by almost 10% compared to a facility with mineral fertilization. Therefore, the use of sheep wool as a source of plant nutrients is environmentally justified.

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