DOI: 10.11648/j.ajset.20261104.32 ISSN: 2578-8353

Environmental Sustainability of Rice Cultivation in Western Regions of Odisha: A Life Cycle Perspective

Suraj Samal, Sudhansu Sahoo, Pritikrishna Majhi, Mahendra Mohanty
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Rice, a principal cereal crop often regarded as a staple food, plays a vital role in the agricultural economy of western Odisha. Cultivation of rice needs various forms of material and energy inputs, making it a resource-intensive process, and hence, its environmental consequences are becoming increasingly significant. Consequently, finding the right strategies and solutions to improve sustainability has become essential. The right scientific tools and credible data are required for assessing the sustainability by evaluating the environmental burden associated with rice cultivation. Environmental impact assessment can be performed by various methods, and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is one such approach which is widely used. LCA provides intricate details in the cultivation process, which are generally overlooked during most studies. This study evaluates the environmental impacts associated with the rice cultivation process using LCA with a focus on hotspots due to inputs, outputs and emissions. The ReCiPe midpoint methodology has been used to calculate 18 impact indicators. The results were characterized and normalized subsequently for comparison. Results show a Global warming potential (GWP) of 1.34 kg CO 2 eq per functional unit. The highest normalized impact was found to be water consumption (3.89E-03), indicating that intensive rice farming has led to high water consumption, while high normalized values of terrestrial (2.86E-03) and marine ecotoxicity (2.83E-03) indicate contamination of water bodies due to excessive fertilizer and chemical use. These impacts pose challenges to environmental sustainability and highlight the need for sustainable rice cultivation practices, including improved water management, balanced nutrient use, and eco-friendly farming techniques, to reduce environmental degradation while maintaining crop productivity.

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