Life Cycle Assessment of Rice-Duck Co-culture Systems

Abstract

This study investigates the environmental benefits of integrated rice-duck co-culture as a sustainable management practice in rice production. Through a comprehensive meta-analysis and life cycle assessment, we find notable differences of co-cultures from monocultures, including a 22% reduction in methane (CH 4 ) emissions, a 34% increase in nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions, a 2.8% rise in rice yields, and >100% increase in profits. Accounting for these on-site differences and the indirect emissions embedded in agricultural inputs, the carbon footprint of rice-duck co-culture per hectare of land is estimated to be 9% lower than that of monoculture. In addition to reducing the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of rice production and enhancing rice productivity, rice-duck co-cultures produce additional protein that can be used to displace industrially farmed duck or other meats. Scenario analysis indicates that scaling up rice-duck co-culture system in China could lead to important greenhouse gas savings. Overall, our study suggests that promoting rice-duck co-culture can contribute toward sustainable rice production and dietary change.