集集香蕉種植之生命週期評估

Abstract

隨著環境保護意識的提升，消費者對於食物生產過程中所造成的環境影響愈加關注，特別是在選擇食物時，更傾向選擇相對環境友善的產品。農產品與食物碳足跡的計算與探討越來越受到重視，2023年，英國《經濟學人》提出「香蕉指數」（Banana Index），目的在協助大眾識別碳足跡較低的食物。本研究針對南投縣集集鎮的香蕉進行產品生命週期評估（Life Cycle Assessment, LCA），除了瞭解香蕉生產過程的碳排放外，可更全面探討其他面向的環境衝擊。本研究使用SimaPro生命週期評估軟體，並採用ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint與Endpoint兩種評估方法，嘗試更全面分析香蕉生產過程中的主要環境衝擊項目與探討其來源。研究結果顯示，生產1公斤香蕉約產生2.21公斤的CO2 eq，若僅計算農場階段則為1.98公斤的CO2 eq，明顯高於香蕉指數的估算值。分析結果也發現，香蕉生產的主要環境衝擊集中於農場階段，其中以「淡水生態毒性」與「人類致癌毒性」兩項衝擊指標最為顯著，而肥料的使用為最大衝擊來源，其次為農藥施用。此外，本研究也發現，位於集集山區的香蕉種植對環境的衝擊高於平地，無論以單位面積或單位產量計算皆然。透過情境模擬，本研究發現，若所有蕉園皆採用最低衝擊蕉園的田間管理方式，可使農場階段之環境衝擊降低約70–80%，其碳排放亦可下降至約0.243公斤的CO2 eq。此外，若包裝所使用之紙箱能重複使用一次，包裝階段所造成之環境衝擊最高也可以減少約五成。綜合上述結果，集集地區香蕉生產的環境衝擊熱點集中於農場階段，其中以肥料使用為最大貢獻來源。故若能有效減少肥料施用量，將有助於顯著降低整體環境衝擊，若能從這些項目著手改善，將可使集集地區的香蕉種植生產越趨友善。With the growing awareness of environmental protection, consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental impacts associated with food production. When making food choices, they tend to favor products that are more environmental friendly. The calculation and analysis of agricultural products’ and food’s carbon footprints have gained increasing attention. In 2023, The Economist proposed the “Banana Index” as a tool to help the public identify food products with lower carbon footprints.This study conducts a Life Cycle Assessment（LCA）of banana production in Jiji Township, Nantou County. In addition to evaluating carbon emissions, the research aims to comprehensively explore other environmental impacts throughout the banana production process. The study utilizes the SimaPro LCA software and adopts both the ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint and Endpoint methods to analyze the main environmental impact categories of banana production and identify their sources.The results indicate that producing 1 kilogram of bananas generates approximately 2.21 kg of CO₂ eq emissions. When considering only the farming stage, the emissions are about 1.98 kg CO₂ eq, which is significantly higher than the estimate given by the Banana Index. The analysis reveals that the major environmental impacts of banana production are concentrated in the farming stage, with"freshwater ecotoxicity" and "human carcinogenic toxicity" being the most prominent impact categories. The use of fertilizers was identified as the largest contributor, followed by pesticide application. Additionally, the study found that banana cultivation in the mountainous areas of Jiji has a greater environmental impact than in lowland areas, both per unit area and per unit yield. Through scenario simulation, the study shows that if all banana farms adopt the field management practices of the lowest-impact farms, the environmental impacts of the farming stage could be reduced by approximately 70–80%, with carbon emissions decreasing to around 0.243 kg of CO₂ eq per kilogram of bananas. Furthermore, if cardboard boxes used for packaging can be reused once, the environmental impacts of the packaging stage could be reduced by up to 50%.In conclusion, the environmental hotspots of banana production in the Jiji area are mainly concentrated in the farming stage, with fertilizer use being the primary contributor. Therefore, effectively reducing fertilizer usage would significantly lower overall environmental impacts and could enhance the environmental sustainability of banana cultivation in the Jiji area.