Methodology Proposal for Carbon Footprint Dynamic Modeling at Sugarcane Crops Field Labors Propuesta metodológica de modelación dinámica de la Huella de Carbono en las labores de campo de un cultivo de caña de azúcar

Abstract

Agriculture contributes to Climate Change by emitting into the atmosphere approximately 13.5% of emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) generated by anthropogenic activities. This situation comes as a result of both mechanical farming - responsible of the carbon dioxide emissions and the decomposition of fertilizers, herbicides and ripening accelerators applied to the crop - primary responsible for nitrous oxide emissions -. The agricultural sector is also affected directly by climate change effects, which is reflected in weather events such as storms, floods and droughts, shortening the plant growth period and crop yields. This article describes the methodology identified in the project with the purpose on modeling the carbon footprint generated during land preparation and the sugar cane crop increase from the sight of system dynamics, which represents a basis for the formulation of even more complex simulation models in order to assess the GHG emissions behavior in the short and long term. The given methodology implies a guide for external projects execution and carries a significant potential to address future phases since the current applied research on the sugar cane sector.