Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Banana Farming in Yogyakarta Special Region Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Bananas are one of the most popular types of horticultural plants worldwide [1]. Every part of the banana plant can be processed, including the fruit and peel, into products such as banana chips, banana flour, banana biscuits, it can most commonly be consumed directly [2]. Bananas are plants that thrive in tropical and subtropical regions [3] such as Indonesia, Malaysia, South America, and Central America. As the largest banana producer in Asia, accounting for 50% of Asia's banana production [4].

As the largest banana producer in Asia, Indonesia also has a high domestic demand for this fruit. Bananas are popular and widely consumed by people in Indonesia. Household banana consumption in Indonesia increases yearly. According to the Central Statistics Agency, in 2023, household banana consumption reached 2.37 million tons [5], with banana production in Indonesia amounting to 9.34 million tons.

One of the main banana-producing provinces in Indonesia is the Special Region of Yogyakarta. According to the Central Statistics Agency, banana production in Yogyakarta in 2022 reached 809,976 quintals. These figures are a calculation of the total production across all regencies in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. This high level of production directly impacts the community economically, socially, and environmentally [6]. Additionally, banana cultivation has positive environmental effects, such as preventing soil erosion and enhancing soil fertility [7]. However, farming activities inevitably involve the use of fertilizers and pesticides to increase crop yields [8]. Continuous and improper use of these inputs can have adverse effects. The use of fertilizers and pesticides constitutes a significant input in agricultural activities, particularly fertilizers and pesticides that contribute to increasing CO₂ levels, which impact greenhouse gas emissions, as well as damage soil and cause water pollution that can harm human health and natural resources [9]. Other environmental inputs include farming activities such as land preparation, planting, weeding, harvesting, post-harvest processes, and distribution. These activities contribute to increased CO₂ levels, which lead to the accumulation of greenhouse gases and impact the atmosphere [10].

Nevertheless, the environmental impact of banana farming activities is not widely recognized by farmers, including those in Yogyakarta [11]. Increasing environmental awareness among farmers can help mitigate these impacts by reducing the use of chemical inputs [12].

Therefore, this study aims to analyze the environmental impacts of banana farming in Yogyakarta and assess farmers' awareness of the environmental effects resulting from their agricultural activities. Using the Life Cycle Assessment method to evaluate the environmental impact of banana farming allows for an assessment of all environmental effects, including impacts on human health, ecosystem quality, climate change, and resources. The results can then be used as an evaluation tool for both banana farmers and agricultural policymakers to reduce the environmental impacts of banana farming in the Special Region of Yogyakarta [13].

3.1 Characteristics of farmers

Background information on the social and economic aspects of banana farmers in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, which could potentially influence their awareness of environmental impacts [18]. These characteristics include age, income, education level, and land size.

In Figure 3 of banana farmers' ages, the largest group, aged 46-55 years, accounts for 38.78% of the total. This age group is still considered productive as most individuals still possess sufficient physical ability to manage agricultural land [19, 20], although there is a decline in stamina compared to the 20-40 age group [21]. However, farmers in this age group often have better experience and knowledge compared to younger farmers, which can enhance work efficiency [22].

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Figure 3. Age data of banana farmers

In terms of income, 43% of banana farmers earn between IDR 800,000 and IDR 1,500,000 (Figure 4). This is categorized as low income [23], considering that the regional minimum wage (UMR) across all regencies in the Special Region of Yogyakarta exceeds IDR 2,100,000. This indicates that farmers' earnings are still insufficient to be considered prosperous or to meet the established minimum income standards.

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Figure 4. Income data of banana farmers

Most banana farmers in the Special Region of Yogyakarta have a high school education, with over 50% reaching this level, accounting for 42 farmers (Figure 5). This indicates a high awareness of formal education and reflects the availability of adequate educational facilities. A higher level of education facilitates the absorption of knowledge and technology, both in the agricultural sector and other fields [24, 25].

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Figure 5. Educational level data of banana farmers

Land size is the most significant factor influencing the income of banana farmers [26]. In the special region of Yogyakarta, 90% of banana farmers own land between 100m² and 980m² (Figure 6). This size falls into the category of being less than ideal for commercial farming [27]. Such land sizes are more suitable for subsistence farming, which primarily meets the needs of the farmer's family. With this limited land area, farmers can only produce enough food for daily consumption, making it challenging to achieve a surplus for market sale [28].

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Figure 6. Land area data of banana farmers

3.2 Farmers' environmental awareness

3.2.1 Environmental awareness

Farmers' environmental awareness is crucial as it directly relates to the conservation of natural resources, agricultural sustainability, and their long-term well-being [29]. In Table 2, it can be seen that the awareness of banana farmers towards the environment, categorized as good, is reflected in the average total score of 4.55 for all environmental awareness indicators. This figure indicates a high level of awareness among farmers, which is based on the fact that these indicators are fundamental for the implementation of sustainable farming practices.

Table 2. Environmental awareness of banana farmers

Although the environmental awareness of banana farmers is generally considered good, the level of implementation of environmentally friendly practices for each indicator still needs improvement. More intensive training and mentoring programs, support for environmentally friendly technology, and government policies that promote sustainable agriculture are crucial to ensure that this awareness can be translated into practical actions. This will have a positive impact not only on the environment but also on the social and economic sustainability of the farmers [30].

3.2.2 Correlated factors

Correlation analysis between farmer characteristics and environmental awareness in this study used the Spearman Rank method to determine the relationship between all variables and to ensure the correlation coefficient for this relationship [30, 31]. Table 3 shows a correlation between education and environmental support with environmental awareness. A higher level of education is strongly related to increased environmental awareness. Farmers with higher education are more likely to have good environmental knowledge and have positive habits towards the environment [32].

Table 3. Correlating factors

3.3 Environmental impact assessment

3.3.1 Network

Network, used to determine the relationship of banana cultivation activities that impact the environment. Red lines will indicate the influence on environmental impact, the thicker the red line will indicate the greater the influence exerted. Referring to Figure 7, it shows that the largest input is in the planting activity with an NPK fertilizer input of 14.47 Pt. NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) fertilizer is a fertilizer commonly used in agriculture to increase crop yields. However, excessive use of NPK fertilizer can have negative impacts on the environment. Nitrogen-based fertilizers, especially in large amounts, can produce greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide (N₂O), which has a much greater global warming potential than carbon dioxide (CO₂) [33].

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Figure 7. Network analysis of banana farming

3.3.2 Characterization

In Table 4, this stage refers to the process of quantifying and categorizing the potential effects of banana farming activities. This stage is a follow-up step in data processing to determine the environmental impacts generated from raw materials, inputs, and energy. In this stage, 15 categories of environmental impact will be displayed. The characterization table presents an evaluation of the environmental impacts of banana farming activities based on various impact categories. Each category indicates the amount of emission contribution or resource usage in specific units related to certain environmental aspects. This table shows that harvesting activities are the main contributors to most environmental impact categories, including global warming, ecotoxicity, acidification, and eutrophication. The use of diesel provides a small but still significant additional impact in various categories. Therefore, to reduce the environmental impact of banana farming, it is necessary to optimize the harvesting process and adopt more environmentally friendly energy solutions.

Table 4. Characterization of banana farming

3.3.3 Damage assessment

At this stage, the analysis can be used to consider ways to improve environmental impacts. This stage aims to group several indicators from the characterization stage into four damage categories. These categories are human health, ecosystem quality, climate change, and resources. Table 5 shows the main activities that are the primary contributors to all damage categories, namely harvesting activities, followed by the use of diesel post-harvest, which contributes minimally but still impacts each category. Therefore, efforts to reduce environmental impacts should focus on optimizing the harvesting process and utilizing more environmentally friendly energy sources. One of the impacts is on human health, measured in DALYs. DALY is a measure of disease burden, where one DALY is equivalent to one year of healthy life lost [34]. The greatest impact was found during the harvesting stage, amounting to 0.0374 DALYs.

Table 5. Damage assessment banana farming

3.3.4 Normalization

The normalization stage involves standardizing the units of all damage categories. This standardization is done after the damage assessment process to facilitate analysis across different environmental impact categories. The results in Table 6, the normalization stage, do not have units because this stage is about standardizing the units from all units produced in the damage assessment stage.

Table 6. Normalization banana farming

3.3.5 Weighting

Weighting is the stage where all assessed impacts are simplified and compared using the same unit of measurement so that results can be obtained according to their level of importance. In Table 7, it is known that the total damage to the environment from banana cultivation in DIY is 14.7 Pt. In the human health category, the value is 5.27 Pt. The unit of measurement at this stage is Point (Pt), where a scale of 1 Pt represents one thousandth of the annual environmental burden on one average European.

Table 7. Weighting banana farming

3.3.6 Interpretation

After going through all the stages of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis and seeing the largest input. Regarding the environment as shown in Figure 7, the input of NPK fertilizer has the greatest impact on the environment from banana farming activities in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. In addition to the use of NPK fertilizer during planting. distribution activities also contribute significantly with fuel inputs in the form of gasoline and diesel. as well as the use of vehicles such as motorcycles and cars. In an effort to reduce the environmental impact of banana farming activities. it can be started by reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and cultivating the use of organic fertilizers to support sustainable agriculture and maintain soil fertility [34, 35]. Organic fertilizers are relatively easy to make on one's own [36], but due to the high use of chemical fertilizers. organic fertilizers have not been effective because the soil has become dependent on chemical fertilizers [37].

Therefore, soil regeneration can be done by mixing the use of chemical fertilizers and organic fertilizers [38] by increasing the dose of organic fertilizer in each application so that the soil becomes accustomed to organic fertilizers [39]. Soil that is accustomed to the use of organic fertilizers will be much more fertile and good for the long term than soil that uses chemical fertilizers which can damage the soil in the long term [40].