Environmental performance and sustainability of coffee (Coffea arabica L.) geographical indications through emergy synthesis

• Grant number: 25/09147-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy
• Principal Investigator: Rosebelly Nunes Marques
• Grantee: Gustavo Verruma Bernardi
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Geographical Indications (GIs) are certifications that identify the origin of a product or service and are directly associated with its qualities, reputation, or specific characteristics resulting from natural and human factors inherent to a particular region or territory. This protection created by GIs is important for recognizing, protecting, and adding value to products that have a strong connection with their place of origin-such as wines, cheeses, and coffees-providing them with a competitive market advantage and enhancing the value of all links in their supply chain. Emergy, in turn, is a concept used to assess the sustainability of systems by expressing all energy inputs and outputs in terms of the amount of solar energy required, directly or indirectly, to produce a given product or service. This approach allows for the measurement of a system's environmental cost, going beyond conventional analyses by accounting for all forms of energy used in the production process, from agricultural inputs to transportation. The aim of this project is to evaluate the sustainability of agricultural systems under Geographical Indications by applying emergy-based sustainability assessment methodologies. In doing so, it will be possible to analyze not only the energy efficiency of these systems, but also their environmental impact and long-term environmental viability, promoting more sustainable and economically competitive production models.