MONTEIRO, M.C.H. [et al.] (2022) - Multi-risk assessment to evaluate the environmental impact of outdoor pig production areas: a case study. Agronomy. 12:1898. htps:// doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12081898
10.3390/agronomy12081898
Title
Multi-risk assessment to evaluate the environmental impact of outdoor pig production areas: a case study
Subject
DRASTIC-LU index Eutrophication Groundwater pollution Leaching Soil erosion RUSLE equation
Date
2022-10-17T09:58:25Z 2022-10-17T09:58:25Z 2022
Description
Outdoor pig production (OPP) can be considered an intensive system in many areas of the
Mediterranean region. The concentration of the rainfall in the winter season, the OPP’s topographic
and soil properties, together with the continuous input of food and pigs’ excreta, contribute to a
profound increase in the nutrients leaching and soil erosion. This work aimed to evaluate the accuracy
of the DRASTIC-LU index and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) to provide early
information to improve the planning of this type of pig production through more adequate location
and sustainable management practices. The two models were applied to an OPP with 2.24 ha, with
a heavy animal charge (one adult per 1.120 m2
). The results showed that 85% of the OPP area has
a moderate risk to the vulnerability index to groundwater pollution and 15% high risk. The risk
of soil erosion ranged from very severe to extremely severe in 96% of the area. The DRASTIC-LU
indexes and the RUSLE model produce a multi-risk assessment that agreed with the observed field
data. These two models showed accuracy to be used for early assessment when choosing the best
location and improving management practices for OPP systems. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
