Applying Life Cycle Assessment to Agricultural Energy Use and Environmental Management in Nigeria: Frameworks, Case Insights, and Policy Integration

Agriculture in Nigeria and across Sub-Saharan Africa faces increasing pressure to expand food production while reducing energy consumption and mitigating environmental degradation. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been widely applied to evaluate agricultural energy use and environmental impacts in diverse contexts, including fruit production, biofuel generation, and crop residue utilization. These studies highlight the adaptability of LCA across agricultural systems and geographies. For Nigeria, LCA offers a valuable framework for quantifying energy inputs and emissions throughout production chains, supporting farmers, cooperatives, and policymakers in addressing resource constraints and ecological challenges. This paper outlines the application of LCA to Nigerian agriculture, focusing on energy consumption patterns and environmental performance. It reviews the methodology’s core components goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation while identifying relevant performance indicators for local farming contexts. The discussion integrates insights from global literature with Nigeria’s agricultural realities, emphasizing practical guidance for stakeholders. The paper concludes with recommendations for embedding LCA into agricultural energy planning and environmental management strategies, positioning it as a tool for sustainable intensification in Nigeria’s food systems.