ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the use of data from a large population of farms from the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) database to estimate greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions from Polish agriculture. The total amount of GHGs emitted by Polish agriculture in 2017 reached 31,739,800 tons CO2e (7.7% of GHG emissions in Poland). The FADN database possesses key elements of Big Data datasets. By purpose, FADN data is used to shape agricultural policy in the EU and for scientific analyses. The approach used indicates the possibility of extending applications of FADN data for analyzing the impact of agricultural production on the environment. In the analysis, data from over 12,000 farms representative for Polish agriculture were used. Based on the Life Cycle Assessment methodology, the level of GHG emissions and its fundamental determinants were estimated. Multiple regression models were estimated for various types of farms and organic and conventional production systems. Results show lower GHG emissions in bigger farms; however, GHG emission from pig and cattle farms was higher than in crop farms.
