Emergy analysis for 'Four in One' peach production system in Beijing

Abstract ‘Four in One’ production system has been widely used for recent years in rural areas of Beijing. The aim of this study is to assess the efficiency and sustainability of the ‘Four in One’ ecological economic system for peach production system (FIOPPS) in the solar greenhouse in Pinggu district, Beijing, by emergy-based ecological analysis. The emergy-based indicators of the FIOPPS are calculated and compared with those of the conventional solar greenhouse peach production system. By comparison, the FIOPPS is proved to be more sustainable with less pressure on the environment, better economic benefit and higher efficiency of agricultural resource utilization, thus worthy of being generalized to boost the ecological agriculture in the rural areas of China.