Abstract:
Cultivation of cut flowers are a new agricultural sector in Ethiopia which currently generate high amount of incomes for the country developments. Despite of its significant contribution for economic developments; many issues raised from communities and environmentalists concerning on its environmental performance. Based on this issue the study assesses cradle to gate of cut flower production in Wolmera district. The main objective of the study was environmental performances evaluation of flower farms in Wolmera district, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia related to operational activities throughout entire life cycles of cut flower production. In this study primary and secondary data were collected using ISO 14031 standard structured with LCA tool methodology. Basically, data were collected by inventory and sampling of materials used on site data collection system from its original sources. Based on data collected GHG (CO2, N2O, CH4 & NH3) emissions to atmosphere were evaluated by using inter-governmental panel on climatic changes (IPCC 2006) for inventory data and eutrophication & acidification estimated from data tested at laboratory levels. In addition to this, physico chemical parameters of effluent waste water, river water and soil sampled from two water shades of flower farms were evaluated and the results were analyzed with comparing national standards (EPA 2003) for effluent and river water. But the soil sample tested results were compared with common agricultural soil sample estimated results. Currently, the result obtained from effluent and river water (EC, pH, TDS, SO4, NO3, PO4, COD, BOD5, T-N) were out of national standards (EPA 2003) and have high values that can impacts the environments. This belongs that the low operational performances of the flower farms. Similarly, the study also assesses banned chemicals used in the farms through inventory data assessment and about 156 chemicals applied in the farms were collected to screen out those banned chemicals used and two most extremely hazardous chemicals (Impulse &Meltatix) banned by WHO identified in the study. As it understood from general assessment of all flower farms; all of them haven‘t EIA document established before construction in the district and production started with having less attention for EHPEA code of conducts in the flower farms which faces the environments for high impacts by emission emitted from flower farms in the district as a whole.