Comparative Economic and Environmental Analysis of Open Field (Rainfed and Irrigated) and Environmental Agriculture (Screenhouse) Leafy and Pulpy Vegetables Production Systems in North West Nigeria.

Screenhouse farming demonstrates remarkable water-use efficiency, requiring only 7.00 liters per kg for cabbage, 3.58 liters/kg for lettuce, and 2.38 liters/kg for spinach, a significant contrast to rainfed cabbage at 10,625 liters/kg and rainfed pumpkin at 17,628 liters/kg. This means screenhouse farming uses just 0.066% of the water consumed by rainfed cabbage and 0.014% of the water used by rainfed pumpkin. While screenhouse farming involves higher investment costs at ₦5,342,973 per hectare, making it 764% more expensive than rainfed farming, it offers superior yield efficiency. In contrast, rainfed farming has a lower cost of ₦698,972 per hectare but suffers from reduced productivity and inefficient resource utilization. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are significantly lower in screenhouse farming, with lettuce producing only 3.24 kg CO2-eq/kg, just 2.74% of the emissions generated by rainfed lettuce, which releases 118.25 kg CO2-eq/kg. Similarly, screenhouse farming is more energy-efficient, with spinach requiring only 0.09 MJ/kg, amounting to 3.4% of the energy demand of irrigated pumpkin, which stands at 2.62 MJ/kg. These findings highlight the advantages of screenhouse farming in reducing water consumption, emissions, and energy demand, while irrigated farming ensures stable moisture levels but requires substantial water resources. Rainfed farming minimizes irrigation dependency but lacks productivity efficiency, underscoring the need for sustainable irrigation strategies such as drip irrigation, fertigation, and rainwater harvesting to enhance long-term resource conservation in vegetable production..