Fig. 2.

Conceptual emergy systems diagram of the lotus-fish/shrimp production system

System frame Source Producer Consumer Storage tank Interaction Exchange Emergy flow Money flow Heat sink, the dispersal of available energy;

R – Renewable local natural resources; F_RC – Purchased renewable resources which can improve the processing capacity;

F_NC – Purchased nonrenewable resources which can improve the processing capacity;

F_N – Purchased resources causing environmental load, locally and elsewhere;

F_NR – Purchased resources which would cause environmental load elsewhere if not being recycled;

Y – Yield, equal to the total emergy input for production systems under steady state;

M_I – Buying power of the money spend for the purchased inputs;

M_Y – Buying power of the money received for sale of the yield from the system.