Energetic and Economic Analyses for Agricultural Management Models: The Calabria PGI Clementine Case Study

Giacomo Falcone, Teodora Stillitano, Anna Irene De Luca, Giuseppe Di Vita, Nathalie Iofrida, Alfio Strano, Giovanni Gulisano, Biagio Pecorino and Mario D’Amico
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Giacomo Falcone: Department of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, 89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Teodora Stillitano: Department of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, 89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Anna Irene De Luca: Department of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, 89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Giuseppe Di Vita: Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA), University of Torino, 10095 Grugliasco (Torino), Italy
Nathalie Iofrida: Department of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, 89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Alfio Strano: Department of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, 89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Giovanni Gulisano: Department of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, 89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Biagio Pecorino: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, IT95123 Catania, Italy
Mario D’Amico: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, IT95123 Catania, Italy

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-24

Abstract: Farming systems need to be planned to provide suitable levels of economic profitability and, at the same time, ensure an effective energy use, in order to perform environmentally friendly production strategies. The herein present work aims to assess the efficiency of energy use and economic impacts of the main farming methods (conventional, organic and integrated) of Clementine’s crops in Calabria (South Italy), through a combined use of Life Cycle Energy Assessment (LCEA) approach and economic analysis. For this purpose, data were collected from clementine producers by using face-to-face interviews. The results revealed that average energy consumption in the organic farming systems was 72,739 MJ, lower than conventional and integrated systems equal to 95,848 MJ and 94,060 MJ, respectively. This is mainly due to the ban of chemicals. Economic analysis showed that organic farms were more profitable compared with the other farming methods, because of the greater selling price and the EU economic support, reaching an average net profit of 4255 € ha −1 against 3134 € ha −1 of integrated farms and 2788 € ha −1 of conventional ones. The economic efficiency of energy from clementine production was 0.058 € MJ −1 in the organic farming, higher compared to the other two farming systems equal to 0.033 € MJ −1 on average.

Keywords: citrus growing; Life Cycle Energy Assessment (LCEA); Life Cycle Assessment (LCA); production cost; Economic Efficiency of Energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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