Intensification in Olive Growing Reduces Global Warming Potential under Both Integrated and Organic Farming

Salvatore Camposeo, Gaetano Alessandro Vivaldi, Giovanni Russo and Francesca Maria Melucci
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Salvatore Camposeo: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/a, 70126 Bari, Italy
Gaetano Alessandro Vivaldi: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/a, 70126 Bari, Italy
Giovanni Russo: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/a, 70126 Bari, Italy
Francesca Maria Melucci: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/a, 70126 Bari, Italy

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-19

Abstract: The relationship between agriculture and climate change is gaining prominence year by year in due to both adaptation and mitigation issues, because agriculture contributes to carbon emissions and acts as a carbon sink. Innovation on olive growing may help improve production systems for a more sustainable agriculture. In recent years, the olive sector is shifting towards intensification via a new growing system implementation with a strong economic impact. Indeed, the olive-growing systems are moving from low-density (<250 trees/ha) to medium-density (300–500 trees/ha), and mostly to super-high-density (>1200 trees/ha) systems. The aims of the present study were to compare these different olive-growing systems, managed by both integrated and organic farming, and to assess the effects of different agricultural practices on global warming potential (GWP), referring to one hectare and to one ton of olives as functional units. For both functional units and for all olive-growing systems, in the organic farming method, there is a greater environmental impact compared to integrated farming because of the higher number of mechanical operations (e.g., for weed control) in the former. The super-high-density growing system exhibited a lower GWP, considering both one hectare and one ton for both farming methods.

Keywords: olive growing; global warming potential; integrated farming; organic farming; super high density cropping system; climate change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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