Comparison of European Olive Production Systems

Carlo Russo, Giulio Mario Cappelletti, Giuseppe Martino Nicoletti, Alfredo Ernesto Di Noia and George Michalopoulos
Additional contact information
Carlo Russo: Department of Economics CeSETEA, University of Foggia, Via R. Caggese n. 1, 71121 Foggia, Italy
Giulio Mario Cappelletti: Department of Economics CeSETEA, University of Foggia, Via R. Caggese n. 1, 71121 Foggia, Italy
Giuseppe Martino Nicoletti: Department of Economics CeSETEA, University of Foggia, Via R. Caggese n. 1, 71121 Foggia, Italy
Alfredo Ernesto Di Noia: Department of Economics CeSETEA, University of Foggia, Via R. Caggese n. 1, 71121 Foggia, Italy
George Michalopoulos: RodaxAgro Ltd., Kottou 48, Metamorphosis, 14452 Athens, Greece

Sustainability, 2016, vol. 8, issue 8, 1-11

Abstract: (1) Background: Spain, Italy, and Greece are the world’s top olive oil producers. In recent decades, these countries have gradually diversified their farming system in the olive groves. The element of innovation with respect to the state of the art is that this paper aims to compare the environmental performance of different farming systems in a European context by performing a simplified Life Cycle Assessment; (2) Methods: Environmental performance was calculated according to the methodology of Life Cycle Assessment and the “Guidance for the implementation of the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF)”. Average data were considered in order to describe a system with a great degree of complexity and high spatial heterogeneity; (3) Results: The study highlights the difficulty of identifying the farming method that presents the best environmental performance in each of the impact categories considered. In Greece, the lowest use of diesel, electricity, and water brings about advantages for many impact categories, albeit with low yields. While the highest olive yield obtained in Italy has positive consequences in terms of global warming, the highest use of fertilisers, in many cases, entails higher environmental impacts. On the other hand, in Spain the highest use of organo-phosphorous pesticides entails the highest impacts of eco-toxicity; (4) Conclusion: the reduction of the use of fertilizers and pesticides, as well as water conservation, are important issues which require the optimization of timing and techniques in order to achieve environmental advantages.

Keywords: life cycle assessment; product environmental footprint; olive farming system (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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