Analysis of global warming potential: Organic vs. conventional tomatoes

Abstract

Climate change threatens the possibility of ensuring sufficient and quality food for the population. The agricultural sector, considered to be one of the main contributors to the increase of CO 2 -equivalents (CO 2 -eq) in the atmosphere, faces one of the most difficult challenges for the sector: increasing production while reducing its impact on the environment. The improvement of adopted practices should be preceded by the quantification of generated emissions. This study aims to provide information on the analysis of the global warming potential (GWP) of tomatoes in Sicily, comparing organic and conventional cultivation methods. The methodology applied is the Life Cycle Assessment, which revealed a reduction in CO 2 -eq for the organic method compared to the conventional one due to the use of organic fertilisers and crop protection products allowed by organic specifications. The possibility of reducing tomato GWP offers farmers the opportunity to act on the cultivation stage by making it more sustainable and at the same time to communicate the beneficial action, towards the environment, through the product label. The research also highlights that organic production, with the application of new production and pest management techniques, is comparable in terms of quantity produced per hectare to conventional production and with excellent fruit quality.