Economic and Environmental Sustainability of Olive Production: A Case Study

Abstract

This paper aims to achieve an economic feasibility and life cycle assessment of three different olive cultivation systems in the Mediterranean area through the joint use of economic and environmental indicators, in order to identify the key elements to optimize their economic performance and a lower environmental impact. Three different management systems of olive cultivation were analysed by distinguishing Treatment 1—Fully Irrigated, Treatment 2—Partially Irrigated, and Treatment 3—Non-Irrigated, which were conducted through different levels of irrigation strategies. The three scenarios were examined using a Life Cycle Assessment methodology to assess the environmental impacts, and the impact in terms of water footprint was investigated using the Water Scarcity Index approach. The economic sustainability evaluation of olive cultivation was carried out through economic indicators, taking into account all of the cost and revenue factors of the olive cultivation in each management system. The results showed, overall, a suitable level of profitability of different scenarios, except for the Partially Irrigated treatment, as the investment costs of the irrigation system are not economically sustainable with regard to the revenue obtained. Furthermore, the findings highlighted the importance of irrigation management strategies to decrease agricultural practice costs and the negative environmental impact of olive production.

Environmental and Agro-Economic Sustainability of Olive Orchards Irrigated with Reclaimed Water under Deficit Irrigation

“…The proposed methodological approach, in support of the economic-business choices, was carried out at two different operational levels: (i) to study the economic impacts through the analysis of the farm incomes of the conduction models under examination [35][36][37] and (ii) to analyze the environmental impacts through life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology [17,[38][39][40].…”

“…The perspective of reusing RW for the irrigation of olive trees may have great practical benefits, even if some environmental matters associated with this practice nowadays represent an open discussion [13,14]. Furthermore, only a few studies have deepened the analysis of the effects of agricultural practices (e.g., limited to the use of olive growing systems and/or the use of irrigation) on the environmental sustainability of olive tree cultivation [11,[15][16][17][18]. In this regard, Arborea et al [19] underlined the importance of conducting case-by-case analyses to quantify the cost-effectiveness of using RW in local scenarios.…”

In Rural Areas Internet Connection Problems and Solution Recommendations Experienced in The Process of Using Smart Agriculture Methods in Olive Farming

“…In addition to its economic and agricultural importance, olive cultivation in the Mediterranean regions also plays a role in the protection of biological diversity in rural areas and in providing benefits in economic and social dimensions (Maesano et al, 2021).…”

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Carbon Sequestration from Conventional and Organic Olive Tree Nurseries in Tuscany, Italy

“…In recent decades, olive cultivation spread in Australia, Asia, and South America, with Argentina leading with 110,000 ha [6]. Regarding the Italian context, olive groves are mainly concentrated in the southern regions [7] although about 50% of the olive seedlings yearly produced in Italy come from Tuscany [8]. Indeed, the olive nursery industry was born in Pescia (43 • 53 13" N, 10 • 41 18" E-Figure 1) at the second half of the nineteenth century, and today the main production centers are still located there.…”