The water footprint as an indicator for managing water resources: the case of Italian olive oil

Amicarelli, Vera; Lagioia, Giovanni; Gallucci, Teodoro; Dimitrova, Vesselina

doi:10.1504/ijse.2011.042797

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…On the contrary, the results of the present research showed that emergency irrigation, which BIO-IRR1 and BIO-IRR2 systems used and that was equal to a maximum of 100 m 3 ha −1 year −1 , did not involve an important environmental and economic detriment, but contributed to a more balanced growth of the crop. Moreover, the WF values found in this study were lower than those of other researches and, WF green was the most important component of WF [39,[76][77][78][79]. Indeed, as said by Raluy et al [80], WF results vary significantly within the same tree type for the different local edaphoclimatic conditions, tree management models as well as methodological choices adopted in the WF calculation.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 54%

The Olive-Oil Chain of Salerno Province (Southern Italy): A Life Cycle Sustainability Framework

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Agriculture, and the related food systems, represents one of the sectors that use most of the available water resources and is responsible for a large part of the greenhouse gases increase in Earth’s atmosphere. The aim of the present research was to estimate the three dimensions of sustainability—identified by the 2030 Agenda—of the olive oil supply chain in a typical production area within Campania Region (South Italy), through the analysis of seven different olive oil systems: four certified as organic, two of which irrigated (BIO1, BIO2, BIO-IRR1, BIO-IRR2); two integrated (INT1, INT2); and one hobbyist (HOBB). The novelty of the research was the broad-spectrum sustainability evaluation of these systems, through the estimation of their water and carbon footprints, and some economic and social aspects, to classify them in sustainability classes. So, the Life Cycle Thinking approach was used to quantify the environmental impacts and the social issues, as well as the costs of production of 1 litre of packed oil produced. Environmental impacts were assessed thought the life cycle assessment methodology, with a focus on the global warming and the water footprint, using the SimaPro 9.0 software and Hoekstra methodology, respectively. The cost production evaluation was performed by the life cycle costing methodology, while a primordial approach of social sustainability estimation was built identifying the stakeholders involved and suitable impact categories. Results showed that, per litre of oil, HOBB and BIO2 were the systems that emitted less CO2 eq (0.73 and 1.50 kg, respectively); BIO-IRR1 and BIO1 were the systems with the smallest water footprint (2.97 and 3.65 m3, respectively); HOBB and BIO1 were the systems with the lowest production costs (3.11 and 3.87 €, respectively). From a social point of view, INT1 and INT2 were the most pro-social systems. Overall, BIO1 was in absolute the most sustainable system under the various aspects considered. Hence the need to spread more and more (a) organic production methods, characterized by the use of self-produced fertilizers (on-farm compost); (b) more efficient machines use, for saving fuel; (c) balanced nitrogen fertilization to lower the water footprint.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 54%

The Olive-Oil Chain of Salerno Province (Southern Italy): A Life Cycle Sustainability Framework

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The water footprint indicator of the total amount of consumptive water changes through time depending on the geography, mainly due to meteorological conditions and olive orchard evapotranspiration [7]. Unlike other more general indicators, such as the ecological footprint, WF gives a detailed illustration of human appropriation of natural water resources, allowing for more efficient water management policies [20].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Water Footprint Assessment in a Rainfed Olive Tree Grove in the Umbria Region, Italy

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Life Cycle Assessment (the systematic analysis of the environmental impact of products during their entire life cycle), Carbon Footprint and Water Footprint assessments play an important role in decision-making processes. These assessments can help guide land management decisions and will likely play a larger role in the future, especially in natural areas with high biodiversity.Agriculture is a substantial consumer of fresh water, so it is important to identify causes and possible solutions to optimize agricultural water use. Water footprint assessments consider water consumption from several points of view and aid in reaching Sustainable Development Goals. Olive trees are a widespread agricultural crop growing in the Mediterranean Basin and are particularly important in the Umbria region in Italy. This paper estimates the water footprint impact related to the production of 1 kg of olives in a rainfed olive orchard managed using low environmental impact techniques. Eleven years of data collection (meteorological data, olives yield data, processes data) are analyzed for typical rural conditions. The results show that local management techniques have lower water requirements than standard international usages. These results can be used to improve and to further explore agricultural water use.Agriculture 2020, 10, 8 2 of 11 ensure sustainable ready supplies of freshwater to reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity [3].Among human activities, agriculture represents 92% of the freshwater footprint [4]. One third of this activity supports farming of livestock. Several factors of WF are involved in the livestock industry: (a) type of production system, (b) composition, origin and conversion efficiency of the feed and (c) water related to drinking and other on-farm activities [4]. Livestock, particularly red meat, has a very high WF value of 15,400 L of water per kg of final product [5].The WF concept is strictly related to the virtual water concept, with the aim of creating a consumption-based indicator of freshwater use. WF is an ecological footprint indicator, accounting for the appropriation of natural capital, both for the direct and the indirect water use from the consumption and production of good and services. WF can be calculated for a process, a product, a consumer/group of consumers and a producer. The total amount of water involved in a WF assessment can be divided in three components: green, blue and grey water. The green water is the rainwater used to grow crops. The blue water is fresh surface and groundwater. The grey water is the water necessary to return the concentration of the pollutants in the groundwater to the natural balance [6].For vineyards near Palermo, in Sicily region (Italy) WF value for wine production was 700 liters of water use per liter of wine [7]. This WF assessment involved assessing the vineyard (evapotranspiration, irrigation, fertilization, pesticide application) and the winery (washing and cleaning, wine-making, staff water use, bottling and packaging). The green...

show abstract

“…Similarly, in the comparison of WF of different olive agronomic cropping systems in Apulia Region [30] WF green accounted for 65% and WF blue for 24%, in the rainfed Traditional System (TS), whereas in the Intensive System (IS) and High-Density System (HDS), WF blue resulted (for both irrigation and fertilizer production) to be the predominant fraction, about 77 and 74%, respectively, with WF grey representing around 3%. Wide variability in these values was described by Amicarelli et al [31] depending on cultivation techniques, different soil and climate condition: 6-40% for WF green ; 15-35% for WF blue (attributable to the different irrigation and fertilization practices); and 45-55% for WF grey , (mainly due to fertilizers production and application).…”

Section: Water Footprintmentioning

confidence: 95%

Sustainability Certification, a New Path of Value Creation in the Olive Oil Sector: The ITALIAN Case Study

Lombardo

Farolfi

Capri

2021

Foods

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Italian extra virgin olive oil supply chain has considerable potential for embarking on a path of sustainable development and evolution. In Italy, the great variety heritage and the different pedo-climatic characteristics result in local olive growing systems with different management techniques, producing extra virgin olive oils that are strictly entwined to the territory, with peculiar qualitative properties. Nevertheless, numerous criticalities have been traditionally eroding the competitiveness of Italian olive growing that could find in sustainability certifications, a lasting driver of value creation. Shared standardizations and certifications that include the three pillars of sustainability are therefore necessary for the development of the process.

show abstract

The water footprint as an indicator for managing water resources: the case of Italian olive oil

Cited by 9 publications

References 10 publications

The Olive-Oil Chain of Salerno Province (Southern Italy): A Life Cycle Sustainability Framework

The Olive-Oil Chain of Salerno Province (Southern Italy): A Life Cycle Sustainability Framework

Long-Term Water Footprint Assessment in a Rainfed Olive Tree Grove in the Umbria Region, Italy

Sustainability Certification, a New Path of Value Creation in the Olive Oil Sector: The ITALIAN Case Study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About