Influence of Management Practices on Economic and Enviromental Performance of Crops. A Case Study in Spanish Horticulture
This article assesses the effect of management practices on the environmental and economic performance of tigernut production. Tigernut is a horticultural crop grown in a very limited and homogeneous area. Results show that the environmental variability among farms was greater than variability in costs. A selection of practices can reduce impacts per kilogram tigernut by factors 252.5 (abiotic depletion), 33 (aquatic ecotoxicity), or 6 (global warming) and costs by factors of between 2 and 3. The analysis shows a positive relationship between economic and environmental performance. Results highlight how proper management leads to both relatively low environmental impacts and costs. ; The authors acknowledge the support of the Conselleria d'Empresa, Universitat i Ciencia de la Generalitat Valenciana (GV/2007/211) and the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (PAID05-08-316). ; Fenollosa Ribera, ML.; Ribal Sanchis, FJ.; Lidón Cerezuela, AL.; Bautista Carrascosa, I.; Juraske, R.; Clemente Polo, G.; Sanjuán Pellicer, MN. (2014). Influence of Management Practices on Economic and Enviromental Performance of Crops. A Case Study in Spanish Horticulture. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. 38(6):635-659. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2014.896302 ; S ; 635 ; 659 ; 38 ; 6 ; De Backer, E., Aertsens, J., Vergucht, S., & Steurbaut, W. (2009). Assessing the ecological soundness of organic and conventional agriculture by means of life cycle assessment (LCA). British Food Journal, 111(10), 1028-1061. doi:10.1108/00070700910992916 ; Basset-Mens, C., Anibar, L., Durand, P., & van der Werf, H. M. G. (2006). Spatialised fate factors for nitrate in catchments: Modelling approach and implication for LCA results. Science of The Total Environment, 367(1), 367-382. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.12.026 ; Basset-Mens, C., Kelliher, F. M., Ledgard, S., & Cox, N. (2009). Uncertainty of global warming potential for milk production on a New Zealand farm and implications for decision making. The International Journal of Life ...