Abstract
Carbon (C) budget at cropping systems has not only agronomic but also environmental relevance because of their contribution to both emissions and removals of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Ideally, sustainable orchards are expected to remove atmospheric CO2 at a rate greater than that of the emissions because of (i) optimized biology of the system and (ii) reduced on-site/offsite inputs sourced by the technosphere. However, such a computation might produce inconsistent results and in turn biased communication on sustainability of the cropping systems because C accounting framework(s) are used under unclear context. This study examined the sustainability of orchards in terms of impact on GHGs focusing its significance at the field, ecosystem and global dimension analyzing some operational aspects and limitations of existing frameworks (e.g., net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB), life cycle assessment (LCA)). Global relevance of sustainable orchard was also discussed considering the C sequestration at cropland as instructed by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The uniqueness of olive tree lifespan duration and C sequestration is discussed within the Product Environmental Footprint of agrifood product. The paper also highlighted overlapping components among the NECB, LCA and IPCC frameworks and the need for an integrated C accounting scheme for a more comprehensive and detailed mapping of sustainability in agriculture.
Highlights
Sustainability in agriculture has recently gained renewed interest as a result of the definition of Sustainable Development Goals by United Nations [1]
This study examines the carbon fluxes related to orchard production systems at farm, ecosystem and global dimensions, and discusses possibilities of integration of various accounting greenhouse gases (GHGs) frameworks to improve the assessment of certain aspects of environmental performance of sustainable agriculture
Agricultural crops are perceived as a large contributor to climate change but they have relevant mitigation potential due to the storage of C in the three pools belonging to cropping systems
Summary
Sustainability in agriculture has recently gained renewed interest as a result of the definition of Sustainable Development Goals by United Nations [1]. The carbon balance of agrifood produce carried out in a life cycle perspective could became a way to differentiate own production with respect to competitors In this context, the Carbon Footprint certification according to UNI EN ISO 14067:2018 could play a very important role in increasing farm competitiveness and promote good sustainable agricultural practices [21,22,23]. The Carbon Footprint certification according to UNI EN ISO 14067:2018 could play a very important role in increasing farm competitiveness and promote good sustainable agricultural practices [21,22,23] With this background, this study examines the carbon fluxes related to orchard production systems at farm, ecosystem and global dimensions, and discusses possibilities of integration of various accounting GHGs frameworks to improve the assessment of certain aspects of environmental performance of sustainable agriculture. Represent the emissions (from orchard to atmosphere) or removals (from atmosphere to orchard) of CO2 or CO2 equivalent (CO2eq)
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