Evaluation of the Sustainability of Vineyards in Semi-Arid Climates: The Case of Southeastern Spain

Abstract

Vineyards in southeastern Spain, although subjected to a semi-arid climate, generate multiple environmental and socioeconomic benefits. However, they have an uncertain future, mainly due to the price of grapes, as well as the limited water resources and the effects of climate change. For this reason, in this work a sustainability evaluation was carried out through life cycle costing analysis (LCC) combined with life cycle assessment (LCA) for four vineyard models characteristic of the area: two rainfed (conventional and organic) and two irrigated (conventional and organic). The greatest differences in the cost structure between the rainfed and irrigated systems are due to the amortization of the infrastructure of the irrigated vineyards, which requires high gross production, via productivity in kilos or in a grape price that prioritizes quality. In addition, the environmental impacts are greater due to this infrastructure. The differences between conventional and organic production for each type of vineyard are of little relevance. The inputs of this crop are minimized, to lower costs, and this entails low economic and environmental costs. However, conventional management entails slightly higher impacts than organic management.