Calculating environmental cost indicators of apple farm practices indicates large differences between growers. Issue 5 (3rd September 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Annaert, Bernd; Goossens, Yanne; Geeraerd, Annemie; Mathijs, Erik; Vranken, Liesbet
• Is Part Of: International journal of agricultural sustainability. Volume 15:Issue 5(2017)
• Page Start: 527
• Page End: 538
• Publication Date: 2017-09-03
• Subjects: External costs -- shadow prices -- life cycle analysis -- apple production -- FADN; Agriculture -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Agricultural ecology -- Periodicals; 338.14
• DOI: 10.1080/14735903.2017.1353721
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1473-5903

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This study evaluates the environmental impact of current apple cultivation practices in Flanders, Belgium. It evaluates integrated production, the most common practice, and it compares this production method with conventional and organic production. The assessment was based on Farm Accountancy Data Network data from 2010 to 2012 for 64 farms in the region and a life cycle approach was used. The findings showed no significant improvement in environmental impacts for integrated farms compared to conventional farms and, even more, the former showed significantly higher average impacts per hectare for the categories 'acidification', and 'non-renewable energy use' in comparison with the latter. The organic production group showed higher average impacts per kilogram due to lower yields. Secondly, impacts related to the categories 'acidification', 'eutrophication' and 'global warming potential' were monetized based on the shadow price method in order to obtain external costs. Results show that external costs increase the production costs for integrated farming at least with 5%, both when these costs are expressed per kilogram and per hectare. However, the findings show a large variability in impacts and costs per farm. Farm-specific practices have therefore an important influence on the total environmental cost rather than production group-specific practices.