Agriculture and energy efficiency in portuguese agriculture and trade-offs with farm economics and environmental impacts: case studies for selected agricultural production

Abstract

This paper aims to present and discuss an economic and environmental analysis based on case studies for selected Portuguese agriculture production systems which show potentials and constraints of energy efficiency measures in agriculture with respect to the specific environment of Portugal. Results are the Portuguese part of one work package of AGREE (AGRiculture and Energy Efficiency) an European project. It illustrates case studies and shows trade-offs associated with energy efficiency measures for selected case studies of production systems with their estimated impact on energy use, economic costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Production systems include arable crops (wheat), animal husbandry (dairy, pork and poultry), greenhouse (tomato) and permanent crops (olive trees and vineyards). Results for energy efficiency measures including reduced tillage, fertilizer management and use, including organic and precision farming, and irrigation show large gains in energy consumption and relevant reductions for greenhouse gas emissions but small effects in economic costs and profits. However, if energy efficiency measures impacts are evaluated with respect to production levels of agricultural systems economic effects become more expressive and relevant in private but mainly in social terms. This is due to differences in the relative importance of inputs in energy use, emissions and costs and also to differences of inputs for different agricultural systems. For arable crops diesel and fertilizer contributions arerelevant for energy and emissions but seeds are more important to costs. For animal husbandry feeding is important for energy use and costs but animal purchases are more relevant to emissions. For greenhouse crops diesel and electricity are very important for energy and emissions but plants are more important for costs. For permanent crops diesel and lubricants are particularly important for olives and pesticides for vineyards in energy use and emissions with fertilizer also being important to costs. As a result out of the energy efficiency measures considered there are potential savings of energy and positive economic and environmental impacts but of different magnitude for agricultural systems considered.