Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
14
14.1
Economic Analysis
product in the market, these costs are usu-
ally less important than the production and
transport costs when the products, coming
from different origins, meet a certain mini-
mum quality, and compete successfully in a
specific market (Castilla
et al
., 2004).
Across Europe, we can distinguish
between two greenhouse production agro-
systems: (i) the 'northern or Dutch agrosys-
tem', typical of Northern Europe, which
requires a large initial investment (in the
greenhouse structure and its equipment)
and which is characterized by large energy
use (Photo 14.1); and (ii) the 'Mediterranean
greenhouse agrosystem', characterized by
low investment and lower energy consump-
tion, which is common in countries in the
Mediterranean Basin. Between these two
technological extremes, there are different
gradations.
In the 'Dutch agrosystem' the crop pro-
duction strategy has been to optimize the
greenhouse microclimate, whereas in the
Mediterranean countries the prevailing
strategy has been to adapt the crops to sub-
optimal climates, which has meant less yield
and in some cases limited quality, but also
lower production costs (Castilla, 1994).
The need to improve the product qual-
ity in Mediterranean greenhouses by means
of proper climate control involves an
14.1.1
Introduction
Three basic factors determine the selection
of the greenhouse cultivation area: (i) the
production costs; (ii) the quality of the pro-
duce; and (iii) the transport costs (Nelson,
1985). This is because these factors deter-
mine the ability to compete in an increas-
ingly globalized market. Obviously, the cost
and quality of production will depend on
the local climatic conditions (see Chapter 3),
and both will determine the technological
level of the greenhouse enterprise (degree
of sophistication required in the green-
houses and climate control equipment) as
well as its management. The possibilities
for long-distance transport have evolved
enormously during recent decades, allow-
ing production areas to be located far away
from the large consumption centres, which
was an unfeasible situation just half a cen-
tury ago, and this has permitted the devel-
opment of large greenhouse industries in
the coastal areas of the Mediterranean Basin
(e.g. in Italy, France, Spain and Morocco;
see Chapter 16).
Despite the increasing negative impact
of the commercialization costs (classifying,
packaging, etc.) to the final cost of the
