Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
European markets, and it may grow further
in the future because of its profitability in
some cases (Engindeniz and Tuzel, 2003);
however, it is not always economically fea-
sible. The integrated production method
(see Chapter 13) is, nowadays, the most fea-
sible alternative.
(salaries), reaching its maximum values
for green bean and cherry-type tomato
crops, followed in order of importance
by fertilizers, seeds or seedlings and
pesticides.
Water has a limited impact on the total
•
variable costs.
The
•
highest
percentage
difference
between the variable costs of produc-
tion in the 'Mediterranean greenhouse
agrosystem' and the 'Dutch greenhouse
agrosystem' lie in the energy cost (natu-
ral gas).
High quality vegetable production is
14.3
Summary
•
For greenhouse horticultural products,
the production costs, the quality of the
product and the transport costs to the
markets are determinants in the selec-
tion of production sites.
Climate conditions determine the tech-
•
nowadays conceived in a broad sense
in such a way that, besides providing
nutritive value, health guarantees, etc.,
it must also ensure a minimum envi-
ronmental impact.
Greenhouse growing systems generate
•
nological level of the investment in the
structure and equipment of the green-
houses (technological package), and
this has a major impact on production
costs.
In Spain, a typical 'greenhouse horti-
•
internal type of residues, present in any
kind of agricultural activity, which
affect the soil and the water, and exter-
nal type residues, such as plastics,
plant wastes and others.
The vast accumulation of plant waste
•
cultural company' is characterized by
its small average size and family struc-
ture, with some exceptions. Its techno-
logical level is low, based mainly on the
low-cost parral-type greenhouse, with
limited use of active climate control
equipment.
The fixed production costs of these
•
in areas where there is a high density of
greenhouses has forced them to be con-
sidered as a residue.
Proper assessment of the environmen-
•
•
tal impact of greenhouse cultivation
requires methods that integrate its dif-
ferent aspects from a global perspec-
tive. One of the most widespread
methods of environmental impact
assessment is 'life cycle assessment'
(LCA), and this is of great interest for
assessing the greenhouse cultivation
system.
The small number of existing studies
greenhouses are low, the main items
being the depreciation of the green-
house structure and the cost of the plas-
tic covers.
The variable costs of production vary
•
depending on the horticultural species
to be cultivated, affected further by the
chosen cultivar and growing cycle, as
well as by the technological level of the
greenhouse.
The fixed greenhouse production costs
•
on Mediterranean greenhouses, using
the LCA methodology, highlight the
interest in reusing the drainage waters
in substrate crops and underline the
low environmental impact of these
greenhouses in terms of energy use,
compared with the sophisticated green-
houses of Northern Europe.
•
vary depending, mainly, on the type of
structure and equipment. The variable
costs are linked to the management
and, therefore, have a great variability.
In an unheated low-cost greenhouse,
•
the main variable cost is the labour
