Economic and Environmental Assessment of Conventional Lemon Cultivation: The Case of Southeastern Spain

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear authors,

This work analyses lemon production in Southeastern Spain and evaluates the economic performance and environmental impact of these productions’ varieties Fino and Verna. It analyses cost components and productivity differences through LCC and LCA. The study highlights sustainability challenges and opportunities in lemon cultivation.

Among the main results, it emerged that labour-intensive operations are required and consequently account for most costs such as irrigation and fertilizers. Fino variety is characterized by rapid growth with higher yields and lower unit costs compared to Verna. Fertilizers were also found to have the greatest environmental footprint in their production stages based on discovered Life Cycle Costing and Life Cycle Assessment results. The paper highlights the importance of resource efficiency, conserving the environment, and better decision-making in the citrus sector which leads to enhanced economic as well as environmental sustainability.

The paper reflects several strengths regarding its structure and methodology;

•           the study explores economic and environmental views of lemon cultivation.

•           the use of methodology like LCC (Life Cycle Costing) and LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), incorporates the evaluation of a degree of credibility and robustness.

•           working with industry experts provides a frequency of data and insights that help improve the quality of their study

•           field surveys and inputs from experts in agriculture allow for a robust characterization of the production models

There are several limitations and methodological uncertainties in the study that I can mention:

The study mentions one reason that the outputs may vary is because there is no standard methodology for Life Cycle Costing (LCC) evaluation which would provide consistency in results.

•           data uncertainty: data that comes from surveys or industry sources may contain a sample correction, or misinformation and shall thus have an edge on clarity, thereby driving precision;

•           not accounting for pesticide application emissions could lead to an underestimation of the environmental impact associated with lemon cultivation in a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis.

•           simplified scenarios: the determination of pesticide emissions may not be representative of what is occurring in all cases due to the isolated scenarios from which calculates data for citrus production.

•           regional specificity: the study is limited to Southeastern Spain, so results may not be generalizable into other regions or production systems more broadly.

Several recommendations:

•           standardization of methodologies: a standard methodology for Life Cycle Costing (LCC) is needed, to allow other studies to be compared with.

•           data validation: check the information with independent sources or on-field verifications to ensure that it is accurate and reliable.

•           enhanced data validation: data from surveys, such as market shares and trends, industry databases, and networking;

•           inclusion of pesticide emissions: you should consider including emissions from pesticide application in LCA to make the assessment more holistic and accurate regarding environmental impacts resulting from lemon cultivation;

•           clarity in reporting: authors are suggested to provide a clear description of methods and baselines and the inherent limitations for a better convey to the scientific community.

There is a good use of English language style, sentences are well structured, and technical terms expected in an evaluation paper have been used (e.g., agronomy to environmental assessments).

Best regards!

Author Response

R: The study mentions one reason that the outputs may vary is because there is no standard methodology for Life Cycle Costing (LCC) evaluation which would provide consistency in results.

A: The article highlights a significant issue with Life Cycle Costing (LCC): the lack of a standardized methodology, unlike Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), where all studies adhere to a uniform guideline. The call for standardization in LCC is crucial because it would allow for consistent analyses of diverse products, increasing market transparency. While standardizing economic analysis across different sectors can be challenging. Despite the absence of a standardized methodology in LCC, the results of our study remain rigorous, as the primary goal of LCC is to account for life cycle costs, which we have meticulously done. In the absence of a unique standardized guideline, it is essential to provide a detailed and exhaustive description of the production process and to break down all the existing costs comprehensively. This detailed approach enables others to delve deeper into the analysis and facilitates comparison. The lack of a standardized methodology often means that many LCC studies in the agricultural sector, particularly in lemon production, do not provide detailed breakdowns of the production process. This lack of detail hinders deeper analysis and comparison. Our study addresses this gap by thoroughly disaggregating cost information, thereby enhancing the depth and comparability of the analysis. In summary, the lack of a standardized methodology does not undermine the robustness of the results; what undermines the robustness of a cost study is failing to explain the production process in detail and not fully disaggregating the associated costs, it makes it difficult to compare studies. Without detailed cost breakdowns, making meaningful comparisons is challenging.

R: data uncertainty: data that comes from surveys or industry sources may contain a sample correction, or misinformation and shall thus have an edge on clarity, thereby driving precision;

A: Working with regional producers, technicians, and employees of AILIMPO, we have developed a production model that represents professional lemon farms in the region. This model was created in collaboration with them and, once established, it was reviewed and validated by the same stakeholders.

This is not an experimental work. The study is based on the establishment of a model for each type of variety located in this area. This model is based on information from technicians and professional farmers of the regional sector. In all studies of this nature, the data are not obtained from sampling, so statistical analysis is not pertinent. (Martin Górriz et al., 2020; García Castellanos et al., 2022; Stylanou et al., 2023; García García and García García, 2022, etc...)

R: not accounting for pesticide application emissions could lead to an underestimation of the environmental impact associated with lemon cultivation in a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis.

A: For emissions resulting from pesticide application there is no single, standardized calculation method universally applicable. Therefore, these emissions have not been directly included in the LCA results (as indicated in the text) to avoid distorting the findings. However, we considered it important to examine their impact. This was done by isolating the variable and conducting a sensitivity analysis, using two different methodologies (calculation methods) to observe how the results change and which categories are affected. The study shows that the inclusion of pesticide emissions does not significantly affect the overall results and only impacts on toxicity categories. Moreover, the choice of methodology introduces variability in the outcomes.

R: Simplified scenarios: the determination of pesticide emissions may not be representative of what is occurring in all cases due to the isolated scenarios from which calculates data for citrus production.

A: As previously mentioned, the production model is representative of the region and was developed with the help of technicians, farmers, and employees from AILIMPO. As point 2.1 Data Collection indicates AILIMPO represents 95% of spanish lemon production. This article does not aim to cover all possible scenarios. Similarly, plant protection treatments in the region are increasingly limited and tailored to specific substances, due to the decreasing number of legally approved active ingredients in Europe. Treatment programs have been reviewed and verified with technicians once established.

R: Regional specificity: the study is limited to Southeastern Spain, so results may not be generalizable into other regions or production systems more broadly.

A: For LCA and LCC studies to be truly representative, they must be localized. Introducing an average model for all areas of Spain would not clearly represent any specific region, as it would hide the unique characteristics of each area. Such a generalized model would yield results that are not suitable for making informed decisions. Therefore, localization is essential.

Furthermore, focusing on the southeastern region of Spain makes sense, as it encompasses areas like Almería, Murcia, and Alicante which collectively account for 82% of the national lemon production. This makes it a sufficiently representative region for studying lemon production in Spain.

Several recommendations:

R: standardization of methodologies: a standard methodology for Life Cycle Costing (LCC) is needed, to allow other studies to be compared with.

A: Although the need for a standardized methodology—particularly one that facilitates comparisons across different studies of a product—has already been highlighted in the text, we reiterate this point in the conclusions, as suggested by the reviewer.

R: Data validation: check the information with independent sources or on-field verifications to ensure that it is accurate and reliable.

A: As we have indicated, the analyzed model was developed in collaboration with farmers, technicians, and employees of AILIMPO. Furthermore, once the model was established—planting density, productions, doses of active ingredients of plant protection treatments and herbicides, fertilizers doses, irrigation doses...—it was reviewed and validated by these same technicians and by AILIMPO.

In addition to the review conducted by the team responsible for writing the paper, which consists of three agriculture engineers and one biologist specialized in agronomy, agricultural economics, and environmental assessment.

R: Inclusion of pesticide emissions: you should consider including emissions from pesticide application in LCA to make the assessment more holistic and accurate regarding environmental impacts resulting from lemon cultivation;

A: It has been previously addressed as follows: For emissions resulting from pesticide application, there is no single, standardized calculation method universally applicable. Therefore, these emissions have not been directly included in the LCA results (as indicated in the text) to avoid distorting the findings. However, we considered it important to examine their impact. This was done by isolating the variable and conducting a sensitivity analysis, using two different methodologies to observe how the results change and which categories are affected. The study shows that the inclusion of pesticide emissions does not significantly affect the overall results and only impacts on toxicity categories. Moreover, the choice of methodology introduces variability in the outcomes.

In summary, pesticide emissions are included in this LCA, and the absolute values of the models Fino and Verna including them can be seen in tables 8 and 9.

R: Clarity in reporting: authors are suggested to provide a clear description of methods and baselines and the inherent limitations for a better convey to the scientific community.

A: We believe that the limitations have been adequately highlighted and addressed in the article.

We have identified the lack of standardized methodologies as limitations (e.g., LCC, pesticide emissions from application), noted that some LCA inputs were not considered due to their absence in the available databases, and disaggregated the information as much as possible to ensure clarity and minimize any potential doubts for the reader. Additionally, we have provided a detailed explanation of the production process.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

·         The abstract is not clear and confuses the readers.

·         … is an essential tool for achieving global challenges such as eradicating hunger.. it needs revise.

·         most used economic analysis methodology along with LCA (Falcone et al., 2016). Please change the reference style.

·         The novelty and contribution of this work aren’t clear

·         It is better to add the study area map

·         Based on Table 1; the Fino conventional lemon is better than Verna's in some characteristics. you have to clearly explain Why the growers still growing the Vern?

·         It is better to use the abbreviation (Fino and Verna Lemon (FVL)

·         Table 4. Life cycle inventory of primary data of Fino and Verna in relation to the FU: 1 kg of lemons. It has more details and I suggest removing the replications or summarize and merge some cost sections together.

·         In table 6, what is the references of the values in column 1? Also, the full name of the abbreviations should belong to the table

·         The methodology uses only Non-discounted criteria (metrics) and this is not enough to judge the profitability or comparison of such a system.

·         I suggest running an economic analysis by using the discounted criteria and comparing the net present value (NPV), Benefit-cost ratio, and Internal rate of return (IRR)

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing of English language required

Author Response

Reviewer 2:

• The abstract is not clear and confuses the readers.

The abstract cannot exceed 200 words; nonetheless, we have included a brief description of the sector's significance and the importance of southeastern Spain within it. We discuss the applied methodologies (LCC and LCA) and describe the case study. We also present the main results from the cost analysis and the environmental analysis.

After reviewing the abstract again, we sincerely conclude that it adequately describes the work. Given its length and level of detail, it cannot be made any clearer or more concise.

• … is an essential tool for achieving global challenges such as eradicating hunger.. it needs revise.

We have revised the text fom the paragraph: Agriculture plays a fundamental role in economic growth, accounting for 5% of global GDP and in less developed countries this figure can rise to more than 25% [1]. Agricultural activity, in addition to providing economic development and creating jobs through the generation of raw materials and food, is an essential tool for achieving global challenges such as eradicating hunger and feeding a growing population that is estimated to reach 9.7 billion in 2050 [2].

And we consider that it makes a clear, correct and proven statement about the importance of agriculture.

• most used economic analysis methodology along with LCA (Falcone et al., 2016). Please change the reference style.

The error has been corrected, and the citation is now in the correct format.

• The novelty and contribution of this work aren’t clear

The novelty and contribution of this work lie in providing a comprehensive characterization of the lemon production chain, both in terms of economic costs and environmental impacts, at the request of the interprofessional organization AILIMPO. This is the first time in which a characterization of the spanish fresh lemon chain has been conducted. AILIMPO represents 95% of Spanish lemon production (as indicated in section 2.1. Data Collection). This study is the first of a three-part series aimed at characterizing the entire production chain, from cultivation (both conventional and organic) to handling, packaging, and distribution of fresh lemons.

As noted in the paper, we consider it very important to address the request of such a significant production sector:

This study is supported by the citrus sector through AILIMPO, which, aware of the current situation, requires scientific evidence to make key decisions focused on better management of its productive systems from the sustainability perspective.

• It is better to add the study area map

We consider the reviewer's comment to be accurate and have added a map of the study area. (Figure 1).

• Based on Table 1; the Fino conventional lemon is better than Verna's in some characteristics. you have to clearly explain Why the growers still growing the Vern?

The Fino and Verna varieties do not overlap in time and cover a longer production period, which helps to retain customers, primarily in the European market. As indicated in the paper, the Verna variety is less productive but commands a higher price than the Fino, which is why it continues to be cultivated, albeit in smaller quantities compared to Fino. Many farms in the southeastern region grow both varieties to supply their customers over an extended period.

Several paragraphs in the text address this topic:

The main varieties grown in Murcia are Fino and Verna as they allow lemons to be harvested throughout the year, but their differences also cause seasonality in production and prices. The main destination for lemons is fresh market. These two factors are also reflected at a national level.

Based on this information, a production model was established for each of the main lemon production systems in the Region of Murcia: conventional Fino and conventional Verna. These models encompass the representative practices of lemon cultivation in SE of Spain.

As Table 5 indicates, the unit production cost is higher in Verna than in Fino, which is due to its lower productivity, since the input consumption and investment are very similar for the two varieties. However, normally, this difference in cost is compensated by a higher market price for Verna [12].

.

• It is better to use the abbreviation (Fino and Verna Lemon (FVL)

We are only comparing two varieties; if there were more options, it would be advisable to use abbreviations, as we have done in other papers (for example, in vineyard cultivation with four production options). We believe that mentioning the Fino and Verna varieties in the text facilitates reading.

• Table 4. Life cycle inventory of primary data of Fino and Verna in relation to the FU: 1 kg of lemons. It has more details and I suggest removing the replications or summarize and merge some cost sections together.

Table 4 is very detailed, with disaggregated data aligned with the accounting chapters. However, this table contains the elements that participate in the LCA inventory. However, this table contains the elements that participate in the LCA inventory. Although LCC and LCA should run in parallel and the chapters/concepts accounted for are the same, the inputs that affect the economic part do not coincide with those accounted for in the environmental part (for example: the machinery chapter in the economic analysis accounts for the cost of labor + tractor + equipment, while in the environmental analysis, it accounts for diesel, as explained in the methodology). In any case, LCA is standardized, and a mandatory phase is to present the inventory of the foreground data. Such detailed inventories can help others replicate the conducted LCA and compare results; this detailed information only adds transparency. Additionally, it is typical in environmental studies to present detailed inventories (Cabot et al., 2023).  Therefore, we decided to keep it as presented in the article

• In table 6, what is the references of the values in column 1? Also, the full name of the abbreviations should belong to the table

All abbreviations are described in the methodology, but we agree with the reviewer on the convenience of adding them to all tables to facilitate reading (Tables 6, 8, and Figure 2).

• The methodology uses only Non-discounted criteria (metrics) and this is not enough to judge the profitability or comparison of such a system.

The characterization of the lemon production sector intended for the fresh market, through the interprofessional organization AILIMPO, is a first step towards describing the production technically and economically. The basis of this LCC is the description of the production structure and the accounting of costs. Conducting a financial economic analysis with viability/profitability indicators may be of interest, but it was not the aim of this characterization

• I suggest running an economic analysis by using the discounted criteria and comparing the net present value (NPV), Benefit-cost ratio, and Internal rate of return (IRR)

In any case, in line with the reviewer's comment, we plan to carry out a paper focused on the viability and profitability analysis of the various production options (Fino and Verna, conventional and organic) once the entire production chain has been described. As we mentioned earlier, this work is the first in a series of three, aimed at characterizing the entire production chain, from cultivation (conventional and organic) to handling, packaging, and fresh distribution.

Comments on the Quality of English Language: Minor editing of English language required

The text has been translated and reviewed by a native English speaker, specialized in scientific texts. In addition, the first author of the paper has an advanced English language certificate (Cambridge C1).

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This paper assessed the economic and environmental effect of Lemon cultivation in Southeastern Spain, and obtained meaningful research results. This article shows clear ideas, scientific methods, and reliable results.

Below, I point out some elements of the manuscript that should be improved:

1. In the “Introduction”, it is better to describe the results from other researchers on the economic and environmental effect of Lemon cultivation. What are the problems in this research, and explain clearly why this method is used and why to conduct research on this topic.                          

2. In the second part “2.4 -Economic evaluation: Life Cycle Cost analysis” and “2.5 Environmental evaluation: Life Cycle Assessment”, it is better to present the calculation formula for detail.

3 In the “sensitivity analysis”, why not consider the fertilizer application as variability?

4. Table 6, Table 8, Table 9, Figure 1 and the main text should supplement the meaning represented by abbreviated letters.

Author Response

Reviewer 3:

This paper assessed the economic and environmental effect of Lemon cultivation in Southeastern Spain, and obtained meaningful research results. This article shows clear ideas, scientific methods, and reliable results.

Below, I point out some elements of the manuscript that should be improved:

1. In the “Introduction”, it is better to describe the results from other researchers on the economic and environmental effect of Lemon cultivation. What are the problems in this research, and explain clearly why this method is used and why to conduct research on this topic.

 We believe that all these points are reflected in the introduction:

- Results from other researchers about Lemon cultivation (economic and environmental findings):

In an extensive literature review on the application of LCA in the citrus sector, Cabot et al. [30] pointed out that, in the cultivation phase, fertilizers (production and soil emissions due to nitrogen fertilization), irrigation, and fuel consumed by machinery are usually identified as the factors with the greatest environmental burdens.

The LCC of citrus fruits does not follow the same evaluation method and does not usually contemplate the same accounting items, the results differing substantially from one work to another, which could be due to the lack of a standardized methodology. In any case, the works of Pergola et al. [26] and García García [31] highlight that in the accounting structure the greatest weight is for variable costs and among these the items linked to labor, irrigation, and fertilizers. Sgroi et al. [32] also pointed out that the highest costs in conventional lemon production are linked to labor and material inputs such as fertilizers.

- Why the method is used:

Given the importance of the lemon sector as manifested by statistical data and the impact that agriculture has on the economy and the environment, it would be of interest to optimize lemon cultivation. To do this, reliable economic and environmental evaluation methods are needed that allow the identification of critical points for which action can be taken and strategies formulated that make them more efficient from the perspective of sustainability [13]. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a standardized methodology used to quantitatively evaluate the environmental impacts generated by a product, process, or service throughout its life cycle [14,15]. LCA is consolidated internationally and supports numerous policies [6,16,17]. Life Cycle Costing (LCC) is the methodology that accounts for all the costs of the life cycle of a product, process, or service and is recognized as the most used economic analysis methodology along with LCA (Falcone et al., 2016). LCC analysis arose before LCA and the term ''sustainable development'' and has been used since the 1960s [17,18]. Although there is growing interest in its application and various procedures have been developed to harmonize it, a generic calculation method applicable to any system has not yet been reached [6,18,19], but there are different standards [20,21] and bibliography [18] that can serve as references to carry it out.

Both LCC and LCA have already been applied in the economic and environmental evaluation of agri-food products [6,22–24], including the general case of citrus fruits and specifically for lemon [25–27]. As indicated previously [24,28,29], their combination is proving to be useful in the evaluation of the sustainability of agricultural production systems, since quantification of the productive and environmental costs of a system allows economically profitable scenarios with the lowest possible environmental impact to be achieved.

-Why to conduct the research:

The importance of agriculture on economy and the environment:

Agriculture plays a fundamental role in economic growth, accounting for 5% of global GDP and in less developed countries this figure can rise to more than 25% [1]. Agricultural activity, in addition to providing economic development and creating jobs through the generation of raw materials and food, is an essential tool for achieving global challenges such as eradicating hunger and feeding a growing population that is estimated to reach 9.7 billion in 2050 [2]. However, in line with the twelfth Sustainable Development Goal ''responsible production and consumption'', to guarantee food security it is essential to separate economic growth from environmental degradation, increasing efficiency in the use of resources and promoting sustainable lifestyles [3].

Among the different economic sectors, the agri-food sector contributes significantly to environmental impacts due to its intensive production model, highly dependent on: machinery, fertilizers, pesticides, energy... [4–6]. In the European Union (EU) it is responsible for 10% of greenhouse gasses emissions [7], represents 40% of water demand [5], and is the main cause of species and habitat loss [8]. Given this situation, agriculture is one of the priority focuses of European policies to stop environmental degradation. The Green Deal encompasses the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies that affect the EU food system and try to make it more sustainable [9].

The importance of Southeastern Spain in lemon cultivation:

Among the main agri-food products produced by the EU is the lemon [11]. Spain is the EU leader in this product, representing approximately 60% of European production and crop area in 2022. According to data provided by the Interprofessional Lemon and Grapefruit Association of Spain (AILIMPO), on a global scale in the period 2013-2022, Spain contributed 18% of total lemon production, ranking it second, only behind Argentina. However, it was top in fresh production with 837,512 tonnes per year, followed by Turkey (803,500 t), the USA (635,100 t), and Italy (418,600 t). In this same period, Spain occupied first place in the ranking of fresh exports, exporting more than half of its production, with the principal destinations being European countries. The lemon tree is not very tolerant of low temperatures and high humidity, so in mainland Spain its cultivation is very localized, essentially taking place in semi-arid areas of the southeast (SE) of Spain. The Region of Murcia (SE of Spain) is the main producer, the area dedicated to lemon crops here has followed an upward trend in the last 10 years, covering 26,987 hectares in 2022 (52% of the national area). In the period 2013-2022, production in Murcia represented around 53% of the Spanish total.

The specific conditions of lemon cultivation in Southeastern Spain:

In this sense, the SE of Spain in general, is a representative area of lemon cultivation and is subject to a series of conditioning factors that make it noteworthy. It is a semi-arid area subject to desertification due to the scarcity of water resources [24,35–37]. The soils have limiting characteristics from an agricultural perspective: high pH, high active limestone content, and low organic matter, among others [24]. Also, the production of fresh lemons - in the context of intensive, professional, irrigated agriculture, characteristic of SE of Spain - is highly technical and is based on varieties closely linked to the territory.

The interest of the national lemon sector (AILIMPO) in carrying out the first economic and environmental analysis of the spanish fresh lemon production chain, which begins with this paper and will be followed by 2 more:

This study is supported by the citrus sector through AILIMPO, which, aware of the current situation, requires scientific evidence to make key decisions focused on better management of its productive systems from the sustainability perspective.

2. In the second part “2.4 -Economic evaluation: Life Cycle Cost analysis” and “2.5 Environmental evaluation: Life Cycle Assessment”, it is better to present the calculation formula for detail.

Regarding LCC, we believe that the accounting chapters and their categorization into fixed assets and current assets are well described, and the presentation of the results is a summary of these concepts. For LCA we followed the standarized methodology. We did the inventory, which is detailed in the paper, data form the inventory were entered into software (SIMAPRO). Using the CML methodology, the different substances in the inventory are characterized, meaning they are classified into impact categories and multiplied by characterization factors, converting them into the measurement units of these categories. The characterization methodology used is also detailed in the paper and follows a standardized approach with fixed characterization factors. It is not necessary to include any formula.

3 In the “sensitivity analysis”, why not consider the fertilizer application as variability?

The detailed and comprehensive characterization of the production systems analyzed, in order to describe the production chain of lemons intended for fresh consumption, is the primary objective of the paper. Sensitivity analysis can be conducted on multiple variables and could be nearly unlimited. We agree with the reviewer on the value of performing a sensitivity analysis based on fertilization. This variable will be included in the sensitivity analysis of a forthcoming paper that will examine organic production. In this way, we will be able to analyze various fertilization scenarios, both organic and inorganic.

This work is the first of a three-part series aimed at characterizing the entire production chain, from cultivation (both conventional and organic) to handling, packaging, and distribution of fresh lemons.

4. Table 6, Table 8, Table 9, Figure 1 and the main text should supplement the meaning represented by abbreviated letters.

We agree with the reviewer and have introduced the abbreviations in Tables 6 and 8, as well as in Figure 2 (It was Figure 1 before review), to facilitate reading. Table 8 and 9 are in the same page and tables are identical (one for lemon Fino and one for Verna), so the abreviations are only presented in 8 as there is no more space for writing and they are valid for the two tables.