The Olive-Oil Chain of Salerno Province (Southern Italy): A Life Cycle Sustainability Framework

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The present contribution deals with the evaluation of the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of various olive-growing systems practiced in the province of Salerno (Southern Italy). The findings are interesting revealing the suitability of organic systems as sustainable agricultural systems from an environmental, economic, and social point of view.

Overall, the manuscript is of very good quality, well-written, and well-organized, and the topic is appropriate for publication in the Horticulturae Journal. However, I recommend that the authors be asked to carry out a minor revision taking the next points into consideration.

The authors should better point out (in the abstract, introduction, and conclusions) what are the innovative aims and results compared to what is already present in the abundant literature in this field, especially compared to the same group found in previous works dealing with a similar topic. The scientific and applicative implications of the results obtained should also be better clarified.

The layout of the manuscript is particular, as the authors have analyzed in depth the sustainability of various olive-growing systems paying particular attention to identifying operations and processes more environmentally impactful. But then, as regards the discussion of the results, they only referred to other works, similarly to a review paper. For this reason, it would be advisable for the authors to enlarge the reference bibliography since the results reported in the literature about the olive oil life cycle analysis are sometimes discordant.

The materials and methods section should be summarised. There is a mismatch between this section and the results and discussion section. A lot of information is given but most of it is available in the bibliography. The methods adopted should be recalled in a simple and concise manner, especially if the authors have already applied these methods in other articles they have published recently.

As regards the results, my only concern, and this is a question I will ask the authors, is how to compare olive growing systems planted with different varieties cultivated under different densities. As is known, each variety has its own water requirements, fertilizer requirements, and generally a very specific cropping pattern, so when comparing growing systems with different varieties and different planting densities, it is obvious to expect different results when dealing with their environmental impact. In my opinion, the authors should underline this point in the interpretation of the results. Authors should well explain this point and, therefore, take it into account in the discussion.

SPECIFIC COMMENTS

Lines 81-97: referring to the Italian olive oil sector, this paragraph can be summarised, the information given is too detailed and does not add to the contextualization of the issue addressed in this article.

Lines 144-147: In my opinion, this paragraph can be removed. Generalities that do not contribute to the understanding of the context of the study should be avoided.

Lines 251-371: This paragraph is very informative but too detailed, please summarize, we get lost in too much detail.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

The subject of the study is very current, targeting some SDGs. The manuscript is well-written and has some significant findings. The language is clear and easy to understand. The hypothesis is well stated and clearly defined and, based on a current and extensive list of references.

The objective of this work is well defined in the introduction was to estimate the three dimensions of sustainability, through the analysis of seven different olive oil systems: four certified as organic, two of which irrigated (BIO1, BIO2, BIO-IRR1, BIO-IRR2); two integrated (INT1, 19 INT2); and one hobbyist (HOBB) in a typical olive oil production area within Campania Region (South Italy). The Life Cycle Thinking approach was used to quantify the environmental impacts and social issues, as well as the costs of producing 1 liter of packed oil.

The results are presented in tables and figures very illustrative of the proceedings but I think that is important to make figures 1 and 2 larger for better interpretation.

The paper is well structured throughout, and the results support the conclusions. Overall the study is good and adds something new to the existing literature which may have a positive impact.

The authors concluded that some considerations addressed in the discussion section emerged from the analyses, ranging from the need to spread more and more a) organic production methods, characterized above all by the use of self-produced fertilizers (on-farm compost); b) the use of more efficient machines, for saving fuel; c) more balanced nitrogen fertilization to lower the water footprint.

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.docx