2022 New Zealand

Carbon and water footprinting of avocado production in New Zealand

Authors: Majumdar, S.; McLaren, S.; Sorensen, S.; Siebert, B.

"The avocado sector in New Zealand is growing rapidly and is driven particularly by demand in overseas markets. To develop a better understanding of the environmental impacts associated with the New Zealand avocado supply chain, an environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was undertaken of this sector, focusing on climate change and water use.
For the carbon footprint, it was found that fertiliser production and use, and fuel use, dominated the climate change impact category for orchard activities.

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2022 Multiple

Short vs. Long-Distance Avocado Supply Chains: Life Cycle Assessment Impact Associated to Transport and Effect of Fruit Origin and Supply Conditions Chain on Primary and Secondary Metabolites

Authors: Pedreschi, R.; Ponce, E.; Hernández, I.; Fuentealba, C.; Urbina, A.; González-Fernández, J.; Hormaza, J.; Campos, D.; Chirinos, R.; Aguayo, E.

Avocado consumption and trade are increasing worldwide, with North America and Europe being the main importing regions. Spain is the major European avocado producer (90% of the production), yet it only supplies 10% of the market. Consequently, more than 90% of the avocados consumed in Europe are imported from overseas, mainly from Chile and Peru. In this work, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) impact associated with the transport of two avocado supply chains (short (Spanish) and long (Chilean)) and

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2021 California

Contribution of food loss to greenhouse gas assessment of high-value agricultural produce: California production, U.S. consumption

Authors: Qin, Y.; Horvath, A.

Food loss (wasted and spoiled food) increases the burden on resources and environmental impacts throughout the entire food chain. This study describes and deploys a model and identifies data sources for estimation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with food loss from farm production, delivery and refrigeration, retail sale, household consumption, and waste management in the United States using four California-grown high-value produce as case studies. The ratios of food wasted to food produced

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2022 California

What contributes more to life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of farm produce: Production, transportation, packaging, or food loss?

Authors: Qin, Y.; Horvath, A.

The food production and supply systems are some of the biggest contributors to climate change, and food loss from the entire food chain aggravates the problem. We developed a model to estimate the GHG emissions from the entire food cycle (production, packaging, transportation, refrigeration, and waste management), and applied it to cherries, onions, and plums, the first time these produce have been assessed comprehensively in the United States. We pulled into the analysis 6 additional fruits and

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2020 California

Use of alternative water sources in irrigation: potential scales, costs, and environmental impacts in California

Authors: Qin, Y.; Horvath, A.

Under the risk of drought, unreliable water supplies, and growing water demand, there is a growing need worldwide to explore alternative water sources to meet the demand for irrigation in agriculture and other outdoor activities. This paper estimates stocks, production capacities, economic costs, energy implications, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with recycled water, desalinated brackish and seawater, and stormwater in California, the largest US state and the most significant fresh

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2020 Colombia

Causes of Hass Avocado Fruit Rejection in Preharvest, Harvest, and Packinghouse: Economic Losses and Associated Variables

Authors: Ramirez-Gil, J.G.; Lopez, J.H.; Henao-Rojas, J.C.

The areas planted with avocado in Colombia have increased to position this fruit in international markets. To achieve this goal, the offered fruits need to meet optimal production standards. The aim of this study was to identify the main physiopathologies and damages that may cause the rejection of avocado cv. Hass fruits for export purposes during pre-harvest, harvest, and processing in packinghouses, and quantify the economic impact of said exclusion criteria. Typological characterization and quantification

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