Ecological footprints and CO2 emissions of tomato production in Slovenia

Abstract

The intensification of vegetable production has led to economic activities that profoundly influence the ecosystem. Measuring the environmental impact of these activities is important. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production for fresh consumption grown under greenhouse, PE tunnel, and in open fields - as well as organic production - was used for estimating ecological footprint and CO2 emissions. The reduction of food miles by introducing local production in Slovenia and the impact of alternative heating systems were considered, applying SPIonWeb software. The introduction of regional production (250 km) could reduce the ecological footprint of transport by up to 83.33% in comparison with transcontinental transport (1,500 km). Using alternative heating with geothermal energy might additionally reduce the impact of heating substantially. For the lower heating requirement of PE tunnel production, fossil fuels might be successfully replaced by pellets; thus, the footprint could be reduced by 61.88% in relation to fossil fuels.