LCA and energy efficiency of organic and conventional olive groves

This book compares the contribution of organic and conventional olive groves to environmental pollution using life cycle analysis (LCA) and energy efficiency of the two production systems. The research of the discussion is that organic agriculture being less intensive as a lower impact per surface unit (hectare), However when production units (ton) are compared results differ. The research brings to light the importance of considering the energy efficiency of agricultural production as a measure of potential environmental impacts. In deed, the embedded energy of inputs and technical practices is not totally converted into final product's energy content resulting in losses from the agricultural system which are usually detrimental to the environment.