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Modelling sustainability: what are the factors that influence sustainability of organic fruit production systems in New Zealand?

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An Erratum to this article was published on 13 April 2011

Abstract

Although many believe that organic systems are sustainable as compared to conventional systems, there is a need to study the sustainability of organic systems per se. In this paper, sustainability of organic kiwifruit and apple production systems is modelled based on the concept of strong sustainability which gives utmost importance to environmental sustainability. Sustainability assessment is undertaken through analyses of key energy and material flows of the orchard system and their impacts on the environment. The proposed approach is based on two high level criteria for sustainability: energy efficiency and non-degradation of the environment. Five indicators which address the two criteria for sustainability are the energy ratio, carbon ratio, change in soil carbon level, soil nutrient balances and leaching of nitrogen. Sustainability indicators are estimated over one production year using two computer modelling tools, Overseer® and Stella®. Sustainability assessment indicates that the organic kiwifruit and apple systems are efficient in energy use and are a net carbon sink over a typical production year. The apple systems mined potassium from the soil which may be a threat to future yield and sustainability. Transition to sustainable farming systems implies reliance to a lesser extent on non-renewable energies and recognising the environmental bottom line.

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Notes

  1. Physiologically available energy is the energy obtained by subtracting energy lost in the excreta from the total energy value of the food.

  2. This may seem overly restrictive, since concentration in leachate does not necessarily translate to similar concentrations in the receiving water-body. It is acknowledged that N concentration in water-bodies depends on several factors such as cumulative effects of nutrient leaching, the number of orchards in the area and the geographical characteristics of the catchment; however, the actual threshold level may be adjusted without affecting the usefulness of the indicator. This does serve to highlight the need for more research on this topic.

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Acknowledgements

The support of participating orchardists, Massey University Doctoral Scholarship and Cecil Elliot Trust Grant is acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Natural Sciences M15, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South DC, 1797, NSW, Australia

    Girija Page

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  1. Girija Page
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Correspondence to Girija Page.

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An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13165-011-0008-1

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Page, G. Modelling sustainability: what are the factors that influence sustainability of organic fruit production systems in New Zealand?. Org. Agr. 1, 55–64 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-011-0005-4

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