Economics and environmental analysis of Mediterranean greenhouse crops

The aim of this paper is to show that intensive agriculture, as greenhouse crops that produce a high level of environmental pollution, both by nitrogen fertilization as pesticides used, may be distributed based on weighted goal programming using utility functions, in a way as to decrease the pollution, maintaining benefit and lowering risk, based on, to change the crop alternatives employed. To prepare this model, accounts were tracked on 46 (year 2006 to 2007) and 49 greenhouses (year 2007 to 2008), in which 16 crops were rotated, these being representative in percentage terms of the distribution of crops in the area. The data obtained were gross margin (GM), irrigation water consumption (W), nitrate consumption (N), labour needed (L) and toxicity level (TL) through the use of plant protection products. The utility function obtained shows that the objectives considered by the average farmer are gross margin, risk (R) and labour. This study has also considered other scenarios such as minimum W, minimum N and minimum TL. Comparing the actual situation with all the scenarios studied, it is observed that these scenarios are better in terms of economics and environment. The scenarios they want to achieve are environmental objectives, like W, N and TL. They have a limited distribution of crops. Also, it was observed that the greenhouse crops studied have consumption of water, nitrogen and labour close to the optimal. With planning, the crops would achieve the utility function, thereby reducing the environmental pollution and improving the gross margin and the risk of farmers.