Energy Indicators for Organic Livestock Production: A Case Study from Andalusia, Southern Spain

Abstract

This work analyzes the energy performance of organic livestock farming in Andalusia (Spain), both as an industry and by type of livestock, through the application of the energy analysis methodology adapted in this article to the study of the organic livestock farming. From this perspective, it is possible to observe that organic livestock farming has a great capacity to use resources and generate outputs in the form of products of animal origin and, especially, manure, which is an important resource for agricultural fertilization. The energy efficiency of organic livestock farming in Andalusia is estimated at 0.08. If the manure reused by agriculture is considered an output, the efficiency of the industry reaches 0.32. Also, 28% of the energy consumed by the industry is nonrenewable and the energy efficiency in relation to the use of nonrenewable energy is estimated at 1.38. By type of livestock, the energy efficiency in relation to the use of nonrenewable energy is estimated at 1.78, 1.62, 0.84, 0.57, 0.22 for goats, cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry. These results show the capacity of extensive organic livestock farming to reduce energy costs and improve its energy efficiency.

Keywords:

• organic livestock
• livestock energy analysis
• energy efficiency
• energy indicators

Acknowledgments

Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/wjsa

Notes

1. Research project financed by the Department of Agriculture of the Andalusian Regional Government. The energy analysis is based on the data of this previous project (Pérez Neira 2010).

2. Noncultivated pasture has been excluded from the energy accounting due to two reasons: 1) to prevent double accounting, since pasture is both an output and an input in extensive livestock farms, and 2) because noncultivated pasture has no opportunity cost in relation to human food. The indirect energy associated to the management of pasture has been taken into consideration in the rest of input entries.

3. The livestock standard unit (LSU) is a measure that allows homogenising the different livestocks with the purpose of comparing them. This work considers the LSU values established by the European Union: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Glossary:LSU