Abstract
This paper presents the results obtained from the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the production
of Sicilian artichokes (Cynara scolymus) with the aim of reducing impacts, interpreting the results, suggesting
possible improvements and enriching the sustainability knowledge already existing in the agro food field.
Artichokes represent one of the excellent Italian agricultural products even if still not well-known and not
appreciated despite their nutritional and functional quality. According to FAOSTAT (2013) data, Italy is the
world leader in artichokes production, grown mainly in the central and southern regions of Italy, in particular
in Sicily, Apulia and Sardinia. In particular, among all the Italian regions, Sicily, which is highly suited for this
type of cultivation, is ranked first in terms of quantity produced: the reason for this lies in the excellent
combination of climate and geological conformation of the soils. The study was conducted in accordance with
the ISO standards 14040 and 14044 (2006), with the functional unit of 1 ha of land and, as the system
boundaries being the phases of: pre-implantation preparation of the field; artichoke implantation; and harvesting.
The most impacting phases are those related with the consumption of fuel and fertilizers as well as with the
use of the PVC pipes for irrigation. Possible improvements could be the use of methanol instead of the naphtha
(reduction of the total damage of about 13%) and the possibility of recycling the PVC pipes once the field is
dismantled (furthermore reduction of the damage of about 3%).