Resource Use Efficiency and Environmental Impacts in Strawberry Production: An Energy–Exergy Analysis

This study presents a comprehensive sustainability assessment of open field strawberry production in Batman, Türkiye, utilizing thermodynamic-based analyses. The inputs used during the production phase were obtained through survey data collected from local farms over the past few growing seasons. This study is the first to provide an integrated energy, exergy, and environmental assessment of open-field strawberry production in the Batman region, offering novel insights into resource efficiency and sustainability evaluation in agricultural systems. The evaluation was conducted for a functional unit of one ton of strawberries by analysing the cumulative energy consumption (CEnC), cumulative exergy consumption (CExC), and cumulative carbon dioxide emissions (CCO2E). The total CEnC was calculated to be 1207.8 MJ/ton, with nitrogen fertilizer (390.91 MJ/ton) and diesel fuel (229.67 MJ/ton) being the most significant inputs. The total CExC was 1919.82 MJ/ton, where farmyard manure (1170.19 MJ/ton) was the dominant contributor, accounting for approximately 61% of the total. The total carbon footprint (CCO2E) was determined to be 41.43 kg/ton, with irrigation water (10.19 kg/ton) and farmyard manure (10.14 kg/ton) being the primary sources. Key sustainability indicators, the Cumulative Degree of Perfection (CDP) and Renewability Indicator (RI), were calculated as 1.34 and 0.26, respectively. The CDP value is notably higher than that of other open field strawberry studies, while the low RI value indicates a heavy reliance on non-renewable resources. The findings highlight that improving sustainability requires a focus on efficient manure management and reducing fossil fuel-based energy consumption.