REGENERATIVE EXERGY RETURN ON INVESTMENT, A MORE ACCURATE INDICATOR OF AGRICULTURAL PROCESS EFFICIENCY.

The exergy return on investment (EXROI) index, which represents the ratio between the non-renewable resources consumed by a system (exergetic cost) and the exergy contained in the product, has previously been used as a parameter to assess the efficiency of agricultural systems. In this work, the costs of agricultural soil regeneration are incorporated into the index, giving rise to ExROIregenerative. Considering the costs associated with soil regeneration is essential to maintaining soil quality and workability in the long term, as it accounts for the replenishment of nutrients, organic matter, and other parameters typically degraded in agricultural processes. Thus, the ExROIregenerative index provides a more comprehensive measure of the efficiency and sustainability of farming systems, capturing not only immediate productivity but also the efforts required to mitigate environmental impacts and restore soil quality after harvest. This index has been calculated for field trials under different crops and conditions, and the results highlight the importance of including the exergy cost of soil regeneration as a key parameter for a holistic assessment of both the efficiency and long-term sustainability of cropping systems.