Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions from Honey Production: Two-Year Survey in Italian Beekeeping Farms

Abstract

The objective of this study was to quantify the climate change (CC) impact of the honey supply chain in different beekeeping systems and farms, over two consecutive years. The CC impact category is quantified as kg CO2 equivalent and it evaluates the GHG emissions, mainly CO2, N2O, and CH4. The results ranged from 0.44 to 3.18 (p = 0.039) kg CO2e/kg honey with higher values in 2021 than 2020. The main contributors to climate change of the honey supply chain are represented by transport and supplemental feeding inputs. The beekeeping system (migratory or stationary) influenced CC: the contribution to CC for stationary farms was estimated at 0.58 kg CO2e/kg honey and 2.48 for migratory ones (p p p p < 0.05). Further studies are needed to better explain the effects of weather on honey production, as well as environmental impact.

Keywords

• GHG emissions
• honey production
• transport
• supplemental feeding
• climate index