Energy Consumption and Environmental Impacts in Western Balkan Apple Production: A Case Study of the Korça Province, Albania

Apples play a vital role in Albania, with more than half produced in the Korça region. The expanding apple sector in Albania calls for research to evaluate energy balance and environmental sustainability and ensure sustained long-term viability. For the first time, this study examined the energy balance and environmental impacts of intensive apple production in the Balkan countries, specifically focusing on Albania’s Korça province. The life cycle energy analysis (LCEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) approach were used for the assessment. The energy input and output figures for apple production were computed at 61,910 MJ/ha and 99,968 MJ/ha, respectively, resulting in a net energy gain of 37,858 MJ/ha. The consumed total energy input is classified as 68% direct, 34% indirect, 15% renewable, and 85% non-renewable. Energy use efficiency (EUE), specific energy (SE), and energy productivity (EP) were calculated as 1.61, 1.49 MJ/kg, and 0.67 kg/MJ, respectively. Farm machinery inputs (diesel and tractor unit) for mechanized operations constituted the largest energy input with 47% of total energy input, followed by irrigation (25%), and fertilization (18%). The most recent life cycle assessment method, IMPACT World+ v.2.0.1, was utilized, including both midpoint and expert versions, to quantify environmental impacts at both midpoint and endpoint levels. Apple production notably impacts climate change (60%), freshwater acidification (64%), freshwater and marine eutrophication, land occupation (almost 100%), particulate matter formation (> 74%), and photochemical oxidant formation (76%). Identified as major environmental hotspots, chemical fertilizers and mechanization contribute significantly to these environmental implications.