Environmental profile of the life cycle of small-scale honey production in Mendoza, Argentina

This study was carried out in order to assess the environmental impact of the production of honey in Mendoza, located in the Cuyo Region of Argentina. A Life Cycle Assessment was performed for small-scale production, including hive management and honey extraction, processing and packaging. The functional unit was defined as 330 kilograms of processed and packed honey. The results have shown that the major environmental impacts of honey production are caused for the production of sugar used in the manufacturing of food supplements for the bees and the transfer of the hives between production sites. Considering the great influence of beekeeping in the performance increment of horticulture-fruit production in Cuyo Region, the study includes an analysis that incorporates pollination services.