Farm-level emergy dataset for date palm sustainability assessment in Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran
Description
This dataset accompanies the article "Sustainability assessment of date palm production systems using emergy analysis and management scenarios: A case study in Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran" (Motakefi, Asgharipour & Seyedabadi, 2026). It provides farm-level input and output data used to evaluate the sustainability of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) cultivation across five major producing counties in southeastern Iran: Iranshahr, Saravan, Nikshahr, Sib va Suran, and Sarbaz. Data were collected through structured interviews with date palm growers during a single production year, stratified by orchard size. Environmental data (solar radiation, wind, rainfall, soil erosion, organic matter and nitrogen loss) were derived from meteorological records and standard soil-loss equations. The dataset includes per-hectare physical quantities of renewable environmental inputs, non-renewable environmental flows (river and groundwater withdrawal, erosion, organic matter and nitrogen loss), and purchased inputs (N, P, K fertilizers, manure, biocides, fuel, electricity, labor, machinery, seedlings). These were converted to solar emjoules (sej) using published unit emergy values (UEVs) rescaled to the 12.0 × 10²⁴ sej yr⁻¹ baseline. For each county, the dataset provides baseline (S0) emergy flows and five sustainability indicators: Transformity, renewable share (%R), Emergy Yield Ratio (EYR), Environmental Loading Ratio (ELR), and Emergy Sustainability Index (ESI). Six management scenarios are also evaluated: S1 (30% fertilizer reduction); S2 (50% biocide reduction); S3 (drip irrigation conversion, –25% water); S4 (increased mechanization); S5 (organic substitution); and S6 (combined best-practice package). All scenario results are reported by county. Files include a data dictionary, README, full emergy tables, the associated manuscript, and figures. This dataset is suitable for comparative emergy analyses of tree crops in arid regions, model calibration, and water policy planning. It is shared under CC BY 4.0; reuse is encouraged with proper citation of the original publication.
Files
Steps to reproduce
This dataset enables full reproduction of the emergy-based sustainability assessment for date palm production systems across five counties in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. To replicate the analysis, follow these steps: 1. Data collection Conduct structured, face-to-face interviews with randomly selected date palm growers, stratified by orchard size class. Record physical quantities of all inputs per hectare for a single production year: irrigation water (river and groundwater), chemical fertilizers (N, P₂O₅, K₂O), manure, biocides (herbicides, fungicides, insecticides), fuel and lubricants, electricity, labor (hours), machinery, and seedling replacement. Record main-product yield (fresh dates in grams per hectare). Obtain missing or inconsistent responses from local agricultural extension offices. 2. Environmental data estimation Derive renewable environmental inputs from regional meteorological records: incident solar radiation (J ha⁻¹), wind kinetic energy (J ha⁻¹), and rainfall chemical potential energy (J ha⁻¹). Estimate non-renewable environmental flows using standard soil-loss relationships: topsoil erosion (g ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹), soil organic matter loss (g ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹), and nitrogen loss (g ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). Use county-specific climate and soil data where available. 3. Emergy conversion Apply published unit emergy values (UEVs) from Table 2 of the associated manuscript to convert each raw input into solar emjoules (sej). Ensure all UEVs are rescaled to the 12.0 × 10²⁴ sej yr⁻¹ geobiosphere baseline (Brown et al., 2016). For renewable inputs (solar, wind, rain), take the maximum of the three values following the co-product convention (Odum, 1996). Sum non-renewable environmental (N) and purchased (FR + FN) inputs arithmetically. Total emergy (U) = R + N + FR + FN. 4. Calculate sustainability indicators For each county, compute: Transformity (Tr) = U / Yield (sej g⁻¹ or sej J⁻¹) Renewable share (%R) = (R + FR) / U × 100 Emergy Yield Ratio (EYR) = U / (FR + FN) Environmental Loading Ratio (ELR) = (N + FN) / (R + FR) Emergy Sustainability Index (ESI) = EYR / ELR 5. Management scenario evaluation Apply the six scenario multipliers (S1–S6) defined in Table 7 of the manuscript to the relevant raw input categories. For each scenario, repeat Steps 3 and 4 for every county, holding all other inputs at baseline values. Compare scenario-specific indicators against the county-specific S0 baseline. 6. Sensitivity analysis Vary the UEVs of the largest emergy contributors (groundwater, river water, nitrogen fertilizer, labor) individually by ±20%, recalculate ESI, and record the percentage change. 7. Reuse and replication files All raw data, calculated emergy flows, indicator tables, and scenario outputs are provided in the accompanying files (see Data_Dictionary.xlsx and the main dataset tables). The associated manuscript contains full methodological details, references, and supplementary figures.