The production and delivery of fruits and vegetables to people in North and South countries is critical for the correct balance of their diet. Around the world, fruits and vegetables can be produced and traded locally or imported from distant countries. The awareness regarding the environmental impacts attached to fulfilling the food production and consumption function is growing rapidly in North countries but the preservation of ecosystems in South countries is crucial as well. In this context, the development of harmonised and reliable environmental assessment tools is needed. Over the last fifteen years, the Life Cycle Assessment methodology has proved valuable for agricultural products (milk, meat, cereals, oils, etc.). However, its implementation to horticultural systems is rather recent and almost nil for tropical products. The main objectives of this paper are: 1. to present LCA as a powerful tool for the design of eco-friendly cropping systems and identify the scientific challenges for its application to horticultural products in South countries; 2. to illustrate the use of LCA in this field through the LCA for citrus produced in Morocco and exported and consumed in France.