The concept of ‘
sustainable agriculture
‘ is evoked by everyone, often out of turn. Talk of ‘integrated pest control’ is belied by data
On pesticide sales(including smuggled
, via Amazon) continuing to grow, while rural areas are being gentrified
Without any respect for ecosystem and populations. And wide showers of
fake news
rain down continuously on organic, fiercely opposed by seed monopolists
And poisons. Better then to clarify the concepts, with the ABCs of sustainability in agriculture.
Sustainable agriculture, basic values and concepts
L’
agriculture has a significant impact
on ecological balances, either positively or negatively,rarely neutral . Sustainable (or environmentally friendly) agriculture is defined as theactivity capable of:
– Improve thequality of the environment and natural resources on which production depends,
– Provide food and fiber useful for fulfilling human needs,
– improve thequality of life, for farmers andsociety as a whole,
– Contribute to the economy of the territories. (1)
L’
sustainable agriculture
is therefore framed within a systemic vision inspired by genuine values of civilization and environmental protection. It is based on the integrated approach and tends toward the organic production method. The goal is unique, to produce without polluting, preserving resources environmental That sustain life. Without falling into the blunder of chasing productivity
which
is instead a cause of deterioration of resources
environmental
, speculation
and distortions in the markets.
The integrated approach
expresses a model of agriculture consistent with sustainability goals. Action is taken on the production system by evaluating its different components and interactions (both structural and functional), seeking to foster new balances between crops and the environment. With the aim of achieving, through multiple and synergistic interventions, a level of efficiency based on the best techniques that tends to maximize results within the limits of environmentalsustainability .
Integrated defense (or ‘control’), the current rules
Agricultural production
in Italy
is a quality agriculture
à
in its various expressions, which is also to be appreciated for the continued expansion of cultivation of
organic
. However, it is to be reviewed ex novo the impact of productions on the environment and the health of populations, in the face of a blatant disconnect between the supreme principles and the reality of the fields. Integrated pest management is (in theory) prescribed for all farms on every crop, with no exceptions whatsoever. And the duty of sustainable use of plant protection products finds expression in a series of interventions, specified in detail in the so-called NAP (National Action Plan).
L
a
integrated pest management
is defined by Leg. 150/2012 through the following principles and criteria:
– Prevention through technical-agronomic methods. Rotations, seeding/plantingdensity , intercropping, varietal choice, fertilization, etc. Including hygiene measures for facilities and equipment,
– monitoring of pests through observations, scientifically sound warning, forecasting and early diagnosis systems, qualified professional advisors and technical assistance bulletins,
– definition of interventions on the basis of scientifically reliable threshold values (to be considered, where possible, before treatment),
– preference of sustainable biological, physical means and other non-chemical methods where they allow adequate control of harmful organisms,
– Use of selective plant protection products to minimize adverse effects on human health, non-target organisms and the environment,
– Reducing the amounts of products used by decreasing dosages and intervention frequencies or as a result of localized treatments,
– rotation of products in order not to induce resistance in pathogens,
– Verification of the degree of success of applied defense strategies. (2)
Organic and certified integrated production. Rules and
trend
market
The certified quality systems
to which agricultural production models can be traced are essentially two:
1) organic production. European regulations
in effect for nearly four decades now regulate the organic system throughout the supply chain, ‘
from seed to fork
‘ e ‘
from feed to fork
‘. From agriculture and the
breeding
, processing, the
logistics and distribution
, each operator involved in EU is subject to specific obligations. The criteria for control and certification are also defined, which is entrusted to accredited third-party bodies under delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Tourism (MiPAAFT).
The biological system expressand the highest level of environmental protection (biodiversità, soils, water, air), of the human populations e animals. With favorable impact on the
entire community
à
and the ecosystem. Providing for the use, where necessary, of only those products listed in a positive list of permitted substances. (3)
Italy is in second place in the EU in agricultural production (after Spain, with 9 million hectares and 68 thousand farmers) and ranked first in the number of certified organic processors (18 thousand). Retail sales of organic products continue to increase, having surpassed 37 billion euros in Europe in 2018 (up 10.5 percent from 2016), and so did producers (up 4 percent). (4)
2) P
roduction integrated certified
. The Quality System
à
National Integrated Production (
SQNPI
) is subject to special national legislation, has environmental value and provides for the reduction of interventions with chemicals, both for nutrition and plant defense. (5) The goal is to ensure a quality
à
of the final product significantly above current commercial standards through adherence to ‘integrated production’ technical standards subject to certification by accredited third-party bodies.
The ‘production i
ntegrated
‘
in the SQNPI system is defined as an agrifood production system that uses all means of production and defense of agricultural production from adversities
à
, minimizing the use of synthetic chemicals and rationalizing fertilization, while respecting ecological, economic and toxicological principles. Memberships are growing, with more than 10,174 certified farms covering over 149,000 hectares of crops. (6)
The SQNPI system
differs from simple (as rare as it is) compliance with the legal requirements of integrated pest management in several respects:
– concrete implementation of national cultivation and integrated pest management guidelines,
– Verification of effective compliance with said criteria by third-party audit and certification,
– Enhancement of the low environmental impact production model by licensing the use of a special collective trademark.
Finally, there are also
some voluntary schemes and standards, which are themselves subject to certification by independent third-party bodies:
– GlobalGap. Private certification scheme, emphasizes food safety and bases the effectiveness of the result on advanced risk analysis models,
– Uni 11233:2009. Shared technical standard with environmental objective. It collects best practices in agriculture, with a view to balancing production needs and responsible use of pesticides,
– LIVE. Project activated by the Ministry of the Environment in 2011 to improve the performance of sustainability.
à
of the wine supply chain by referring to four indicators (air, water, land, vineyard).
Dario Dongo and Donato Ferrucci
Notes
(1) The concept of sustainable agriculture is developed by the ASA (
American Society of Agronomy
) exactly 40 years ago, in the now distant 1989
(2) See d.lgs. 150/2012, Annex III
(3) See reg. EC 889/2008, Annexes I and II
(4) IFOAM 2019 data presented at the 30th
Biofach
, on 2/13/18 in Nuremberg
(5) See Law 4/2011. DM 8.5.14 introduces the SQNPI mark and its conditions of use
(6) 2017 data, source www.reterurale.it
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Agronomist, master in food law. He deals with certifications and quality systems in the agri-food chain. He collaborates with institutions and universities and is a member of the editorial board of rivistadiagraria.org.
