MiPAAF Bioqualia project: Organic farming, sustainability and biodiversity

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1 MiPAAF Bioqualia project: Organic farming, sustainability and biodiversity Flavio Paoletti National Institute for Food and Nutrition Research (INRAN) Via Ardeatina, Rome Italy INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC SYMPOSIUM BIODIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABLE DIETS UNITED AGAINST HUNGER 3-5 November 2010, FAO Headquarters, Rome

2 Project title Qualità nutrizionale e organolettica e impatto ambientale di produzioni bio. Un caso studio: il melo BIOQUALIA (Nutritional and organoleptic quality and environmental impact of organic food. A case study: Apple) Funded by Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali (MiPAAF) (Ministry of Agriculture Food and Forest Policy) 3-5 November 2010, FAO, Rome

3 Objectives of the project Bioqualia To test the mineralization of various commercial organic fertilizers used for organic apple growing To determine the effects of these commercial fertilizers and the conditions of their use on the nutritional and sensory quality of organically grown apple cultivars To determine the quality characteristics of apples from a variety comparison study aiming to select the most suitable varieties for the organic cultivation in the North-East of Italy To evaluate the environmental impact of the organic apple growing systems by the approach of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) 3-5 November 2010, FAO, Rome

4 Fertilization To reduce the pollution of fertilizers and synthetic pesticides in intensive agriculture Leaching of nitrogen is responsible for much of the environmental damage The organic agriculture has rapidly grown in the world

5 In the organic production Only organic fertilizers can be used to supply the soil with nitrogen The mineralization of these products is slow causing a problem with the nitrogen supply when the demands of the plants is high

6 In the Alps-region problems with nitrogen supply in spring are common In spring the demand of nitrogen of the apple trees is high, but the weather conditions are often bad the temperature of the soil is low mineralization starts slowly the trees own reserves may become exhausted the nitrogen supply from the mineralization of the soil organic matter is not yet sufficient It is therefore important to supply the plants timely in spring with fertilizer nitrogen

7 There is a strong need in organic fruit production to receive more information about the behaviour of fertilizers in the soil

8 The low nitrogen availability often determine low yields the problems in the fertilization the prohibition of the use of synthetic pesticides the need to have appropriate varieties for the organic growing systems

9 The performance of a variety is commonly evaluated in terms of yield, resistance to diseases, storageability, commercial quality characteristics, etc. Nutritional and organoleptic characteristics should be included

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11 A principal objective of the organic farming is to maintain the natural fertility of the soil Organic farming systems involve: the use of catch crops the recycling of crops residues the use of organic fertilizers the use of perennial crops that promote higher levels of organic matter in the soil

12 Another major objective of the organic farming is to encourage a high level of biological activity in the soil To secure the stability of this ecosystem it is also important to sustain a wide diversity of soil organisms. Cental role of the microrganisms (bacteria, fungi) in maintaining the fertility of the soil through the decomposition of the organic matter

13 Several studies demonstrate the increase of biodiversity, biological activity and fertility in the soil managed by organic systems Mader P. et al Soil fertility and biodiversity in organic farming. Science, 296, Bengtsson J. Et al The effects of organic agriculture on biodiversity and abundance: a metaanalysis. Journal of Applied Ecology, 42, Pimentel et al Environmental, energetic, and economic comparisons of organic and conventional farming systems. BioScience, 55, Belfrage K. Et al The effects of farm size and organic farming on diversity of birds, pollinatos, and plants in a Swedish landscape. Ambio, 34,

14 Belfrage K. Et al The effects of farm size and organic farming on diversity of birds, pollinatos, and plants in a Swedish landscape. Ambio, 34, This study compares diversity and abundance of birds plus abundance of butterflies, bumblebees and herbaceous plants between six small farms (.) and six large farms (.).. More than twice as many bird species, butterflies, and herbaceous plant species, and five times more bumblebees were found on the small compared to the large farms. The largest differences were found between the small organic and large conventional farms. Differences were also noted between small and large organic farms:. We are also fully aware that farm size per se does not affect biodiversity. However different farm sizes require different farm regimes and management practices, and we find it likely that it is these differences on farm level that have affected the abundance of birds, butterflies, and bumblebees registered in this study...

15 Different size farms have different objectives, different needs, and different market destinations for their products Small farmers are commonly interested in local varieties with peculiar characteristics because their sale channel is the local market and not the great distribution The small farmers are the guardians of the biodiversity

16 SOME STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ITALIAN AND EU AGRICULTURE (2007) Unit Italy UE-27 N. of farms n N. of livestock n Utilized agricultural surface ha Utilized surface per farm ha 7,59 12,59 Source: INEA elaboration from ISTAT and EUROSTAT data UAS in some European countries (year 2007) France Spain Germany United Kingdom ha ha ha ha

17 POD AND PGI PRODUCTS IN EUROPE (JULY 2009) Country Cheese Meat Oil and fat Fruit, Meat Other* Total products vegetable, and cereals Italy France Spain Portugal Greece Germany United Kindom Ceka Rep Austria Belgium Netherland Others Total * Spices, bread, honey, etc. Source: European Commission This structural weakness is balanced by the fact that most of the small/medium enterprises in Italy produce typical, high quality products, often with a mark of origin (POD, PGI), that allow them to get niches of market protected against the competition of the big industrial groups

18 Small, medium, and large farms, having different farm regimes and management practices will have also different needs in therms of the use of energy. Generally, the studies in the literature indicate a lower environmental impact (for example, global warming) of the organic productions. Category of the impact Unit Wheat Winter barley Oats Conv. Org. Conv Org. Conv. Org. Conv. Org. Global warming g CO 2e /kg Acidification g SO 2e /kg Enrichment in g NO 2e /kg nutrients Photochemical smog Environmental impact of the conventional or organic production of 1 kg of some crops g ethylene eq/kg Rye Land use m 2 year/kg From Moresi M Industrie Alimentari, 49 (502), 9 20 In Bioqualia project the environmental impact of a small and large organic apple farm will be evaluated by LCA methodology

19 Spain and Italy are at the first place among the European countries in the organic agriculture sector Spain is at the first place in term of surface (about 1,200,000 ha) Italy is at the first place for the number of farms (about 50,000) Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Portugal represent more than 50% of the surface at organic agriculture in Europe Cereals, legumes, fruit, vegetables, olive oil are the main organic products in the Mediterranean area.

20 The Cilento Organic (Eco) District is sited within the Cilento and Parco di Diano Natural Park. The Organic District is a network of organic farms, agritourisms, organic restaurants, consumers that realize cultural initiatives aiming at the development of the Cilento territory, based on the organic farming model. It is remarkable that the Cilento is the area where the Mediterranean Diet was born