Europe bets on conservation agriculture

Join sustainability and agriculture always has been complicated by the economic implications that this entails. The transition from traditional agriculture to conservation (poorly known in our country as a "green") is not simple and always creates complications in terms of pricing and distribution. But the European Union has decided to give it impetus and try reverter the complicated scenario in which we are now.

During the European Congress on conservation agriculture, held in Madrid from 4 to 7 October, the MEP, Stéphane Le Foll, Member of the Committee on Agriculture and rural development of the European Parliament, bet in a meeting with journalists on a change in the rural policythat needs to move from the "eco" to the "eco-certification". In this way, be objective cumplirian clear level of parameters such as the organic matter in the soil, the level of fixation of carbon in the soil, to reduce the levels of erosion and the respect to biodiversity, among others.

He began also its intevención leaving things clear: "agriculture should not be a problem for the environment, but a solution". Le Foll, who is the author of the motion adopted by the European Parliament titualda "Agriculture in the European Union and climate change", believes that the new CAP should "encourage actions that contribute to improving the effectiveness and potential of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions mitigation"", as well as carbon sequestration."

In this regard, it felt that "agriculture must be part of the solution to the fight against climate change and need that conventional farmers bet by conservation techniques". The MEP told those present that in his opinion "should combine environmental protection and productivity, because there is much malnutrition in Europe and around the world".

In addition, bet strongly by conservation agriculture stating that this "should be a way that conventional farmers to be more sustainable and generate less impact on the environment". Bearing in mind that 5% of European agriculture is conservation, Le Foll goals seem to be clear, "are you must convince the remaining 95% to adopt this system".

Another of those attending the meeting with journalists was the head of the area of agriculture and services of the Idae, Ángel Sánchez for Vera, who believes that this system of cultivation is very beneficial to keep the soil without degrading itto improve their performance and achieve greater energy savings. In this sense, stated that "the Institute advocates the conservation agriculture due to reductions in energy consumption that entails, is estimated a decline of 30% in non-irrigated cereals".

On the other hand, Sánchez de Vera said that "in the planting of manure in a single pass get a savings of 35% in energy consumption". In addition, noted the commitment of the idea with this technology stating that its objectives are, first of all, make it known, and secondly, promoting the purchase of this equipment, which even large and heavy, will be subsidized for activities such as tillage or environmental protection.

On the other hand, Jesus Gil Ribes, doctor agronomist and Professor of the University of Córdoba, also present at the meeting with journalists, wanted to add several interesting facts about conservation agriculture. The first was a nuance. In our country are often dubbed "organic farming" the "organic" or "preservation", when this is not correct, because there are many types of agriculture that, indeed, are ecological, but are not at all "conservation" or respectful with the environment. In Europe, and it should start to be used also in Spain, the correct term is "conservation", not "organic".

Then, Mr Gil praised the virtues of this kind of cropping system, stating that using it "reduces the emissions of CO₂ and you get to enrich the soil". On the other hand, he also stressed that this system uses less energy and avoids the use of techniques such as intensive tillage. Also wanted to bet on the decks as tools for cultivation, because "they produce a substantial improvement of soil, biodiversity and the environment", to be sustainable techniques.

Conservation agriculture has its origins in United States. The Decade of 1930 to 1940, they took place in several successive years of drought in the Central Plains which gave rise to serious problems of wind erosion, causing heavy economic losses in the sector. To combat this erosion new tillage equipment permitting unpack the ground and control the adventitious flora be developed but without investing the ground, leaving abundant plant remains of previous crops on surface.

This method quickly spread by all the dry areas of the USA, not only for its ability to combat the erosion of the soil, but also for their ability to conserve soil moisture. The soil conservation service in the following years, stimulated the creation of teams of researchers dedicated to the tillage of conservation at numerous American universities was established there in 1935.

Despite the improvements proposed by these techniques, without the availability of appropriate herbicides, adventitious flora became a limiting factor for the development of such systems of soil conservation. It is from the 1950s, with the appearance of not waste, more effective action total herbicides in weeds control and allowing to destroy all vegetation present at the time of planting without risk to the cultivationWhen the introduction of the techniques of conservation agriculture are beginning to be generalized.

In the countries of Northern Europe, the combination of the negative effects caused by the excessive tillage (particularly in wet soils) with the decline of the rural population and the increase in the costs of machinery, led many researchers to consider a reduction of the work. However, the existence of subsidies targeted to production and not to environmental sustainability, the measures referred to in the community agrarian policy in its origins, not motivated the change of agricultural model, so it preservation systems were introduced more slowly.

However, since the reform of the CAP in 1999 (Agenda 2000) and more even with the new reform of the CAP begun in 2003, the European Union gave a turn in search of a more beneficial environmentally friendly agriculturein which the techniques of conservation agriculture have place. This makes the surface under these practices is currently increasing.

In Spain, the first studies on conservation agriculture in annual crops which have recorded date from 1976, at the farm 'Hazá del Monte', in Seville. In these trials, focused to get a preview of the date of second crop planting, was evaluated the direct seeding of soybean on cereal stubble. Research on direct sowing of cereals began in Spain in 1980 in the finca El Encino (Madrid), whose trials were carried out on the basis of an agreement between the technology of the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the National Institute of research y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA).

Results had revealed that the practice of direct seeding did not affect the performance of the cereals, getting on the other hand reduce energy consumption by 80%. Soon after, were extending this type of testing to other regions in Spain, notably those carried out, from 1982 to the present day, by the Andalusian Institute of research and training agricultural, fisheries, food and of the ecological production (IFAPA) in Andalusia, on the farm Tomejil in Carmona (Seville), in collaboration with the school technique Superior engineers agronomists of the University of Cordoba; those carried out by the Technical Institute and agricultural management in Navarre; and the undertaken in Castilla y León by technical departments of companies related to the agricultural sector.

The development, both globally and at the national level, has been closely linked to the availability of appropriate tools to ensure success in the implementation of conservation agriculture systems. The development of products of total action and without residual effect herbicides, as well as the gradual emergence of machinery specialized with greater possibilities of adaptation to local conditions of exploitation, has led to a rapid increase in recent years, the surface of crops under these practices.

John Deere, 'Golden sponsor' of the Congress

John Deere, as sponsor of gold', had the opportunity to present in Congress some of his ideas on a subject as important as conservation agriculture, to leading international scientists, authorities, producers of seeds and agricultural entrepreneurs. Christiane Albrecht, John Deere product specialist carried out the paper 'A world, does only a farming practice?', showing the differences in the different agricultural practices in different parts of the world in general and by comparing them with those used currently in Europe as examples of FrancePoland and Russia.

Before more than 150 participants from different countries, Albrecht was able to present the results obtained with the agreement of collaboration between John Deere and the University of Hohenheim (Germany). The results show as there is a continuing shift to similarities in the tillage practices used at the global level, although there is still a long way to go to achieve a unique approach to agricultural practices, mainly due to different ways of thinking and the differences in the conditions for growing (weather)(, agricultural science, politics, tradition and financing).