Un nuovo modello di agricoltura che sposi appieno la sostenibilità ecologica; un’agricoltura che possa finalmente diventare non solo l’asse portante dell’economia made in Italy, ma un settore strategico anche dal punto di vista ambientale a cominciare dalle sfide imposte dalla crisi climatica.
È la sfida che Legambiente lancia oggi da Napoli, dove ha chiamato a raccolta le esperienze più avanzate del nostro Paese per proporre una nuova alleanza che possa condurre, oltre alla riduzione dell’utilizzo della chimica attraverso il ricorso a buone pratiche agronomiche, ad un impegno concreto per un Green new deal anche in questo settore.Farmers and companies in the agri-food sector of the various supply chains and sectors, from cultivation to processing to sales, met today with technicians, scholars and institutions to make a pact that can respond to the growing demands of consumers for healthier products and to stop the planet's fever, during the first national Legambiente Forum on Circular Agroecology, held with the patronage of the Campania Region and the Municipality of Naples and thanks to the support of the main partners Alce Nero, Apo Conerpo, Barilla, Bonifiche Ferraresi, Coop, Italia Zuccheri, Gruppo Bancario cooperativo Iccrea and Fabbri Group, of the supporting partners Cib, Consorzio italiano biogas, Oleificio Zucchi, Rigoni di Asiago and of the partners Romagnoli, Conip, NaturaSì, Conapi-Mielizia. The attention and sensitivity towards the environmental sustainability of supply chains, the use of renewables - from solar thermal or photovoltaic to the production of biogas or biomethane - the fight against water and energy waste, the technological innovation of agricultural machinery and equipment in a sustainable way are increasingly greater in Italy and this shows us that we are on the right track. In agriculture too, it is also necessary to put a stop to the large consumption of plastic: on this front, in addition to the virtuous practices already active on the recycling of plastic packaging, some experiments on biomaterials and eco-packaging must be encouraged for Legambiente to reduce their impacts on all supply chains.
"National and community agricultural policies must change course if we really want to relaunch this sector in a green way - says Stefano Ciafani, president of Legambiente -. A part of good entrepreneurship and good Italian agriculture is already proving to be very attentive both to the needs of consumers, who ask for healthy and traceable food, and to the need for an epochal change to reduce environmental pollution processes. Our goal is to put in place a series of synergies with the excellences of the agri-food sector, institutions, universities and research centers to change the current agricultural model for the better. A model that looks at the reduction of climate-altering impacts, the valorization of organic and the qualification of integrated agriculture, promoting the circular economy and the use of reusable, recyclable and compostable materials, up to the ethical profile of work in agriculture and the fight against the use of illegal pesticides. A model, we are convinced, that will be able to guarantee sustainability from both an environmental and economic and social point of view. We ask the Italian Government and the European Union to valorize these experiences, immediately providing reward mechanisms and also economically discouraging intensive and high environmental impact agricultural and livestock practices”.
During the Legambiente forum, the Ambassadors of the territory were presented: agri-food companies (many of which are present in Campania) that produce in compliance with the environmental, social and cultural heritage of their territories, which put environmental sustainability and consumer health at the center.
Today, unfortunately, intensive agriculture, the excessive use of chemicals and the race for yields rather than quality, in addition to contributing significantly to the climate crisis, are the cause of the loss of biodiversity and the presence, particularly in water, of substances harmful to humans. In addition, it should be noted that in the last twenty years in Italy 5,4 million hectares of cultivated land have disappeared, practically an area equal to Liguria, Piedmont and Lombardy put together.
Reversing all this is possible, but concrete measures are needed, freeing agriculture from dependence on chemicals and focusing vigorously on organics, which already today in Italy have considerable numbers: 2 million hectares cultivated, 15% of the total agricultural surface, 72.000 operators involved for a turnover of 3 billion euros per year.
"To support this process, it is necessary to invest more and more in research and innovation policies to allow agroecology to establish itself as a strategic point of reference so that it can be a social protection for rural areas by cooperating in policies for depollution and biodiversity protection - adds Angelo Gentili, head of agriculture at Legambiente -. We ask the Government to be more courageous: the goal must be to reach 40% of organic crops with respect to agricultural surface area by 2030, but also rapid times for the reduction of pesticide use, the strengthening of the control system and the increase of more sustainable cultivation methods. Furthermore, to protect citizens' health, it is necessary to establish minimum distances of 15 meters with respect to pesticide treatments from anthropized areas (houses, schools, sports areas) for pesticide treatments, banning them in urban green areas".
For Legambiente, the challenge for the Common Agricultural Policy must be to abandon the logic of indiscriminate and per-hectare funding that characterized previous programming and increasingly become a point of reference for those who practice sustainable, organic agriculture and significantly reduce emissions. The same assumptions must, however, be the basis of the new National Action Plan on the sustainable use of plant protection products that is about to be adopted in Italy. For the association, freeing agriculture from chemicals is one of the pillars on which to base the new model of agriculture. The association's latest Pesticides dossier highlights how even today, although decreased over the years, the quantity of pesticides is still considerable: 130.000 tons of pesticides containing 400 different substances. Treatments carried out with dangerous synthetic molecules (herbicides, herbicides, fungicides) are not limited to the target, but are dispersed in the soil and the environment: according to data provided by ISPRA, the presence of active ingredients of the most used pesticides in agriculture is found in both surface water (67%) and underground water (33%). Reducing the use of polluting and harmful substances also means fighting the pockets of illegality still present in the agricultural sector: even today, farmers are illegally supplied with products made with molecules prohibited by current laws, dangerous both for ecosystems and for the farmers themselves and for consumers. Legambiente also highlights the importance of supporting initiatives aimed at combating gangmastering: where there is no respect for work and legality, it is very difficult to respect the health of citizens and the environment.
Article published on 15 October 2019 - 16:11
