The operating group of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food #Bioviti, which aims to use biodiversity as a competitiveness tool for wine growers, has just taken its first steps with a meeting held in Valencia.
Coordinates the group LA UNIÓ de Llauradors and has as partners other relevant entities of the sector such as the Galician Association of Agri-Food Cooperatives (Agaca), the Utiel-Requena Wines, Global Nature Foundation, Union of Peasants of Castilla y León (UCCL) and the Technological Institute of Galicia.
This group aims to promote biodiversity in the production of wine from a double perspective, environmental through the recovery of soil in particular and the ecosystem in general and the economic, to reduce the use of phytosanitary and add value to the marketing of these wines.
The final objective of this Operational Group is for all partners to work together to define and try to launch a large project that aims to identify the best practices for the improvement of vineyard exploitation using biodiversity as an ecosystem service. In addition, the project will contemplate the realization, control, monitoring and follow-up of these good practices, such as:
- Vegetable Covers Starting from the type of soil, the climatology and the rainfall and / or irrigation regime, it should be possible to establish the most suitable type of vegetation cover. Variables in terms of seasonality, type of soil, type of cover …
- Hedges and other ecological infrastructures. Evaluate how hedges, trees, and other infrastructure stop erosion and act as a reservoir of biodiversity.
- Agrodiversity Based on the native varieties of each area, stability in yield should be evaluated, comparatively with non-local ones, even in adverse weather conditions, resilience to pests, adaptation to climate change.
The main results of the operative group will be published on the web that is being built for this purpose, as well as all the training materials generated. In addition, since most of the Group’s components already have experience in biodiversity management and in the execution of projects, the web will be used to provide stakeholders with material on the management of biodiversity as a positive instrument towards agriculture. .
Other results of the implementation of the final project of this operating group will be the creation of:
Manuals, guides, training and information addressed to wine growers and wineries so they can implement them in their farms or facilities.
Plans of political measures and of regulations directed to the public Administrations and to the Denominations of Origin with the objective that they can implement it in their policies or regulations.
The Operating Group is subsidized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment with funds from the EAFRD and within the National Rural Development Program. The budget for the preparation of the innovative project amounts to approximately € 40,000.
