Innovation space unprecedented in the field of agrarian organizations european

By Milagros Jurado

“Committed to our land” is the slogan raised by the Valencian Farmers Association (AVA-ASAJA) and the principle underlying its most ambitious project, the Experimental Farm ‘Sinyent’ in which, through an agreement with the Business Association for Plant Protection (AEPLA), it has been experiencing since its inception in 2011, to produce more and better foods.

A commitment that materializes through the firm commitment of both associations for innovation and R & D, through tests and trials, achieve the main goals set, such as advice with guaranteed success farmers AVA- ASAJA in the choice of varieties and crops, thus contributing to minimize risks, and promote agriculture that is not only competitive and profitable for the farmer, but at the same time provide guarantees for Environment and consumers.

Located in Polinyà de Xúquer (Valencia), Finca Experimental Sinyent is an initiative with virtually no precedent in the field of European agricultural organizations, which AVA-ASAJA has invested more than two million euros, an upcoming global amount to eight million euros.

As the president of the Valencian agrarian organization, Cristóbal Aguado, says “our goal is to become the main reference center in Europe of sustainable agriculture, defined as one that is able to supply the market, in a friendly way for Environment, with safe and quality food”. As he explains, “it is a generator employment project, which started with a staff of 6 people at certain times has added up to 20, and is oriented not only to farmers but to the whole of society. To this end we are promoting all kinds of partnerships with organizations, universities, suppliers, etc., and actions such as school visits that show the reality and diversity of agricultural production and the values ​​of a healthy diet as the Mediterranean diet”.

Direct technology transfer

With such a view, this Finca Experimental poses as an innovative space of “research proximity”. This means that in each of their plots (whose approximate size is 1 hectare) trials to then transfer technology directly performed farmers fast and practical way. in particular, tests are performed with more than 20 different cultures, experiencing with different varieties of each crop patterns, fertilizers, irrigation, mechanization, biodiversity, use of beneficial insects (integrated control cultures ), new farming practices and effectiveness of plant protection products.

“That is the end, take us the risks of mistakes through all these tests and trials before the farmer, to avoid the waste of time and money which involves to choose a variety that does not give the expected results. Thus, when some of the tests carried out on this farm show us that not we are on track, the second year that variety has been grafted and changed, “Aguado says.

Also notes that “their acreage, 21.2 h, where we have planted more than 500 varieties, has a distribution network of sophisticated irrigation and the most advanced in Spain for an operation of this kind. In those crops are using more efficient irrigation techniques for proper management of water resources, along with our premise of sustainability, which is the essence surrounding each path of this exploitation”, he assures.

Thus, the total area of ​​the farm, 25.30 ha of crops, some 19,750 square meters correspond to dirt roads, caked with gravel, and 5,642 square meters of paved roads.

This operation gathers weather, soil and dimension conditions suitable for the purpose of experimentation dimensions conditions, since it is adapted to most crops planted in Valencia. Since its inception, it has been planted for agronomic trials almost all of the available surface. Field studies carried out in crops such as citrus, persimmon, olive, almond, walnut, locust, cherry, blueberry, nectarine, Paraguay, peach, nectarine, apricot, plum, pomegranate, lychee, avocado, kiwi, grapes , wine grapes, vegetables, rice and forestry.

As Cristobal Aguado advances, they plan to also experience in hydroponics with blueberries and organic crops. “We intend to do and try all kinds of production and testing, as our Association turns 40 in 2017, brings together 28 sectoral”.

“Now, he says, we are doing tests pruning to study their influence on productivity, testing herbicides in cultures with and without mesh, grafts, treatments with fungicides, insecticides, behavior with auxiliary fauna, pulverizers to evaluate the dispersion of the product and their savings, and even have a plot with outbreaks irradiated to see if we can discover some new variety” .In that sense, Aguado ensures that want to innovate and patent varieties, to make them available to farmers at a lower cost than they are paying today. Another planned measures is hybridization.

In total, in more than one year have been thirty projects start, though, before two years will be difficult to have conclusive results, he says.

To contribute to the financing of this operation, it was allocated between about 8 and 10 ha of land for production for marketing that occasionally can accommodate experimental treatments compatible with their crops. However, the president of AVA-ASAJA regrets not having a public and more effective government support, especially considering that one of the future works to be undertaken on this farm will be the restoration of a building of architectural value.

R & D + i to meet the challenges of the future

Experiences like those of the Sinyent Finca goes to show the high degree of awareness that exists in the Spanish agricultural sector on the importance of an increasingly professionalized agriculture and the strong commitment that its producers have been making in recent years by the use of new technologies and innovative initiatives.

In fact, it was precisely this openness to innovation that has been essential for the agricultural sector has managed to be the second most productive in our country -only behind the tourism- and Spain the world’s leading exporter of fruits and vegetables .

In that sense, Cristóbal Aguado is convinced that innovation and R & D agriculture will provide the right tools to face future challenges as those posed by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). “The need to promote sustainable agriculture is a strong vision for the CAP and brings us to another major challenge, since it is expected that by 2050 the world population amounts to 9,000 million people, which are many mouths to feed.”

Crop Protection, part of the solution

As part of experimentation offered by this House, AVA-ASAJA and AEPLA have signed an agreement in order to alleviate the problem of shortage of necessary active ingredients to protect crops from pests and diseases that threaten them, a situation that puts threaten the viability of agricultural production. As Carlos Palomar, director general AEPLA explains, “our support for this initiative is that we consider it is essential that organizations like AVA-ASAJA take the initiative and guide, advise and teach their partners to produce better, taking a step in the professionalization of farming”.

“Our agreement with AVA-ASAJA, he continues, contemplates that our companies can test their products on this farm.” The aim, to determine dosages and the appropriate use to ensure safe, healthy and quality food deadlines.

In that sense, Palomar has stressed that pesticides are part of the solution and not the problem, because in its condition of “drugs for plants”, as may occur with any drug for human consumption, they are not bad or good, but it all depends on their use. “The main challenge of our Association, because our future depends on it, is that our products are used in a sustainable manner, ie, with common sense and informing and preforming the farmer on the impact of its activity on Environment , which depends to continue producing. ”

“Therefore, he adds, we have been doing on this farm trials with different crops and varieties and even establishing plant margins near the river in which we experience with biodiversity, to show that the application of pesticides is compatible with ensuring the health of the consumer, the farmer,  the water protection, biodiversity, and healthy and safe food “.

“Given that put a new active product on the market entails an average period of 11 years and an investment of 300 million euros, our industry is more interested in being sustainable, so that our products like and convince” he concludes.

Daunting legislation

Nevertheless, the general director of AEPLA regrets that the legislation currently being developed in Europe in phytosanitary put the emphasis on the danger of these products, which makes a strong investment in R & D in this area, limiting so farmers have more efficient for crop protection solutions. “The proof is that 15 years ago, investment in plant health was 30% and today is reduced to 7%, and we have gone from having more than 1,000 active substances in 93 to about 300 today. this means that you are allowing a train key technology to meet the challenge of feeding the large population estimated in the future and, today, the agricultural sector is in need of greater chemodiversity “.

“For that reason, we must promote a policy based on scientific criteria that values ​​in a balanced way the risks and benefits of plant protection products and not demonize the excellent solutions that science gives us”, he claims. “Medical devices play an important role in Integrated Pest Management and are essential in the current system of sustainable productive agriculture,” he adds.

“But to ensure the competitiveness of the agricultural sector, and leaders in agricultural innovation is essential, also, a regulatory framework to encourage and not discourage innovation, as is currently happening in Europe.” This also contributing to the creation of a sustainable, efficient, competitive and productive agriculture because, as Carlos Palomar concludes, “innovating today we face the challenges of tomorrow.”

Given that future horizon, it is inevitable discuss the TTIP (free trade agreement between the US and the European Union). A treaty, which according to Palomar, could be beneficial as long as facilitate exchanges harmonizing agricultural production systems between different areas. In the same vein, Cristobal Aguado demands that the agreement is well explained, to value it accordingly, and, above all, that is in accordance with the principles of reciprocity and equality between the two sides, ie, with the same rules, as it regards fundamental issues such as the use of pesticides, among others.

Agriculture, the great unknown

Palomar considers it essential that experiences like the Sinyent Finca moving from an informative and clearly way to society  which still shows a clear lack of knowledge about the agricultural sector, which most people have an image of traditional, craftsman, with staff scarce qualification, little industrialized and away from technological advances, according to a study on perception and image of agriculture recently presented by AEPLA. “This poses a serious challenge,thus is important make the public aware that it is not that way and that the technology we are testing here is what will feed us in the future”, he says.