The global agro-food system is facing challenges that look at the hunger eradications, the control of global warming as well as the fair exploitation of terrestrial ecosystems. Therefore, it is necessary to define and implement a viable agricultural model, combining satisfaction of food needs and land preservation. A possible solution can be found in a holistic farming system consistent with a sustainable development model, designed to satisfy diverse “local” economies. The conservation agriculture (CA) can contribute to the management of agroecological systems including a set of best practices available to preserve agrarian soil and its biodiversity. After a brief background about recent CA experiences in Europe we provide, in a unique interpretative scheme, the evaluation of the impact of CA practices in terms of private/public interest, using the sustainability’s metric. We test the viability of a model based on CA in “local conditions”, we compare economic performance of different conservation practices (i.e. minimum and no tillage) to that of conventional agriculture in a typical Mediterranean environment - Collina Materana – in Southern Italy (Basilicata region). Our findings suggest that: i) CA can actually be a viable alternative to conventional systems and in particular no tillage is a useful tool to support rainfed agroecological systems in dry climates; ii) CA plays a role in terms of provision of public goods; iii) public support is needed to direct business choices.

Conservation agriculture systems: an economic viable solution experimented in a Mediterranean area of southern Italy

Antonella Vastola
;
Mario Cozzi;Mauro Viccaro;Valeria Grippo;Severino Romano
2018-01-01

Abstract

The global agro-food system is facing challenges that look at the hunger eradications, the control of global warming as well as the fair exploitation of terrestrial ecosystems. Therefore, it is necessary to define and implement a viable agricultural model, combining satisfaction of food needs and land preservation. A possible solution can be found in a holistic farming system consistent with a sustainable development model, designed to satisfy diverse “local” economies. The conservation agriculture (CA) can contribute to the management of agroecological systems including a set of best practices available to preserve agrarian soil and its biodiversity. After a brief background about recent CA experiences in Europe we provide, in a unique interpretative scheme, the evaluation of the impact of CA practices in terms of private/public interest, using the sustainability’s metric. We test the viability of a model based on CA in “local conditions”, we compare economic performance of different conservation practices (i.e. minimum and no tillage) to that of conventional agriculture in a typical Mediterranean environment - Collina Materana – in Southern Italy (Basilicata region). Our findings suggest that: i) CA can actually be a viable alternative to conventional systems and in particular no tillage is a useful tool to support rainfed agroecological systems in dry climates; ii) CA plays a role in terms of provision of public goods; iii) public support is needed to direct business choices.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11563/146452
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