Sustainable agricolture
Why is it necessary?
The global population growth has led to a sharp rise in food demand, significantly impacting the environment. Unsustainable agricultural practices can cause severe soil erosion, contamination by harmful substances, reduction in biodiversity, natural habitat loss and more..
What is sustainable agriculture?
Certification of products deriving from Sustainable agriculture.
The term “Sustainability” is intended as an integrated factor between environmental, social and economic elements.
Sustainable development, as defined by the WCDE in 1987, prioritises meeting present needs without compromising future generations’ abilities to do the same. It involves ongoing changes in resource exploitation, investment direction, technological development, and institutional changes to align with both current and future needs.
Basic principles of Friend of the Earth
The Friend of the Earth certification standardfor Sustainable Agriculture was developed according to the SAFA (Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture systems) guidelines set by the FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization) and it is based on 6 basic principles:
1. Protection and conservation of ecosystems. Agricultural activity must not take resources away from the environment but be an integral part of it.
2. Reduction of the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers to ensure safer products and to promote biological control.
3. Improvement of energy efficiency through the use of renewable energy sources. Cutting down production costs and producing energy through recycling of output or exploiting natural resources is necessary.
4. Correct waste management and reuse of output to encourage the recycling and reinsertion of waste in the production cycle.
5. Minimization of operations on soil (no tillage) and rational use of water to guarantee use and efficiency over the years.
6. Social responsibility to guarantee minimum rights to all operators.
Help the environment by choosing Friend of the Earth Sustainable certified products
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