Contexte

Most fruit and vegetable production takes place in vulnerable areas where the nitrate content in the water table is very high. Crops are mainly irrigated and, so water and fertiliser requirements are very high. Given a future scenario of water shortages and greater public awareness of the problems arising from excessive use of mineral fertilisers and phytosanitary products, implementing sustainable agricultural production (SAP) is a necessity. In this context, several bodies, such as the Catalan Ministry of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, are working to implement sustainable agricultural production (SAP), a system that promotes the rational use of resources, improves their state and look after people.
Organising this new production system involves assessing various activities with a potential impact on carbon and water footprints, soil conservation and biodiversity. Many aspects will have to be taken into account when assessing each of these impacts on a farm, all of which will be detailed in future legislation.
Currently, sustainability assessments are not widely carried out on farms in Catalonia. This project will serve as a pilot test to fine-tune the certification system set up by the Ministry of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda: sustainable agricultural production (SAP) on fruit and vegetable farms.
Determining farm sustainability and improving it through cultural practices will allow producers to raise the value of their production and provide end consumers with information to help them when choosing what to buy. This improvement in processes and services should partly solve growing demands among a large section of society for knowledge on the sustainability of what they consume.