3rd edition of Organic Agriculture and Livestock of Castilla-La Mancha
UPA-Castilla-La Mancha has released third edition of the "Organic Agriculture in Castilla-La Mancha" in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture. This third edition features updated statistics and enclosures, providing both manual and technical principles to guide authorities, organic processors, associations, research topics, plant genetic resources and useful addresses. Also includes a pack of real experiences in organic agriculture and livestock farms in our region, which explains and details how they are growing and raising different species of plants and animals. This is the first publication of its kind to be published in our region. The first two editions of this manual, published in 2003 and 2004 have been depleted due to continued demand from farmers, ranchers, researchers and consumers. "Organic Agriculture in Castilla-La Mancha" has been produced by Heritage Cándido Ballesteros, agronomist, and Remedios Morales Cordero, veterinary technicians both in Organic Agriculture and Livestock in our region.
In 2005, there were certified as organic in Castilla-La Mancha 1074 producers, 76 developers and a surface of 64,691 hectares, with these figures, Castilla-La Mancha is the fourth region in total area under organic agriculture, third in the number of producers and ninth by number of processors. The figures show that the number of producers on the organic has a total of 0'54% and the area in the region to organic agriculture was 1'37% of UAA compared to 2.48% of average.
Albacete in 2005 was 41% of all producers, Ciudad Real and Toledo on 21% to 19%. Surface also highlighted the three provinces, Toledo with 46%, Albacete with 27% and Ciudad Real with 18%. The producers divide it among the three provinces.
The main organic crops of Castilla-La Mancha are cereals and pulses, which has occupied in 2005 14.383, 22% of the total area in production, and with fallows joined more than 40,000 ha is also important, ecological olive growing, with 8622 ha, 13% of the total, with 4942 vines Ha (8%) and nuts with 3,987 (6%).
The organic livestock of Castilla-La Mancha has not developed as much as agriculture, occupying one of the last places nationally in number of organic farms. In 2005, the region had 40 organic farms, including 18 in Albacete, 9 in Ciudad Real, Toledo 8, 4 in Guadalajara and one in Basin.
Organic livestock production has the most important bovine meat at 12 farms, sheep farms, 9 of meat and 6 goat milk farms, 5 of them in the Sierra del Segura Albacete, and the sheep meat, with 6 farms. Although there are various livestock production: 5 sheep dairy farms, 4 bee, 2 goat meat and more
The growth of organic production has increased the number of workers, but Castilla-La Mancha is still one of the industries with less organic, 76 processors in 2005. The mills and warehouses highlight which account for 57% of the total. Organic produce sold in 2004 is estimated at 17 million euros.