Ecological Agriculture in the Ribera Alta

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK IN Alginet, Almussafes, Benifaió, chairs and Sollano

Five Valencian municipalities with The Peira, and Slow Food CERAI València start an awareness project on organic farming and traditional in Valencia.

The municipalities of Alginet, Almussafes, Benifaió, Silla and Sollana, together with the organic agricultural farm Peira, the NGO CERAI (Center for Rural Studies and International Agriculture) and the international Slow Food movement has in Valencia a project that wants to bring people to organic  and traditional agriculture of the Valencian community.

Among the activities to be undertaken during the project include; orchards, which demands that a citizen may plant their own vegetables, school gardens, where children learn about the origins of vegetables that usually seen in the supermarkets, the training courses at various levels of agroecology, networking, consumer products, etc.

Recalling the definition offered by Bundt land Commission: "Sustainable development is about meeting the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs." The project aims to raise awareness both to the producers as consumers to be respectful to the environment and preserve natural resources.

Influence the conversion of agricultural model of the region and promote organic agriculture as an option that allows production to add value to agricultural products and the methods by which they are grown more respectful of the natural environment.

Avoid losing and maintain indigenous vegetable varieties that are in danger of disappearance and to protect long-term biodiversity of our landscape.

Train youth in the region and those related to agricultural activity in the techniques of production, while providing a space where they can apply lessons learned and expand their knowledge in such practices.

Educate consumers of all ages about the importance of healthy eating habits, knowing the quality of food, the environmental impact of cultivation techniques with which they are obtained, and the social context that includes its production.

This initiative aims to bring people to rural areas and involved in carrying out a series of activities that bring social benefits, environmental and materials that have a direct effect on each of them.

Current agricultural model has a range of negative environmental and social impacts. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) under Agenda 2000 (Commission proposal) recognizes that the model promoted by intensive agriculture has had negative impacts on land and the rural world, which has been affected by the decline of farming in many regions. This joins other regions in the development of excessively intensive farming practices, which often have serious repercussions on the environment.

It is because excessive use of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, heavy machinery, monoculture and deforestation have accelerated processes of erosion, desertification, environmental pollution, reduced biodiversity and increased pests and diseases that are has resulted in increasing environmental degradation of agro-ecosystems, which have lost capacity, showing the unsustainability of the model in the long term.

Faced with this agriculture, organic one is presented as an alternative for their considerable environmental benefits and its positive impact on the preservation of natural resources, in addition to the high nutritional quality of products derived from it.

Brief information about the entities involved:

It is an agricultural farm located in the municipality of Benifaió, Municipality of Ribera del Jucar within the province of Valencia. Irrigated farm in which, together with the cultivation of orange trees, vegetables, legumes etc., is dedicated to raising sheep, goats, chickens and other birds, most of them belonging to indigenous breeds.

Non-Governmental Development of a secular, progressive and independent. Emerged in 1994 in Valencia, with the intention of creating an organization that addresses the world of agriculture and rural Spanish and European relations with international trade, the problem of underdevelopment, the environment, organic agriculture and its future, the sustainable development, rural exodus, and so on.

We, as defined by the General Partner, act as an organization that is part and wants to be a reference point of the social movement that seeks to transform the rural world and agriculture from the perspective of sustainable development, solidarity, respect for human rights and participatory democracy.

Slow Food is an international non-profit organization that was born in 1986 in response to the invasion of homogenization of the "fast food" and the frenzy of the "fast life". Today representing nearly 100,000 people in 130 countries on five continents. Convivia -750 in the total are the reference point of the movement on the ground, and organize initiatives to partners and non-members.