A Sustainability Assessment of Organic Farms Across Italy ENVS 191 Practicum

A Sustainability Assessment of Organic Farms Across Italy
Student X and Student Y
ENVS 191 Practicum
September 2010
Comment: Cover page and heading are
necessary
Organic and sustainable agriculture has been a rapidly increasing segment of
agriculture in the past decade, both in Europe and the United States. In the United States,
before the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, there was less than a million acres of
certified organic farmland. By 2005, this acreage had nearly doubled. More recently, in
2008, the US had 4,815,959 acres of certified organic land, including both
pasture/rangeland and cropland. However, only .57% of total cropland is certified organic
(Greene & Slattery, 2010). Twenty-three percent of the world’s organic agriculture is in
Europe. The three countries with the largest organic agricultural land areas are Spain,
Italy, and Germany (Willer, 2010). In Italy, the earliest organic farming explorations date
back to the 1960s and 1970s, when more farmers and consumers showed a need for an
improved quality of food. In the 1990s, the organic agriculture in Italy demonstrated the
largest increase in Europe. As of 2007, there are over one million hectares of organic
agricultural land in Italy. Most of Italy’s organic farms are located in the South, and in
the islands, especially in Sicily, where organic farms have developed at a rapid rate. In
2007, the economic value of the Italian organic market was about 1.85 billion Euros
(Pinton, 2007).
[First paragraph
defines organic farms,
which segways into an
assessment of organic
farms in Italy. Could
have had a stronger
transitioning sentence
here]
For our assessment of sustainability amongst the organic farms in Italy, we
traveled to four farms, varying in size, production, and climate. Three of the farms were
mainly vineyards, and the fourth farm was mainly a lemon orchard, though the four farms
all had other produce, varying from small vegetable gardens, to different nut trees and
animals. Two of the farms were located in Sicily, where many organic farms exist, one
was located in the Northern Piemonte region, and another was located in Campania.
Through our travels, we assessed the sustainability of each farm based on our own
observations and some conversation with the farmers, though the language barrier made
it difficult to have an in-depth conversation about specific practices and procedures. Our
observations were based on the characteristics of sustainable agriculture, such as
conservation and preservation of the land, biodiversity (different plants and animals
raised), animal welfare, whether or not the farm was economically viable, and whether or
not the farm was socially just (“Sustainable Table”, 2010). The list of things that we
[This paragraph
explains the
“methods” we
used to determine
the sustainability
of each farm]
looked for specifically were how long they had been certified organic, whether pesticides
were used, if permaculture was employed, how much energy was needed to run the farm,
where products were exported to, how waste was dealt with, scale of self sufficiency, and
the tools and technology that were used.
The first farm we ventured to was located in Canale, Italy. It was a 13-hectare
vineyard with hazelnut and peach orchards. This vineyard has received a Tre Bicchiere
award from Gambero Rosso (an Italian wine and food magazine) and various awards
from Slow Food. We met our host Pino there, upon getting off the bus, and went home to
his apartment. He did not live at the vineyard but we were able to walk to work from his
apartment. The name of the vineyard was Cascina Ca’Rossa and it has been certified
organic since 2009. To keep pests away the vineyard uses a mineral based compound
called copper sulfate, which is considered an organically certified pesticide in the E.U.
The rapid increase of pesticides in agriculture took off after World War II with the
development of organic insecticides (containing carbon). These organic chemicals, with
varying degrees of toxicity and
persistence, are either
synthetic (of human
manufacture) or botanical
(derived from plants). Ease
of application, effectiveness
in small doses, low cost,
and toxicity gave chemical
insecticides the appearance
of a panacea. They became,
as the entomologist Paul
DeBach described them,
ecological narcotics (Smith
& Smith, 2000). Copper
Sulfate happens to be a
synthetic organic chemical
that has been deemed usable by organic standards. The hills of the vineyard are designed
to be harmonious with the region’s landscape. Rather than creating a flat surface for the
production of grapes Cascina Ca’Rossa takes full advantage of the hills in the Piemonte
region and grows a great variety of grapes that allow for unique tastes in their wines. The
use of energy is not comparable to the other farms that we worked at. Cascina Ca’Rossa
was very interested in a large production of wine so they could export to California and
New York. Their bottling facilities and wine cellar were larger scale in comparison to the
other places we worked at. However, we did live in a small, efficient apartment with
Pino. In general throughout our trip we also took less showers and did less clothes
washing than our normal routines in the U.S. would have permitted us to. Compost was
used to feed the chickens and rabbits that were kept for family use. Although Cascina
Ca’Rossa exports to California and New York, they get a lot of local business as well.
Keeping the wine local rather than shipping it also means that sulfites are not needed.
This vineyard is not very self-sufficient because besides the chickens, rabbits, peach and
hazelnut trees all food is purchased at markets in town which are in walking distance. All
of the field work (harvesting,
pruning, etc.) is done manually,
which may be because of the
steepness of the hills. The owner of
the vineyard is Angelo and in his
brochures he states the vineyard
practices respect for the land and
the local traditions. The garbage
and recyclables are brought to a
facility in town that manages waste.
Because Cascina Ca’Rossa had the highest production in comparison to the other farms
their waste and water usage was definitely the highest.
In Monte Falcione, Italy we encountered Rosa. Her vineyards and practices have
been certified organic since 1985. She was the first in the Campania region to have an
organic system. Her property is 30 hectares of land and includes three different orchards
and other pieces of land with fruit/nut trees and vegetable gardens.
Her use of pest
management is non-existent
and she could confirm that
this was true by showing us
the birds’ nests that would
grow in the vines of her
vineyards saying, “you can
only find a bird’s nest if it is
organic”. Rosa utilized the
land to its fullest and
worked in accordance with
the land. She states that, “you are able to taste the quality and vital forces that are not
destroyed by the industrial procedure” when talking about her products. The use of
energy was very low. The house heat and hot water ran off of the fireplace. Once the
fireplace warmed up to 60 degrees Celsius, the heat and hot water would turn on. The
matter burned in the wood stove was gathered from her properties, whether it be wood,
vines, etc. We would boil hot water before bed and then pour it into hot water bags that
we would place at the foot of our beds for warmth. For cooking there was natural gas that
connected to the stove. Rosa milled her
grains by hand. Every Sunday she
would sell her products at a market in
Naples- nuts, carob, olives, chestnuts,
hazelnuts, olive oil, wheat, grain, bay
leaves, barley coffee, and wine. All of
the waste was either composted or
burned in the fire. Some things that
were burned (i.e. plastic food
wrappers) by Rosa seemed like not
such a great idea to us but that was how
she did it. Some of the compost was
fed to the chickens and recyclables
were brought to bins that were found in random places along the streets of town. Rosa
was very self-sufficient she had all of the market products mentioned above, a vegetable
garden in the summer, chicken eggs, canned goods made at home, locally bought milk
and cheese, that all allowed her to live a vegetarian lifestyle. All of the work done on her
properties was done manually. For water, Rosa had a well. One downfall was that Rosa
had to drive a lot to get places. Into town for anything, to some of her properties, and to
her teaching room-where she taught cooking classes and had demos.
The third farm that we visited, Tudia, was what we considered the third most
sustainable of the four. Feudo Tudia was located in the center of Sicily, and closest to the
small town of Resuttano. The
farm was actually considered an
agroturismo, where people
would go to stay and be
exposed to local wine and food
produced in the area. The
property was actually an old
feudal estate, and one of the
sons returned to run the farm.
The farm was two-hundred-fifty
hectares, by far the largest farm we worked on, which may explain why it was less
sustainable. The crops grown were olives, peaches, pistachios, oranges, and there were
plans for a future WWOOFer project of constructing a vegetable garden in the summer.
Feudo Tudia is an organic farm, though it does use copper sulfate. Permaculture is
also evident here, due to our observations of cows roaming around and grazing on the
hills. At UVM there is a faculty led study abroad class called Agroecology and
Agroforestry Practicum in Nicaragua led by Chris Shanks. The students focus on learning
the systems used on the site of Project Bona Fide. There is a big focus on permaculture
there and this is how they describe it:
Comment: These paragraphs discuss the
second farm, and why it is sustainable
“Permaculture is a
design system for
creating
sustainable human
ecologies. The
word itself is a
contraction not
only of permanent
agriculture but also
of permanent
culture, as cultures
cannot survive long
without a regenerative agricultural base and land use ethic. The aims of
Permaculture are to create systems that are ecologically-sound and economically
viable, which provide for their own needs, do not exploit or pollute, and therefore
are sustainable or even regenrative in the long term. Project Bona Fide practices
many different types of agro-forestry. Plantings of fruit, nut, and multi-use trees
on contour are spaced so that "alleyways" are left for the inclusion of annual crops
like cereal grains and annual legumes. Alley farming allows for multiple yields of
tree and annual crops throughout the year. The use of vertical space is optimized
when this type of poly-culture is employed” (Project Bona Fide, 2009).
The land was very hilly and had a somewhat steep terrain, however, all of the crops were
planted on these hills without alteration of the natural landscape. Though, with so much
land, there was a greater need for more tools and technology. Machines did most of the
work done in the fields, and only some activities like pruning, were best done manually.
The farm manager, Niccola, also got around the farm via ATV due to its large size, and
the WWOOFers were allowed to drive the SUV around the property. Thus, there was a
great amount of energy used. The washing machine was almost always on, cleaning lots
of laundry from the agroturismo, and was always on the heavy-duty 3-hour setting to get
the stains out of the tablecloths. Though, there was no dryer, and laundry was either dried
on lines outside or in inclement weather, on lines in the meditation room. There was also
lots of energy required to keep the swimming pool open, as well as operate the
commercial kitchen, and keep electricity on in the massive estate. Outside the
“WWOOFer house”, there was a wooden pizza oven that we made pretty good use of. In
terms of food and production, the farm wasn’t very self-sufficient. Lots of food had to be
purchased in order to keep the kitchen stocked and the restaurant up and running,
however, there were various canned sauces that the chef, Rita prepared to have for the
winter months. There were always lots of olives and olive oil to cook with as well as
assorted nuts, which were prevalent in the pastas. It seems like there was the most waste
created at this farm simply because of its size, and commercial kitchen. However, food
scraps were fed to the dogs, and anything they wouldn’t eat would be composted. In
terms of exports, most of the produce from the farm was consumed by the agroturismo,
however there were times when wine was sold to local liquor stores. The biggest problem
with Tudia was the immense size of the property, and thus, the great need for energy led
them to be quite an unsustainable operation in comparison to the other farms we visited.
The fourth and final farm, Azienda Agricola Bonfanti Guiseppe, we determined to
practice the most
sustainable operations.
The farm was located on
the coast of Sicily, near
the ancient town of Noto.
The farm was a
reasonable size of thirtyfive hectares, most of
which was a lemon
orchard, though there
were also olive trees,
almond trees, carob trees,
a small vegetable garden, bees, and some chickens and roosters.
Peppe’s farm is certified organic, and has been for over twelve years. When we talked to
him about whether or not he uses pesticides, he responded that he never had, and he
[Use of excerpts and in
text citation from written
materials from the farms]
actually got into an argument with an organic consultant about not using copper sulfate,
which the consultant recommended. Peppe employs permaculture, which allows him to
use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to deal with pest issues. “Integrated Pest
Management is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management
that relies on a combination of common-sense
practices. IPM programs use current,
comprehensive information on the life cycles
of pests and their interaction with the
environment. This information, in combination
with available pest control methods, is used to
manage pest damage by the most economical
means, and with the least possible hazard to
people, property, and the environment” (U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 2009). His lemon orchards are surrounded with forests
and land suitable for habitats for animals, keeping them out of the fields. However, Peppe
began to see some changes in the equilibrium when his neighbor clear-cut some woods
bordering his property, which has taken away many habitats. Peppe also tills the land
himself, with an ancient tractor, which is also used to collect the boxes of lemons at the
end of the day. Because the property was smaller, there was less
of a need for excessive energy use. Peppe also increased the
success and taste of his fruits through grafting. He explained that
grafting was necessary in order to take a tree with sour or bad
tasting fruit and attach a branch from a sweet fruit tree. Peppe
lived in a very modest home, with a wood stove for cooking, and
heat and only a small refrigerator. We always cooked meals in
the wood stove, and often baked bread and pizza in the wood
oven outside. Stray wood found on the property was used to fuel
these fires. The WWOOFers lived in the “lemon shed” that also
had a wood stove for use on cooler nights. Peppe was also very
energy cautious. One night we accidentally left a light on and he
was quite upset. The water that was for drinking was collected at
[Description of the final and
most sustainable farm visited.
Use of in text citations from
own research]
his family’s house in town. The other water used in the house was actually rainwater that
was collected in tanks to be used for non-potable needs, such as showering, flushing the
toilet or doing dishes. In terms of self-sufficiency, Peppe utilized the land well. Because
his land wasn’t used to produce wine like most of the other vineyards, it was more
focused on food. He had vegetables from his small garden, fruit, chicken, fresh eggs, wild
plants such as asparagus, olives, carobs, almonds, figs, and canned foods for the winter,
such as sun dried tomatoes. Peppe also had a great knowledge of his land, and was able to
utilize plants in many ways. One day in the fields there were lots of mosquitoes, so Peppe
scavenged in the woods for a minute, came back with a plant to rub over our clothing,
and built a smoky fire to battle back. He also made a salve out of a certain plant for joint
and muscle aches and pains. However, Peppe did have some international exports,
specifically, his lemons. Because there were so many lemon orchards in Sicily, they had
to be exported further to Germany, where the demand was greater. Lastly, there was little
waste produced here. Food scraps would either be fed to the dogs or composted. Other
garbage and recycling was taken into town. Peppe’s farm was quite sustainable and he
did a great job teaching us how to live a modest, sustainable life.
The E.U. requires that organic production must respect natural systems and
cycles. Sustainable production should be achieved insofar as possible with the help of
biological and mechanical production processes, through land-related production and
without the use genetically modified organisms (Legislation of Organic Farming, 2007).
Throughout our journey, we found that we were participating in sustainable agricultural
practices and also sustainable lifestyles. While we determined that Peppe’s farm was the
most sustainable, this is not to say the other farms were far behind.
[The conclusion provides
a definition of sustainable
farming practices as a
wrap up, and reiterates
that Peppe’s farm was the
most sustainable. While
brief and clear, the
conclusion could have
perhaps been a bit
stronger]
Literature Cited
Greene, C, & Slattery, E. (2010, September 14). Organic
production. Retrieved from
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/Organic/
Legislation of Organic Farming. (2007). European commission.
Retrieved September 19, 2010, from
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/eupolicy/legislation_en
Pinton, R. (2007). Organic farming in italy 2007. Retrieved
from http://www.organiceurope.net/country_reports/italy/default.asp#60
Project bona fide. (2009). Retrieved from
http://www.projectbonafide.com/permaculture.html
Smith, R.L., & Smith, T.M. (2000). Elements of Ecology, 4th
edition. San Francisco, CA: Benjamin/Cummings Science
Publishing.
Sustainable table. (2010). Retrieved from
http://www.sustainabletable.org/intro/whatis/
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2009, September 10).
Integrated pest management principles. Retrieved from
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/ipm.htm
Willer, H. (2010, August 8). Organic farming statistics.
Retrieved from http://www.fibl.org/en/themen/themenstatistiken.html
[APA Style]