Brussels, 17/02/2009 (Agence Europe) - The own-initiative report by Vincenzo Aita (GUE/NGL, Italy) was adopted on Tuesday 17 February during the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee and proposes a European restoration, protection and bonus strategy for land.
Mr Aita's report on, “the challenge to the European Union posed by environmental damage to agricultural land, particularly in southern Europe” requires the introduction into the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of instruments for combating climate change, soil degradation and particularly the creation of a specific fund.
MEPs are proposing a variety of measures to improve irrigation systems and extinguishing fires, promoting reforestation and encouraging the practice of crops that are better adapted to local environments, particularly: the adoption of sustainable water management plans; improvement of drainage systems and water retention, including, “hill-side lakes” managed by cooperatives and the setting up and maintaining of terracing; tree replanting in marginal agricultural or polluted land, particularly with Mediterranean bush species that are highly fire resistant and adapted to fighting erosion, as well as other varieties that require little irrigation; optimum use of cultivation techniques adapted to arid land (low number of workers, crop rotations, environmentally adapted crops, evaporation control, targeted fertilisation etc); conservation programmes and development of phyto-genetic resources; Community drought observatory; “Green Certifications for farmers who help improve the environment. (L.C./trans/rh)