Introduction to the challenge addressed The Rural Development Program (RDP) is the implementation tool of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development through which the Veneto Region supports interventions for the development of the territory, according to the aims of European Union policies and the needs of the regional context. The RDP for Veneto 2014-2020 was approved by European Commission and contributes, together with the other European Structural and Investment Funds, to the achievement of the priorities of the "Europe 2020" strategy, within the framework of the Partnership Agreement between the Italian State and the European Union. The Program is structured through 19 interventions and one in specific, n.10, is dedicated to “agro-climatic environmental subsidies”. The opportunity to ensure an adequate income to the agricultural enterprise has generated a progressive reduction in the diversification of production guidelines, with substantial intensification of the exploitation of agricultural land. Hence the need to propose production methods more oriented to the preservation of the primary resource soil. In this sense are promoted cultivation techniques with reduced intensity and low impact on cultivated land, aimed at reducing the pressure of use of machinery on the ground, which are flanked by actions to support organic production systems, conservation agriculture and reduced impact. Support is given to the conservation and active management of meadows and pastures, the recovery of abandoned marginal areas, the use of organic fertilizers in order to limit the impoverishment of fertility, non-productive investments aimed at the recovery of open spaces and the restoration of the historical-agricultural landscape of mountains and hills as well as farms operating in disadvantaged mountain areas. The Program is dedicated to farmers of the Veneto Region, although every region makes their own plans tailored on the land requirements. In the case of this Good Practice the measures of the Program are applied by beef producers which can chose a practice that can be applied to their farm land. |
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Description of Innovation The Veneto Region RDP Intervention n. 10 contains a number of practices addressed to the respect of the environment status or to improve it. The practices are: 1 agronomic techniques with reduced environmental impact, 2 environmental optimization of agronomic and irrigation techniques, 3 active management of green infrastructure, 4 Sustainable management of meadows, semi-natural meadows, pastures and grasslands, 5 improving the quality of agricultural soils and reducing climate-changing emissions, 6 protection and increase of semi-natural habitats, 7 biodiversity - breeders and cultivators guardian farmers, 8 interventions for the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources in agriculture. The benefits to the farmers first of all come from the subsidies that are given them by the Region Payments Agency (AVEPA), balanced on the type of practice applied and the risk and challenges for the introduction of a different technique or management. Other benefits are related to the innovations applied, which can be a better landscape, more biodiversity, improved opinion of consumers. On the other side most of the measures foster the use of land not for production but to be left aside or dedicated to add and maintain plants important for the environment but unusefull for the economic balance of the farm. Also some interventions require a lot of labour work for maintenance. |
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Impact on farm performance In general the measures of the Progrtam involve a commitment by the farmer to change an usual practice, to buy tools or machines or structures, to leave land uncultivated or to plant crops or threes with no utility to the farm focus production, and all these aspects involve new expenses and labour time. However the subsidies always cover the investments and most of the times the amounts obtained are higher than the expenses. |
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Audio-visual material
The logo of the Veneto Region Rural Development Program
Veneto Region is a territory in which many rural activities are concentrated and there’s the need for programs dedicated to production with respect of the environment. |
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Farmer comment (for Good Practices
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Further information
https://psrveneto.it/misure/misura-10-pagamenti-agro-climatico-ambientali/ |
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