Introduction of new oLIVE crop management
With the contribution of the LIFE + financial instrument of the European Union
OiLCA-Enhancing the competitiveness and reducing the carbon footprint of the olive oil sector through waste management optimisation and the establishment of an ecological label
OiLCA is an international project funded by the Interreg IVB SUDOE communitarian initiative. It aims to improve the competitiveness of the olive sector in the south-western Europe region, which includes Spain, Portugal and the South of France, by reducing the environmental impact of olive oil production through the application of the eco-efficiency principle. The goals of the project have been the development of an environmental management computer tool to calculate the carbon footprint of olive oil production and the creation of an environmental label for olive oil to communicate to the consumer the efforts of the sector to protect the environment and limit climate change. The sustainable dimension induced by these goals will help in climate change mitigation in olive sector.
Contact person : Carmen Capiscol, ccapiscol@citoliva.es, CITOLIVA-Technological Centre for Olive Farming and Olive Oil
Project website : www.oilca.eu/en
AgriClimateChange – Combating climate change through farming (LIFE+09 ENV/ES/000441)
The main objective of the project is to determine and support farming activities that contribute to combating climate change. A new software (ACCT) was created and used in more than 120 farms in four countries of the European Union (France, Germany, Italy and Spain). This tool allows assessing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Based on the assessments, the experts have created Action Plans with specific measures for each farm to reduce consumption and emissions. The farms have been assessed annually in order to test the efficacy of the proposed measures and, according to the results, the Action Plans have been also revised every year. In the light of the reductions achieved in all the farms the AgriClimateChange partners have created a list of the most effective agricultural measures to promote a low-carbon farming sector. These Global Proposals are intended to serve as a basis for EU, national and regional policy measures, especially in the context of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Contact person:Blanca Hurtado (bhurtado@fundacionglobalnature.org), Fundación Global Nature
Project website: http://www.agriclimatechange.eu/
Project_Leaflet 100912
IPNOA – Improved Flux Prototypes for N2O emission reduction from Agriculture (LIFE11 ENV/IT/302)
IPNOA Project is a European project aiming to improve the monitoring of nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture and to promote the best management practices in order to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in Tuscany. The expected outcomes are the following
1. Development of an automatic station for continuous monitoring of soil N2O, CO2 and CH4 emissions and of a transportable instrument for assessing the spatial variability of the soil GHG emissions.
2. Instrument validation through the comparison of the measured data with those obtained using high-sensitivity instruments at the INRA.
3. Production of two-year data on N2O, CO2, and CH4 emissions on the main crop in Tuscany.
4. Manual of the BMPs for the reduction of the agricultural N2O emissions in Tuscany, addressed to technicians, farmers and decision-makers.
5. Analysis of regional-scale scenarios in order to identify the most effective actions for reducing N2O emissions.
Contact person: Giorgio Virgili (IPNOA Project Coordinator), info@ipnoa.eu, g.virgili@westsystems.com
Project website: www.ipnoa.eu
CONDENSE – The Condense Managing System: Production of Novel Fertilizers from Manure and Olive Mills Wastewater ( LIFE10ENV/GR/596 )
Duration: 01/09/2011 – 30/6/2015
Location of the Pilot Unit: Region of Western Greece – Regional Unit of Ilia
Aim: The demonstration of a Manure and Olive Mill Wastewater Management System which transforms these wastes into a nutrient rich end product (high concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) that can be safely used in agriculture and horticulture instead of the use of chemical fertilization.
Contact person: Aggelos Niarhos, niarhos@aepde.gr
Website: www.life-condense.eu
AGROSCENARI
Duration: 2009-2011
It is an Italian national project funded by the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies (MIPAAF). The project has examined and identified options for adaptation to climate change of the main Italian agricultural production systems. Environmental and socio-economic sustainability, and the decreasing availability of water resources have been accounted for. The research of CNR-ISAFOM in AGROSCENARI has aimed at determining the adaptability to future climate of crop production systems by evaluating the intra-specific biodiversity. To this purpose, we have developed and applied a new approach to:
i) evaluate indicators of expected thermal and hydrologic conditions within different study areas, each representative of a production system;
ii) identify the thermal and hydrologic conditions required for the optimal growth of a set of cultivars relevant to the production system under consideration, i.e. cv.-specific climatic requirements;
iii) identify as options for adaptation the cultivars for which expected climate conditions match the climatic requirements.
By means of this approach we have evaluated options for adaptation of crops and areas which are representative of the most important Italian agricultural systems. Case studies have been carried out in i) a hilly area in southern Italy, dominated by vineyards and olive orchards, with a significant presence of durum wheat; ii) an irrigated district in southern Italy where maize and horticultural crops are grown; iii) an irrigated area of the Po valley where fruit crops are intensively grown.
The need to expand the data base of quantitative climatic requirements of cultivars should be considered as priority for the future research on crop adaptation.
Website of organisation: www.isafom.cnr.it
LIFE CLIMATREE (LIFE14 CCM/GR/000635) – A novel approach for accounting & monitoring carbon sequestration of tree crops and their potential as carbon sink areas
The ClimaTree project aims to contribute towards the development of a novel methodology and an innovative tool for the quantification of carbon storage in permanent tree-crops. The European Parliament and the Council have invited the Commission to assess the possibilities for inclusion of LULUCF into the EU’s climate policy and if necessary put forward a legislative proposal (Article 9 of Decision 406/2009/EC).
The primary objectives of ClimaTree are:
a) to improve and update the estimated carbon sink accounting within EU through the inclusion of the calculated tree-crop capacity (CO2 t/y).
b) to estimate the socioeconomic benefit of tree crops’ carbon storage and to evaluate the economic dimensions under different climatic and economic scenarios.
c) to improve the design and efficacy of Union environmental and climate policy and legislation.
d) to act as a catalyst for, and promote, the integration and mainstreaming of carbon sink objective into Agricultural Sector and its Stakeholders and Decision makers
e) to provide a more accurate and increased baseline for carbon sink, and to improve this way the knowledge base for the monitoring and evaluation of effective climate change mitigation actions and measures.
Website: www.lifeclimatree.eu
LIFE ADAPT2CLIMA – Adaptation to Climate change Impacts on the Mediterranean islands’ Agriculture
The overall aim of the LIFE ADAPT2CLIMA project is to increase knowledge on the vulnerability of EU Mediterranean agriculture to climate change and to support decision making for adaptation planning.
The project implementation area comprises of three of the largest islands of the Mediterranean Europe, the islands of Crete (Greece), Sicily (Italy) and Cyprus.
The project initiated in October 2015 and has a duration of 43 months.
Website: adapt2clima.eu
ADVICLIM – Adaptation of viticulture to climate change
In the current context of climate change, the wine industry is facing multiple challenges, including adapting its practices and reducing greenhouse gas emissions related to its activities.
In response to these challenges, recognising the need to assess climate and its impact on viticulture at the vineyard scale, the LIFE-ADVICLIM project aims to study climate change adaptation and mitigation scenarios for a range of vineyards which represent the climatic diversity of European wine regions.
The LIFE-ADVICLIM project will develop climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies which can be adapted to European wine regions, and demonstrate their application at the vineyard scale. The project’s measurement network and web platform will enable wine producers to assess the impacts of climate change on their plots, simulate adaptation scenarios, and measure the greenhouse gas emissions related to their practices. These technologies are being tested on demonstration sites in five European vineyards regions: Cotnari, Rheingau, Bordeaux, Sussex and Val de Loire, thanks to funding from the European Life programme.
Website: www.adviclim.eu
ECO2LIO (RDP) project Umbria region – Italy
A multidisciplinary study has been performed about the carbon footprint of extra virgin olive oil in Italy, aimed to promote process innovation by implementing eco-friendly techniques and technologies along a more sustainable production chain. Life Cycle Assessment approach was used to quantify the environmental impacts during the entire life cycle, starting from olive cultivation up to transformation processes and packaging. Energy and materials flows was monitored in each operation; the collected data were normalized on the basis of 1 liter of olive oil, chosen as functional unit. Forestry methodologies were applied to estimate the biomass and the respective carbon stocks in permanent and non-permanent components. Biological method of cultivation results in a lower carbon footprint if compared with the conventional one; therefore no-chemical fertilization and/or organic phytosanitary treatments were found as sustainable management options to decrease the environmental impact of olive oil. Added value of this study was coupling the resulting impacts with carbon sequestrations in order to estimate the net balance between the CO2eq emissions and absorptions; identify the break-even point, after which the amount of sequestered carbon exceeds the energy investments linked to human activities. The project gives important contributions towards the preliminary assessment of avoided CO2eq in agriculture.
Institution: Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Via Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy
Contact person: Prof. Primo Proietti, mail: primo.proietti@unipg.it
CARBOTREE – Climate change mitigation strategies in tree crops and forestry in Italy (PRIN Project Italy)
Our team has the goal to develop tree biomass productivity equations, to calculate IPCC indexes (such as biomass expansion factor BEF) and carbon sequestration in the first 30 years of olive tree cultivation, together with soil Carbon evolution in the studied olive groves.
Our project is carried out in three Italian regions on Leccino, one of the most cultivated olive cultivar in Umbria trained to “open vase system”. Basal Diameter (D), Diameter at 80 cm height, height (h) at the first main branches and Total h and Canopy Volume are measured. The total fresh weight, Volume, DM content are evaluated for: foliage and small branches, branches, commercial stem, and roots. BEF, root/shoot ratio and carbon content of the single tree and tree components are calculated.
The results are promising and are the basis to descrive olive groves as an important Carbon sink.
Institution: Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Via Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy
Contact person: Prof. Primo Proietti, mail: primo.proietti@unipg.it
Trees and Timber Institute (IVALSA) – National Research Council of Italy (CNR)
CNR-IVALSA is currently leading several national and international projects on plant responses to drought and salt stress in order to qualitatively and quantitatively improve plant productivity and water use efficiency.
Special focus:
Contact person: Mauro Centritto, mail: mauro.centritto@cnr.it
Website: www.ivalsa.cnr.it
LIFE VITISOM – VITiculture Innovative Soil Organic Matter management: variable-rate distribution system and monitoring of impacts
The objective of the VITISOM LIFE project is to introduce an innovative organic fertilisation system as a strategy to enhance vineyard soil protection, in relation to the EU Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection. The project aims to support sustainable soil management in the viticulture sector, through the development of a “Variable-rate technology” for organic fertilisation in vineyards. While it is already used for field crop management, the innovation consists in applying it to viticulture and in using organic fertilisers instead of chemical ones, so encouraging the diffusion of organic farming. The project also aims to provide cost-effective solutions for the improvement of existing viticulture practices in order to promote the conservation of the environmental functions of soils. Its methodology supports the transition to a more sustainable farming, as well as the prevention of soil erosion and organic matter decline in the viticulture sector. The project has relevant synergies with other EU policies, in particular the EU Rural Development Policy, the EU Cohesion Policy, the ERDF – Regional Operational Programmes, and the Rural Development Programmes of the four Italian regions involved.
Contact person: Isabella Ghiglieno, isabella.ghiglieno@unimi.it, Università degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali – Produzione, Territorio, Agroenergia
Project website: http://en.lifevitisom.com/
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