La tendenza verso il vegetarismo ed il ritorno alla vita naturale forniscono input alla Comunità Europea a muoversi verso l’agricoltura biologica
Mentre da un lato l’agroindustria preme per l’introduzione di ulteriori immissioni OGM (anche nel mercato del biologico), alcuni settori della società civile stanno spingendo per rinforzare la piccola produzione agricola organica e per incentivare la ripopolazione di aree rurali non soggette a coltivazioni estensive. Anche in Italia il ritorno alla campagna e il tentivo di autoproduzione ed autonomia alimentare portata avanti da diversi gruppi di carattere bioregionale (vedi gli esperimenti in corso presso i membri della Rete Bioregionale Italiana e degli Ecovillaggi) trova il favore di vari ambiti ecologisti in università e pensatoi d’Europa.
Il fatto è che per soddisfare la richiesta di cibo biologico, sempre più in crescita, è necessario che le tecniche organiche innovative, riconosciute come valide dalla Comunità Europea, siano adottate anche nei settori agricoli tradizionali ed in estensioni agricole facilitate ad una alta produzione. Il che significa che ampie aree attualmente utilizzate per l’agricoltura industriale dovrebbero pian piano essere riconvertite e recuperate per la produzione organico biologica.
Ovviamente questa spinta verso il biologico è anche incentivata dal numero sempre più alto di vegetariani naturisti che chiedono maggiore disponibilità sul mercato di prodotti biologici. Vegetarismo e diete naturali vanno infatti di pari passo.
Il movimento ecologista e bioregionale in qualche modo è riuscito ad influenzare gli indirizzi comunitari, ecco qui di seguito infatti il comunicato rilasciato recentemente dalla C.E. su questo tema:
“Brussels. EU and global agriculture face major challenges like climate change, loss of biodiversity, food security and depopulation of rural areas. The research Technology Platform ‘Organics’ (1), which was launched on 2/12.2008 with a public presentation at the permanent representation of the Czech Republic in Brussels, outlines in its first major publication – the Organic Research Vision 2025 (2), the numerous ways in which organic food production can significantly contribute to solving these problems.
The Vice Minister of the Czech Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Jiri Urban, expressed in an opening greeting the support of his ministry for the Platform. TP ‘Organics’ is also being supported by a growing number of organisations representing the industry, the research community and the civil society.
“Organic research has an incredible potential to develop new innovative social, ecological and economic concepts related to sustainable food production”, says Nic Lampkin from the University of Aberystwyth. “We are increasingly aware that environment and ecosystems are limiting factors for the growth; but TP ‘Organics’ shows that they are also a source of inspiration and innovative solutions for EU agriculture”, highlights Anamarija Slabe, EEB Vice President. “Organic was always forced to be very innovative to find new creative techniques and approaches as the measures and inputs allowed in organic are very restricted”, says Alex Beck from the German association of organic industry.
“EU should lose no time and use the tool of the 7th EU Research Framework programme to boost organic research”, urges Marco Schlüter, director of the IFOAM EU Group, “The EU can’t allow missing this chance to foster innovations and economic development in line with the need of society for sustainable solutions. Sufficient efforts in organic research are of outmost importance to secure future potentials.”
The Technology Platform ‘Organics’ brings together the organic sector, research community and civil society to identify research needs and priorities and to enhance the development of organic food production and with this its benefits for the society. It follows the model of so called technology platforms acknowledged by the EU. The strong involvement of civil society makes TP ‘Organics’ unique.
“Civil society wants to be involved in research policy, because the budgets and priorities set for research today largely define how society will look like in 20 years – it is not the competitiveness of a given industrial sector alone that matters!”, thinks Eric Gall from the Fondation Sciences Citoyennes. “Consumers increasingly choose foods which satisfy high quality, environmental and social standards. These added values are part of the organic food ethics and praxis. And the EU consumers widely recognise that”, says Rosita Zilli from Eurocoop.
Organic markets also offer huge opportunities for farmers and industry in the EU. The market for organic products in the EU, increasing over the last decades, has reached now almost 16 billion Euros – that is more than half of organic global food sales. “Through its dynamic development organic delivered a lot of new work places”, explains Arnd Spahn, EFFAT. “Therefore organic is for me best choice in creating new green jobs in particular in the rural areas.”
“Europe’s young farmers are ready for these new approaches to agriculture and only waiting for clear signals from the research and development sector to invest”, adds Giacomo Ballari, president of CEJA, “New concepts are crucial for the empowerment of rural areas and for keeping these regions alive. Investing in organic innovation has the advantage that its outcomes can be used by every farmer, also the conventional one, which is not true the other way around.”
Rinnoviamo l’invito a partecipare allla Passeggiata ecologica del 27 dicembre 2008 prevista a Roma, partenza da Piazza del Popolo, Via del Corso, sino al Parlamento, per promuovere una maggiore sensibilità alimentare e chiedere che gli appezzamenti agricoli d’Italia ed in particolare del Lazio siano dichiarati: “Aree OGM FREE”.
Per adesioni e partecipazioni:
Paolo D’Arpini
Tel. 0761-587200
email: circolo.vegetariano@libero.it
