(Agen Food) – Aosta, 19 April. – Of Olga Iembo – Everyone knows the enormous tourist vocation of Valle D’Aosta, the smallest region in Italy. But its enchanting territory perched on the mountains represents a heritage of natural resources on which agro-pastoral activities are based which are part of its DNA and which are managed with the care due to such a precious treasure, according to what emerges from the story of Marco Carrel, Councilor for Agriculture and Natural Resources of the autonomous region.
Just over thirty years old, and therefore the youngest member of the Council, but with very clear ideas and intentions, Carrel explained to Agen Food the good practices followed in the region, inspired by the principle that it is precisely young people who wish to focus on agriculture that must be invested in, also enhancing the territory and the natural resources themselves.
Councilor, recently the Ministry of Agriculture, accepting your request, authorized the planting of 30 hectares of new vineyards in the Aosta Valley. You defined it as “a sector in full expansion”, highlighting “the contribution of heroic viticulture to the protection and valorization of difficult territories”…
“Yes, I am very satisfied with this result, achieved after a detailed collaborative work that I started with the other Regions, in particular with those which, like the Aosta Valley, are characterized by heroic viticulture, practiced in the mountains or on steeply sloping terrain. For us the value of this achievement is twofold. First of all, we managed to respond to the requests of Aosta Valley winemakers. The quality and diversification of wine production have grown significantly in recent years, as has the attention of consumers and the interest of tourists who stay in our region. Added to this was the need to facilitate generational turnover and to offer young people the opportunity to invest and grow in this sector. All aspects that called for an expansion of the vineyard areas. But there is another equally important consideration, of an environmental and social nature. For us, the cultivation of vines also means protection of the territory: the winemakers ensure the protection and care of the environment, contribute to the fight against hydrogeological instability, a phenomenon which is unfortunately increasingly frequent due to climate change, and offer an indispensable contribution to combating the abandonment and depopulation of the mountains”.
Agriculture, livestock farming and the impact on greenhouse gas emissions, a topic certainly at the center of the debate in the sector and the attention of the European Union. What is the situation in Valle d’Aosta and the commitment of the institutions in this regard?
“The farming model practiced in Valle d’Aosta is an example of perfect integration between man, animals and the environment, a system where economic development, production of good and healthy food, protection of natural resources and genetic varieties coexist. Ours is an extensive type of animal husbandry, where the management system is still the traditional one: it favors the well-being of the animals, enhances the native breeds, feeding is done with local fodder and the practice of summer mountaineering in mountain pastures continues, in uncontaminated environments. . I am pleased to point out that the Aosta Valley, together with the autonomous province of Bolzano, is the only region not vulnerable to nitrates of zootechnical origin: this means that the impact of animal waste is below the attention limits set by the regulations. Added to this is the fact that our region’s participation in co-financed agri-environmental practices is among the highest in Italy, given that the resources allocated to these interventions exceed the minimum set quota of 57% of the total financial plan. All this allows us to affirm that breeding is an important ally for us to support environmental and food challenges and I would like to remind consumers that our milk and meat production, present on the market, are safe and controlled foods, coming from a sustainable and completely GMO-free supply chain.”
Another dominant theme is that of the scarcity of water resources. 2022 was a year marked by drought. How to deal with this serious problem?
“2022 was a year heavily marked by drought, but forecasts highlight that this scenario will be increasingly frequent in the future. This requires the urgent adoption of climate change adaptation measures and careful management of water resources. These are objectives that must be pursued in the short, medium and long term, with a concrete approach. On the one hand, therefore, we work to make the current water system more efficient, reducing losses and improving collection systems. On the other hand, we are planning to strengthen new supply sources and build new storage basins. In all of this, it is crucial to support the work of the land improvement consortia present in the region. For this reason, we have already intervened to change the criteria for granting the aid intended for them, to encourage the implementation of urgent extraordinary maintenance interventions. The maximum expenditure eligible for contribution for the renovation and construction from scratch of irrigation infrastructures has been increased, including accumulation structures and the installation of new technologies. Furthermore, at a regulatory level, we have modified the regional law of reference for the agricultural sector, introducing the possibility of financing, for local consortia, the project costs for the construction of works that will be able to access the incentives implemented at a national level”.
With law 194 of 1 December 2015, the Italian Government established the principles for the establishment of a national system for the protection and valorisation of biodiversity of agricultural and food interest. What is Valle d’Aosta doing?
“The topic of biodiversity is particularly close to my heart and this year we plan to implement the national legislation with a regional bill, on which we are working, and aimed at promoting and safeguarding ecosystems, agricultural varieties and local breeds. However, I would like to say that many of our Department’s activities are already moving in this direction. I am thinking for example of the interventions of CSR 23/27, and before PSR 14/22, which promote the conservation of traditional farming systems, which preserve meadows and permanent pastures as main biodiversity resources, but also of the tender for the reconstruction of dry stone walls and the contributions we provide for livestock shows and genetic competitions. We are also paying close attention to beekeeping, promoting financing tools for the sector and intensifying valorization initiatives, as we believe it represents a key sector for our agricultural heritage. I am also strongly convinced that in this particular historical context it is of fundamental importance to teach our children a sustainable model of agriculture and for this reason I have asked the offices to intensify teaching activities in schools and in our agricultural demonstration center in Saint-Marcel, where we raise awareness among pupils and school groups about healthy and conscious eating. Finally, when we talk about local and traditional productions, I think of the commitment we are dedicating to the defense of our quality productions, with a multiplicity of promotional activities that involve the basket of all local products and by supporting initiatives with non-repayable contributions. organized by local authorities, pro loco and other associations, which enhance the agricultural sector and rural culture”.
We are talking about two pressing issues: technological innovation and generational change. With respect to the first, the Government of the Aosta Valley has just approved the establishment of the regional committee for coordinating the system for knowledge and innovation in agriculture. What other strategies, initiatives and innovations are planned for the future?
“We are working assiduously on the new initiatives contained in the AKIS system of CSR 23/27, aimed at supporting training, research and innovation, which represent crucial topics for the future of the agricultural sector, especially in a marginal region like the Valle of Aosta. The theme of generational turnover has long been at the center of our action, focused on those young people who look to agriculture for their life plans or who want to resume the family business. I believe that an attractive aspect of our agriculture lies precisely in the profound link between ancestral savoir-faire, the safeguarding of natural resources, the protection of biodiversity and the contribution that research and innovation offer to the modernization and competitiveness of our companies agricultural. Furthermore, agricultural activity increasingly interacts with the tourism sector, to which it contributes by offering authenticity, knowledge of the territory and links with traditions. There are many young people who, alongside agricultural activity, invest in hospitality and visiting activities. This pleases us all the more as they are driven by a real attachment to the territory, by a desire to be actors in its valorization and an active part of real cultural and economic growth. The farmers of the future will not only be economic actors in this region, but also ambassadors of its peculiarities and its many potentials”.
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