The Emilia-Romagna Region has deployed resources for a new strategic project called “Protected Orchards”. Among the objectives for the next two years: create 1000 hectares of new protected orchards and protect 4000 hectares of existing orchards
The “Protected Orchards” project, presented by the Emilia-Romagna Region on 9 May 2024 on the occasion of Macfrut (Rimini), was born from the urgent need to support producers in the crisis that has affected the fruit growing sector, in an attempt to reverse the trend . As? Supporting the adoption of at least two orchard protection systems: cover networks or other defense systems.
In fact, starting from 2012, the surfaces intended for orchards have undergone a drastic, progressive decline, almost reaching reduction rates of 50%. Among the most marked are the areas dedicated to pear trees (-8179 ha) and peach trees (-5,526). This trend was a direct consequence of the climate change currently underway, which has led to an increase in extreme weather events, such as more concentrated intense rainfall alternating with periods of prolonged drought, rising temperatures, temperature changes, late frosts and an explosion of phytosanitary problems (bug Asian, fire blight, brown spotting).
Funds for roofing networks
Producers found themselves having to face a series of problems that were difficult to manage, sometimes unsustainable from a cost point of view, due to the difficulty in obtaining insurance coverage and the decline in the value of production.
In this context, the dramatic situation has stimulated the birth of a new “orchard” approach, with the activation of the main channels for allocating funds. Of the beyond 70 million of euros with which the plan has currently been endowed, 58 come from Rural Development and will flow into a series of regional tenders, including a tender to support flooded areas (30 million, with contributions at 60%), a tender support from other areas (15 million, again with contributions at 60%), and anti-frost tenders, with contributions at 70%.
Among the first objectivesthere is the aim of achieving, in two years (end 2025), to achieve 1000 hectares of new protected orchards, and protect 4000 hectares of orchards already existing.
To the project it is possible to join using at least two defense systems from adversity to choose between: innovative and sustainable irrigation system (e.g. automated irrigation lines, sensor systems), anti-hail protection, anti-frost defense, and multifunctional anti-insect network.
The allocation of resources was accompanied by a series of initiatives and activity complementary.
Credit access initiatives
One of the first important initiatives that accompanied the allocation of resources was that of access to income, illustrated by Mario Tamanti, Director of AOP Gruppo VI.VA Visione Valore. The main purpose of this project is to try to meet the need for company support inprocess of risk assessment and analysis, guaranteeing an overview of possible solutions, and delivering a real certification of the sustainability of the investment plan.
Income stabilization tools
The extremely critical context marked by climate change has increased the urgency of adopting tools that could guarantee producers an income. «Determinant, he underlines Lisa MartiniAOP FiNAF Director, it was the impact of the Asian bug that led, in 2020, to the birth of a mutual fund intended to compensate the income of producers of crops at risk (pears, peaches, apples) reduced due to damage/losses due to the increase in costs (+20%) and lower revenues (-40%). This tool represented, for those most affected, a means of survival and guaranteeing an income.”
Mechanization of cultivation operations
From orchard design to harvesting; squaring and staking, flower thinning, mowing and inter-row management, pruning, harvesting: everything can be mechanised.
Field experiences, illustrated by Matthias OnofriConserve Italia fruit manager, confirmed the possibility of mechanizing the orchards to obtain a savings in terms of costs and of time. One of the first projects, born at the end of 2014, saw the creation of two rows of apricot trees with a height of 2.4 meters from the ground on which the first tests were carried out in 2019 with a towed grape harvester for harvesting the fruit , which fully met the quality standards. Equally positive were the experiments conducted using a machine designed by Imeca on apricot (2022) and peach (2023), created for the harvesting of olives and almonds.
A positive balance is that of counting the hours saved thanks to mechanization: 8 hours per hectare, compared to the 282 hours per hectare necessary for traditional labor. The objectives for this 2024 are to test the machine on other crops, to take advantage of the significant savings, both economic and otherwise, that these advanced technologies guarantee.
The brand as a distinctive factor
Patrician Blacks, president of Jingold, one of the most important players worldwide in the kiwi supply chain, underlines the importance of the brand as a distinctive factor, in terms of quality, maintenance of production standards, and assurance to producers of support on practical agronomic aspects. In fact, it is not enough to have an excellent variety: in order to guarantee production to the market, and first of all to the producer, it is necessary to know the defense strategies and protect the plants. This is the spirit of Jingold, which has as its primary objective constant, tenacious support for its producers, with careful management of the entire supply chain, combining the commercial aspect with the production/agronomic one, such as for example the orientation in investments in anti-hail nets.
The need to be able to guarantee production and restore the numbers of orchard surfaces has become a matter of primary necessity. The final objective of the project is to create the conditions for the reversal of the trendAnd bring the share of protected orchards to at least 15%.
