In addition to the Italian Development Cooperation’s traditional commitment to rural development, agricultural development and food security, the development cooperation initiatives carried out by AICS combine concrete support for the promotion of appropriate agronomic techniques and good practices in sustainable cultivation, processing and consumption, qualitative and quantitative improvement of production, increase in profit margins for small-scale producers, and encourage responsible investment, in line with Agenda 2030.
In these areas, the Agency is also engaged in research and innovation supporting the activities of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The Agency’s contribution in the main areas of policy formulation and evolution in these strategic sectors is equally ensured through its participation in appropriate platforms such as, for example, the Agroecology Coalition and the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development, which bring together bilateral, multilateral donors and international financial institutions, forging knowledge-exchange networks and information useful for strengthening global efforts to support and improve rural development and agricultural production.
It is undisputed that there is a close relationship between agriculture-related activities and the sustainable management of environmental resources, especially given that agriculture is among the sectors that most affect climate change and which is itself greatly affected by it. Agricultural practices can have harmful effects on the environment, such as deforestation which, over time, has resulted in soil degradation and loss of biodiversity, increasing vulnerability to the effects of climate change.
The shift toward sustainable production models in agriculture, forestry and fisheries requires a specific focus on the management and conservation of natural resources (in particular, soil, water and biodiversity). There are different approaches to building greater synergy between increased resource utilization and conservation, increased productivity and sustainable economic growth, and increased product diversification and quality. Worthy of mention among these approaches is Italy’s commitment to supporting Climate Smart Agriculture. The introduction of improved crop management practices has helped reduce risks to the environment while adding value to agricultural produce.
Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) are an integrated set of agronomic practices that can:
- Minimise negative impacts on the environment while protecting the ecosystem.
- Rationalise the exploitation of natural resources, such as soil, water, air and energy.
- Reduce the use of pesticides through the adoption of integrated production systems.
- Protect the quality and wholesomeness of food products.
- Enable a special focus on the health and safety of workers.
Soil is the fundamental basis of natural systems and agriculture. In many production settings, the degradation and loss of productive soils is a threat to agriculture itself. The choice of agricultural practices plays a key role in controlling erosion and maintaining fertility. Sustainable soil management practices, aside from providing opportunities for climate change mitigation, include a package of practices designed to maintain and/or increase soil health, seeking to achieve the following outcomes: minimal rates of erosion (water and wind); intact soil structure; use of cover crops; stable organic matter and nutrient content; prevention or reduction of salinisation, sodification and alkalinization; and high water infiltration and storage capacity to meet plant needs and ensure drainage of any surplus.
Future agricultural intensification strategies essentially depend on the potential of both rainfed and irrigated agriculture. In general, the productivity of rainfed agriculture in development settings is significantly lower compared to the use of irrigation. Whereas, the use of unconventional water, including treated wastewater for agricultural purposes, requires water-efficient, technologically innovative and complex systems. In many areas, water resources (surface and groundwater) are under severe pressure due to the combined demands of agriculture and other sectors. Irrigation accounts for 70 percent of freshwater withdrawals, of which 43 percent is from groundwater. It is also used in food processing throughout the post-harvest stages. Protection of water sources and their efficient use in agriculture are therefore critical to ensuring productivity, livelihoods and resilient ecosystems. Improving water productivity and efficiency in agriculture plays an important role in addressing problems of scarcity. Water stress caused by drought and rainfall variability, results in declining smallholder and subsistence agricultural production, thus accelerating migration. Consequently, the Agency’s actions in respect of agricultural water resource management focuses on agricultural contexts, where the impact of migration is most significant. In most of the Agency’s operational contexts, especially in arid and semi-arid climates, (physical and economic) access to land and water constitutes a serious obstacle to the development of agricultural practice and productivity. AICS-funded initiatives in this area, combined with participation in coordination mechanisms at international level, such as the World Water Forum and the WASAG, testify to the Agency’s attention to issues related to proper and sustainable water resource management in agriculture.
Among GAPs, the Agency considers agroforestry systems as fundamental to the development of an area and the basis for sustainable food production, while respecting the environment and addressing the threats of climate change through adaptation. Agroforestry systems are mixed agricultural production systems involving a combination of rationally managed trees, grasses and shrubs to optimize land use, diversify production in terms of quality, and ensure the distribution of production throughout the year; because of these characteristics, agroforestry systems are historically and traditionally adopted by local people in tropical countries. The Agency works on agroforestry systems of coffee and cocoa, as well as tropical fruits, in association with shrub and grass species, with the aim of obtaining a range of agroforestry systems to protect biodiversity, as an alternative model of land management, touching on all aspects of the supply chain up to organic certification to create added value for export.
The agency supports agroforestry initiatives with the goal of facilitating the restoration of degraded land by introducing soil, water, and biodiversity conservation techniques to reduce the risks of floods and landslides, and by introducing eco-agriculture practices to improve soil productivity and agricultural yields, resulting in a positive impact on food security.