J. C. Knight/ J. Herrera/ L. Martin Updated: Save Send news by mail electrónicoTu name *
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last march 14, between a dense fog marked by uncertainty, fear, disbelief, nerves, fear…. we were enveloped by the promulgation of the State of Alarm in Spain . Similar measures had been taken previously in other countries and later would be taken and is still taking in practically all corners of the World. Many are the consequences, mistakes, experiences and lessons to be derived from the application of the same… but in this article we want to put the focus on the dire economic situation that a paralysis of the activity and of the mobility of these features has been generated, in particular, on the primary sector.
We commented a farmer a few days ago I hope that march 14 have ordered the closure of its exploitation as was done with many other businesses, explained that it would take their spending to zero in a matter of hours and would have expected the following year to restart their activity without more losses than a year “blank”.
Unbelieving and stunned we came to some further explanation of that reasoned about how an important part of the field looked to a situation of continuity in their activity, by assuming all the expenses related to the same (pruning, treatments, feed, subscribers…) and being forced to sell their productions a few months later in some markets sunk by the crisis of the Covid-19, below of your production costs , what placed him in a position far more damaging than a temporary closure. Profit how to debate, we explained that hopefully “we would have dropped the shutter of his business” with the Royal Decree Law on the State of Alarm of the past march 14,… at least would not have lost anything.
we Bring this reflection of a man of the field, especially in the International Day of the Environment , the thread of the Funds for Economic Reconstruction, with 750,000 million euros, details to outline the Community’s Institutions and that during these days the Congress of Deputies in Spain works in a special Commission on planning for the Economic and Social Reconstruction. And we can wonder, is it possible to rebuild economically and socially Spain without addressing the economic reconstruction of the field, in the primary sector? Yes, we adhere to the official statistics, the agro-industrial sector accounts for approximately 13% of Spanish GDP , but there is no doubt that it is much more than that cold figure.
The field is an economic engine without which our vehicle (the company) will not be able to move forward, the field generates a multiplier effect on sectors such as tourism or services that should not be minimize, the field manages more than 80% of the territory with environmental significance that this implies, the field generates a level of employment to that in the crisis that we begin to glimpse may not be waived in any way, rather the opposite, should be strengthened and serve as support to the much-desired “economic reconstruction…” But how to undertake and collaborate from the field and from the environment to such a huge task? Obviously, by applying part of these funds for the economic and social reconstruction on the same and, to paraphrase that old chinese proverb well, providing us with as a society, of fishing rods and not fish.
Esbocemos some ideas and we design or fabricate some “fishing” perfectly embedded in the environment, it is more, with and for the environment: Price Support, Forestry, National Hydrological Plan, Woody Crops, Hunting, Rural Tourism, Rangelands, Livestock Brava… why talk about all this on the International day of the Environment?… Are you capable of imagine either of these performances without the strong component and benefit to the environment that involve?… Therefore, in addition to all these environmental benefits that we will explain, are a great source of wealth and employment generation, and should be an essential part of any Plan of Economic and Social Reconstruction that takes place…. or otherwise we will be cementing this “reconstruction” back to the field, with foundations of mud.
Price Support. – The fall of agricultural prices at source results in self destruction of the economy. Maintain prices by avoiding the effects of deflation is required and we have and we know well the mechanisms of intervention of markets for the different productions. To the contrary leads us to neglect, we can imagine the environmental disaster that would result in the abandonment of millions of hectares of cereal dry farming and hundreds of thousands of hectares of olive grove, or the dehesa landscape and unique habitat modeling by the activity of the man-of-field… without a price support not in doubt that we are doomed to do this, to abandonment, an environmental disaster and landscape.
Afforestation .- The programs of Afforestation of Agricultural Land were a success in the decade of the nineties and early two thousand. What to say of the enormous contribution of these programs to the biodiversity, to the generation of employment, mitigation of Climate Change.
National Hydrological Plan. – The horizon that are various predictions about Climate Change we describe is hardly encouraging in terms of regularity and amount of rainfall, then it seems obvious that the best adaptation measure to climate change will be one that ensures the availability of the resource fresh water in the future. The design of a National Hydrological Plan on the basis of the interconnection of river basins and a powerful increase in the capacity of desalination with renewable energies (wind and solar) is a necessary planning absolutely environmental, totally a green, that also make of motor tractor of our economy, attracting private investment and generating employment.
Woody Crops .- Spain is the country with the largest surface area of woody crops in the EU (more than 5 million hectares) given that our agro-climatic conditions are optimal to do so. Both from the environmental point of view, for the effect to sink of greenhouse gases, that these crops pose, and for the generation of specific habitats for birds, as by the enormous wealth and employment that these crops provide it would be appropriate to the design and support the same within these economic plans of reconstruction.
Hunting. -hunting is the engine essential to rural development in the most disadvantaged areas, it also generates significant revenue and job creation, a necessary environmental balance that allows for the conservation and regeneration of forest stands and coexistence with livestock with health guarantees, in addition to the maintenance of the own hunting species in appropriate densities and healthy populations, and it is of vital importance for the conservation of other species, including those protected, such as the iberian lynx.
Rural Tourism. – The so-called “Spain Emptied” it requires solutions. Sustainable tourism, environmental, adventure, birdwatching, etc, is a clear bet for the environment, for sustainable tourism and quality, for the generation of employment… which also requires specific mention within the measures for economic reconstruction after the Covid-19.
Meadows, a protected landscape and to conserve , generator indisputable of biodiversity, is not another thing that the fruit of a livestock and a hunting management traditional our Southern half of the peninsula, with the addition of New Castile. Landscape generated by the iberian pig, the bull, beef cattle in extensive, even herds of goats and sheep, and of course the hunting, managed in a manner consistent and orderly, generating a genuine reservoir of biodiversity, in which, among many other species we may see our iberian imperial Eagle.
Farms with native. – Are the Heritage of the livestock Spanish and are also a reservoir of biodiversity for its genetic wealth, and their systems of exploitation and management, linked to the geographical characteristics and soil of the territory they occupy. Also, these farms contribute to the conservation of natural spaces like the dehesa in spain, that is listed by the European Union as an area of High Natural Value and in addition, recently, the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament has recognized your contribution on the fixation of rural population.
In short, measures to study and especially now, in the international day of the environment we should pay special attention to. That window to that a curious social media campaign on environment day to us peeps: the field; it can not be more timely.
Signature: Executive Committee Alliance for Rural (Jose Carlos Caballero, John Herrera and Lucy Martin)
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