The methodology of the program is based on the measurement of 7 points, with the aim of making a first diagnosis from which recommendations for improvement will be made.
1. Establish the situation of the environmental, social, economic and regulatory context.
The general situation of the farms to be evaluated is established, knowing the degree of involvement of the company and the qualification of its workers, as a whole and in its different departments, with respect to compliance with production standards.
2. Get to know the native flora of the farm and its bordering areas.
Know the weed flora (trees, shrubs and herbs) of the farm and its bordering areas, giving importance to the relationships that occur between it and the crop.
3. Review management and agronomic practices.
Defining the starting point in which the farms are at the level of use of phytosanitary products and fertilizers provides a basis for establishing objectives and time to achieve them, in order to achieve a product with minimal phytosanitary residues. In this regard, a basic knowledge of farm management practices and access to the field notebook is required. In addition, special importance is given to the use of phytosanitary products and their possible impact on biodiversity, and the origin of irrigation water, consumption, irrigation schedules, and quality are reviewed.
4. Identify ecological infrastructures.
It is considered a key point to be able to transmit to the workers of the farms evaluated the importance and functionality of the elements of the landscape present, and in the case that they do not exist, promote their creation and advise on the design and implementation. The present ecological infrastructures are identified. These infrastructures are evaluated if they exist, and if not, implementation is proposed.
5. Observe soil management.
This point includes the management of vegetation cover. It is necessary to establish a soil management criterion that ensures sustainability criteria, and that when evaluating the interactions with the crop allows defining the points of improvement. The adventitious, ruderal, etc. flora is identified and valued. At this point, physicochemical analyzes are carried out and the levels of pesticides in the soil are measured.
6. Evaluation of the diversity of beneficial fauna.
The evaluation of the proposed techniques will provide an increase in beneficial fauna that will need to be quantified. It should be noted that this point can be used as a support for marketing, since the data on useful fauna allows us to numerically demonstrate the evolution in the implementation of established techniques, and their more respectful nature with the environment. A progressive increase in beneficial fauna, in number and species, will be observed from the beginning of the work, both in the aerial part and at ground level.
7. Development of a treatment plan against uncontrolled pests
Through actions with active materials whose use is the least harmful to useful fauna, products used according to the MAGRAMA regulations, where appropriate, and the release of natural enemies.
