Farmyard manure
Since 1960, organic amendments in Italy have been the unique source of nutrients for croplands. Only in the last fifty years, mineral inputs (e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus) have achieved great importance to supply the increasing nutrient needs of cropping systems, although their use do not replace the whole benefits that organic matter provides to the crops and the soil.
Purpose of the Technology: The re-introduction of organic amendments as a fertilisation management strategy is therefore promoted to increase the soil quality and reduce the loss of organic matter, especially in mineral soils. Therefore in Veneto region it was adopted as an agri-environmental measure of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2007-2013 to extend sustainable land management.
Establishment / maintenance activities and inputs: The agricultural production in the Veneto region is somehow divided between a flat area upstream (northern plain), where breeding is a very important agricultural activity and a flat area downstream (southern plain), where most of the grain and soybean production is concentrated. In this context, the low economic value given to organic amendments makes it difficult to move manure for north to south. As a result, the RDP finaced the use of organic inputs throughout the agricultural lands, especially favouring the re-introduction of organic amendments in mineral soils with low organic matter cointent.
Natural / human environment: The soil will benefit from organic amendments input. Particularly, high soil organic matter content will improve nutrient cycling and availability, soil water storage capacity, soil structure stability and finally crop productivity. From an environmental point of view, using organic amenedments istead of mineral inputs as a fertilization strategy will improve the carbon cycle by reducing GHG emissions to the atmosphere and increasing the soil organic carbon (SOC) content.
Localização: Low venetian plain of Veneto region, Veneto region, Itália
Nº de sites de tecnologia analisados:
Difusão da tecnologia: Uniformemente difundida numa área (approx. 1.000-10,000 km2)
Em uma área permanentemente protegida?:
Data da implementação:
Tipo de introdução
| Especifique a entrada | Unidade | Quantidade | Custos por unidade (€) | Custos totais por entrada (€) | % dos custos arcados pelos usuários da terra |
| Mão-de-obra | |||||
| Purchase and distribution of manure | t/ha | 30,0 | 5,6 | 168,0 | 15,0 |
| Custos totais para a manutenção da tecnologia | 168.0 | ||||
| Custos totais de manutenção da Tecnologia em USD | 210.0 | ||||
By favouring more sustainable land management practices.
