The audience is in Rio de Janeiro to attend the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio + 20) will know an integrated organic production system. The Fazendinha Agroecological Km 47, where they are carried out research in agricultural sciences, will open its doors to the participants of the UN event between the 18th and 22nd of this month.
Located in the municipality of Seropédica, about 60 km from downtown Rio, the project is a partnership between the Brazilian Agricultural Research Company (Embrapa), the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ) and the Company of Agricultural Research of the Rio state (Pesagro-Rio).
According to Ednaldo Araújo, Embrapa researcher and Steering Committee member of Fazendinha, the initiative is innovative because as well as providing the scientific development of organic practices in farming and livestock in an integrated way, also provides technology transfer.
"This is not a common experimental field, because here there is a whole integrated system in operation and not just an isolated experiment. In small farm, visitors can see how is the management of cattle in accordance with the rules of organic farming and intensive vegetable production, based on diversification and sustainable management, with information including on all production costs, "he said.
The researcher said that. the integration of crop and animal husbandry, the flock produces organic milk and feces generated are used in composting, which provides substrates for production of seedlings used in the cultivation of vegetables.
"In addition, we will present visitors the biological nitrogen fixation technology, which is an essential nutrient for plant growth. Obtaining the conventional system is performed by means of synthetic source that uses fossil fuels for its manufacture. In organic agriculture, we use a bacterium that is able to remove nitrogen in the air, "he said.
Visitors will also have access to renewable energy use for irrigation on the property, which includes solar and windmill panel for wind power generation.
The Fazendinha Agroecological Km 47, in operation since 1993, occupies 60 hectares and receives 1200 visits per year. On-site, training and qualification are offered in agricultural sciences to students, teachers, researchers and farmers in Brazil and other countries.
In the five-day visit, during Rio + 20, a bus will be provided by the Ministry of Agriculture to take visitors to the project. To register, interested parties should send an email to riomais20@cnpab.embrapa.br with the following information: name, profession, institution to which it is connected and telephone. Other information can be obtained at (21) 3441-1538.
Source: Agency Brazil