Bratislava - Slovakia

1. MODRA Bratislava - Slovakia

2. Competence Centre in Vineyard Company Modra

3. THE BEST WAY HOW TO ELIMINATE THE STRESS FACTORS IN AGRICULTURE • IS ORGANIC FARMING • Antónia Šrobárová, Miriam Nadubinská • Institute of Botany SAS , Bratislava • Several biotic and abiotic stress factors treat to cultural plants in agriculture land. The lots of them (chemicals) were introduced there by man to reach the highest yield without control natural balance. In these time consumers increasingly demand organic agricultural products. This creates a new market for agricultural products. Different studies prove that organic farming requires more labour and triggers off processes of diversification that are integrated and enhanced by the image of “natural” inherent to the concept of organic farm. • The main problem is the lack of a sustainable rural development strategy that integrates socio-economic, agricultural, cultural and environmental aspects. • The new community policy (EC Reg. 1257/97) promotes production methods compatible with the increasing needs of protection and improvement of the environment, of natural resources, of the soil and genetic diversity, as well as with the need of safeguarding natural space and landscape for sustainable agricultural development. For this purpose, territorial integration between Central European, Adriatic, Danubian, South-Eastern European Space countries has to be favoured by promoting meetings and exchange of knowledge by setting up international networks and favouring knowledge exchange in SIMOCA Project “Setting up and implementation of sustainable and multifunctional rural development model based on organic and competitive agriculture” • The general objective of the project is to define a new strategy for sustainable and multifunctional rural development based on the growth of organic farming.

4. The environmental impact of the project • Organic farming contributes, due to its reduced inputs, its high share of grassland within the holdings, but also by using ancient breeds andvarieties and by the prohibition of geneticallymodified crops, to the preservation of species and habitats. This positively contributes to the objectives of the Community Natura 2000 network, but also results in the protection of nature outside these areas. • Moreover, organic farming system including the provision to respect the amount given in the Nitrates Directive for vulnerable zones of 170 kg/ha, contributes to a better water quality. Also, the restricted use of artificial fertilizers adds to this objective, while, of course, careful management of legume crops in the rotation is also necessary in organic farms. Traditional production channels as well as those that could be potentially introduced will be examined, for instance the one on aromatic plants (wild marjoram, rosemary, thyme, etc…) and/or, in general, local ecotypes resistant to diseases and adverse biotic conditions (water salinity, drought, etc.), in order to boost the typicality of local products that could be easily enhanced also as processed product in rural tourism circuits.

5. Adequate actions for improvement will aim at giving an image of “natural” products both in the production process in the field, through the adoption of agricultural practices that preserve biodiversity, natural resources (water, soil, landscape, etc…) and healthiness of agricultural products (use only biological control ) and food traditions, and at the processing stage. • For this purpose, the effects of the use of local ecotypes, of the adoption of organic cropping systems (manure, crop rotation, weed control, bio fumigation, etc…), of the recycle of by-products of agricultural and animal origin in the production system, of the reuse of waste waters for irrigation and of the use of renewable energy on the sustainability of rural development will be checked. • The project will help also developing agri-environmental measures especially in the accessing countries, where these activities must be financed as pilot projects, contributing to preserve environmental assets, such as valuable habitats for endangered species. • On the other hand, the project will promote in all the CADSES area the development of Organic farming practices with the purpose of protecting the endogenous natural heritage and introducing the method that may yield huge benefits for the protection of the resources. • Territory concerned: location of project activities • The project will be mainly implemented in specific areas that, by their environmental, socio-economic and cultural characteristics, are territorial references to be analyzed and studied to set-up and demonstrate development models based on competitive and organic agriculture capable of guaranteeing sustainable development in the area. • . The location of the main server of the FORUM is at Partner N.1 (Istituto Agronomico Mediterraneo of Bari, Italy). Nine groups are realized respectively in Croatia (1), Greece (1), Italy (5), Poland (1), Slovakia (1).

6. The Pilot areas of SIMOCA project in Slovakia