ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT INDICATORS: A NEW TOOL FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
Nowadays, farmers aim to achieve maximum productivity while caring for the environment. Indeed, there is a greater awareness when it comes to ecosystem protection. There is also an increased individual responsibility regarding the practices and plant protection products applied to crops.
Every new crop season, producers take up this challenge very actively. They do not hesitate to incorporate and implement all the tools available at their fingertips to accomplish their goals.
At the same time, the knowledge of agricultural science and new technologies in product formulation are making great strides in terms of production sustainability.
At Surcos, we work with this in mind every day. That is why we support the dissemination of a new tool: environmental impact indicators.
Thanks to such indicators, the effectiveness of weed, pest, and disease control can now be measured and its environmental impact quantified.
Furthermore, you will be able to estimate the different degrees and risks of pollution combining variables from the plant protection products to be applied and the plots of the intended application.
Environmental impact indicators measure toxicity, leaching potential, average lifespan in soil and plants and effects on applicators and consumers, among other parameters.
These indicators will allow you to select herbicides, insecticides and fungicides with the best environmental performance. Because products are all different.
As a result, this valuable information will help you plan crop controls sustainably.
We grant you access to two of the most currently used environmental impact indicators: RIPEST, developed within the School of Agriculture of the University of Buenos Aires, and EIQ (Environmental Impact Quotient) devised by Cornell University in the United States.
Don't hesitate to start using them! These tools provide insights to help your production decisions be more sustainable.