After more than four years, the implementation of LIFE SARMIENTO ended in December 2020 with significant results in reducing GHG emissions and protecting agricultural soils. It has been possible to avoid the emission of 2,900 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, avoiding the burning of 1,150 tons of vine shoots.

The project provides a viable alternative for the self-management and revaluation of an agricultural “residue” transforming it into a by-product (organic compost) to be applied in the crop. The final objective pursued is to ensure the sustainability of the system by transferring and replicating the developed solution to other wine-growing areas, beyond the project implementation area.

In this sense, 14 cooperation agreements have been established with wineries for the replication of the system in other Denominations of Origin. 10 wineries belonging to the three existing Protected Denominations of Origin in the Region of Murcia (Bullas, Jumilla, Yecla) will follow the protocol developed for the management of their vine shoots and transformation into compost. The system has also been transferred to the Ribera del Duero PDO, where 2 other wineries will carry out the vine shoot composting, in addition, in this PDO an agreement has also been established with Ecoaranda, a company dedicated to the management of agricultural waste for the application of the composting protocol. The system will in turn be applied in plots of Plantavid, company located in the DO Valencia, in collaboration with the agro composting network of the Valencian Community. In this way, the replication activities of the project are focused on four large representative groups of the sector: winegrowers and wineries, waste management companies and vineyard plant nurseries that manage their own vine shoots.

Activities such as training for farmers and technicians and support for replication continue to be developed to ensure the sustainability of the project. In turn, the resources and materials developed during the project are available through the website.

The Denomination of Protected Origin of Bullas began its path towards sustainable agriculture in 2016, hopefully many others, Spanish and European, will join this challenge.

If you want to know more about the results obtained, don’t miss the final video of the project.

LIFE SARMIENTO is based on the valorization of vineyard pruning waste through its composting with microorganisms to produce organic compost with biostimulant and biofertilizing properties, reducing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere and thus contributing to climate change mitigation.

The addition of compost has allowed not only to improve the vigor of the plant but the fertility and productivity of the soil, its water retention capacity and biodiversity, as well as contribute to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Therefore, the project contributes as well to the adaptation of viticulture to climate change.

After each annual pruning, vineshoots have been crushed at collection points and subsequently transferred to the composting site, located in the Cooperative, where their composting has been carried out for 6 months in each management cycle.

Results and impacts

During the 4 cycles developed, more than 1,150 tons of pruning waste have been managed to prevent their burning on more than 400 hectares corresponding to the Bullas PDO. In total, more than 2,900 tonnes of CO2 emissions have been avoided, demonstrating a cooperative waste management system that reduces CO2 emissions by more than 95%.

The compost produced has been used as fertilizer and biopesticide both in vineyard plots, urban orchards, plant nurseries and in experimental plots of the University of Murcia.

In terms of replication and transfer, technical training actions aimed at training farmers and technicians have been developed to make them independent users and managers of the system. The objective pursued has been to ensure that other wine-growing areas can implement the management system developed in the project, through the tools and support materials developed and the technical advice that the project offers.

Thanks to the training activities, the vineyard pruning waste management system has been integrated among the usual management practices of the Cooperative, thus contributing to the sustainability of project practices. Upon completion, the project will continue to monitor the results in the vineyard plots where compost has been applied in order to assess their long-term impacts and results. In addition, the project will continue offering its expertise and technical advice to other wineries interested in the implementation of the system through the signing of replication agreements, in order to ensure its sustainability.

In the following link you can access the final video of project results.

The Secondary school “Los Cantos” (Bullas) hosts during the month of December the traveling exhibition of the project in order to disseminate the actions of LIFE SARMIENTO that have been taken place in the DOP Bullas since the project began in 2016.

This activity arises as an alternative to the foreseen schoolchildren visits to the winery El Rosario as they cannot be carried out due to the current situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The exhibition aims to show students how the project contributes to mitigate climate change by incorporating new practices in viticulture based on the transformation of pruning waste into a organic substrate to be used in vineyards through a composting process, reducing the emissions produced by the burning of pruning, while improving the quality of the soil.

On December 3th, took place the meeting to present project final results with the Regional Administration and Bullas City Council, municipality where the project has been developed.

The meeting, which was held online, was attended by the General Directors of the Common Agricultural Policy, DG of Agriculture, DG of Environment and DG of Natural Environment of the Regional Ministry of Water, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Environment of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia. The meeting was also attended by the Head of Services of Bullas City Council, as well as by the President of the PDO Bullas.

After the presentation of results by project partners, the current environmental problem caused by the burning of agricultural pruning waste in the municipalities of the Region of Murcia and the difficulty of farmers to abandon this practice were exposed. In this way, the project highlighted the need to incorporate support lines to facilitate pruning and composting of agricultural pruning waste to enforce current legislation, which prohibits burning unless there is a danger of pests.

Finally, a discussion was established which focused on the need to make the project’s actions as wide as possible at the regional level, as the Regional Ministry of Agriculture plays a key role in supporting the inclusion of composting practices as a new agri-environmental measure in the next Rural Development Programme.

On November 26th we held the third technical workshop of the Project. Results of LIFE SARMIENTO were presented to the Regulatory Councils of the three Denominatios of Origin of the Region of Murcia (DOP Bullas, DO Jumilla and DO Yecla).

During the workshop, the solution proposed by the project to reduce GEIs emissions in vineyards through the vineshoot management system was presented with the aim of replicating and transferring the system to wineries and cooperatives of other PDOs of the Region of Murcia.

In turn, the benefits obtained during the 4 years of implementation of the project were exposed; strategies to improve the techniques of management and recovery of pruning waste were discussed. Lastly, the transfer and replication activities were explained in detail, activities which will continue to be developed once the project is finalized.

During the year 2020 the last pruning management cycle within the framework of the LIFE SARMIENTO project is being developed. The vineyards pruning waste is being managed for its transformation into compost. After the last collection of vine shoots, they were stored at the collection points and after being chopped and transported to the transformation site, they are currently in the composting phase.

During composting, the temperature and humidity are monitored to determine the moment of turning, the addition of water and microorganisms. The inoculated microorganisms favour the decomposition of the pruning waste and give the final product biostimulant and biofertilizing capacities.

Four years after the beginning of the project, more than 1,152,530 kilos of vine shoots have been managed to prevent their burning in more than 400 hectares corresponding to the Bullas PDO, thus avoiding the emission of more than 2,900 tons of CO2 to the atmosphere and contributing to the mitigation of climate change.

 The application of compost to the soil contributes in turn to slowing its degradation, improving its fertility, biodiversity, resistance to erosion and its yield, which increases its capacity to adapt to climate change.

On October 14th, took place the online networking session organized by the Dordogne Chamber of Agriculture (France), partner of the TRIPLE-C Project, co-financed by the INTERREG Atlantic Area Program. This project focuses on the analysis, evaluation and capitalization of successful EU projects on prevention and management of risks derived from climate change, with the aim of disseminating and transferring the best practices and results identified to the formulation of policies.

Taking these objectives into account, the Triple C project carried out last May a selection of initiatives from different thematic areas related to climate change, in which “Life Sarmiento” was chosen as one of the most relevant, after which a networking meeting was held between both projects.

The objective of this workshop has been to share the best practices of projects identified at a European level that can serve as models for different countries to face the challenges of soil quality and water management.

The five projects presented within this session (BEWATER, PIRAGUA, CPES, DIVERFARMING, SOIL-TAKE-CARE) are dedicated to improving soil or water management, or increasing knowledge about them as both are key components of healthy ecosystems and in the economy of local communities.

In this sense, the workshop has been focused on the capitalization of the main results of these projects, the exchange of good practices and experiences, the identification of barriers and possible solutions and, finally, the issuance of recommendations as well as to give visibility to the products, methodologies, activities and results of projects at the European level.

Since last year the technical workshop on alternatives to the burning of agricultural pruning waste was held in the Murcia City Council, in which LIFE SARMIENTO was presented, the implementation of different municipal initiatives to prevent illegal burning has taken place.

Among them, the pilot initiative launched by the Murcia City Council for the collection of fruit pruning waste joins others taken previously, such as the agreement signed with the Asaja agricultural association, which has allowed farmers to chop their prunings free of charge on their agricultural plots, which shows that there is a growing awareness of the dangers of burning pruning waste.

During the three months since the launch of the municipal initiative, the container has already collected 45,200 kilos of remains of agricultural pruning in ten districts with the aim of avoid emissions of polluting gases into the atmosphere.

You can get more information here.

It is undeniable the trend confirmed by multiple well-documented scientific reports, and even by almost empirical observations, that there is an increase in global temperature due to anthropic causes (Declaration COP-25, 2019). The consequences of this rapid thermal increase, even at the scale of human existence, seem undesirable in general terms for multiple reasons: the rise in sea level, extreme weather events or unpredictable modifications of ecosystems and crops.

In this context, it is worth wondering if woody crops in general and the vineyard in particular, can contribute to sequester carbon that, in the form of CO2, seems to be largely responsible for the greenhouse effect to which we have alluded before. It seems clear that, against human emissions from fossil carbon combustion, the major sinks that can partially offset this increase are the oceans and carbon fixation in forests and perennial cultivated plants.

In a country like Spain with average emissions, with a vineyard area for wine grapes of 952,829 ha (2019, MAPA) and in which it is considered that 6 tons of CO2 equivalent are emitted per person and year, it is worth highlighting the relevance of the fixation of CO2 by a woody crop of medium duration (30-40 years) such as vineyards.

Microgaia, coordinating beneficiary of the project, visits Ecoaranda facilities in Aranda de Duero (Burgos), where they met with the Technical Director and the Technician responsible for the Environment.

Ecoaranda, a company dedicated in its beginnings to the service of containers for the treatment and recovery of waste, created in 2013 a recycling and compost plant due to the growing need to reuse resources. Its services include the treatment and recovery of non-hazardous waste, the collection and shredding of pruning waste and the production of compost.

In March, a first meeting was held between the project and Ecoaranda in order to know the basic aspects for the replication of the LIFE SARMIENTO management and composting system. After the meeting, it has been carried out the visit to its facilities in which it has been possible to check the availability of industrial machinery for waste management and the turning of compost piles as well as the existence of the necessary logistics infrastructure for the replication of the process, mainly trucks and transport containers of 40 m3. In addition, Ecoaranda has a chopper machine with which they already shred vine shoots for its use in composting. Ecoaranda is interested in receiving the support and technical assistance provided by the project to improve the composting method and replicate the system used in LIFE SARMIENTO.

The growth, yield and quality of grapes and wine depend largely on the climate, which has been changing since the 1970s and 1980s.

Soil and climatic conditions are one of the major conditions for the development of agriculture. In our case, Spain is also part of the Mediterranean ecosystem, which is characterized by a double stress, drought, high temperatures and high levels of radiation in summer and low or very low temperatures in winter, along with significant oscillations of the same as a result of major climatic phenomena at the global level as the Oscillation (OAN), Western Mediterranean Oscillation (WMO) and the Arctic Oscillation (AO) (Lopez Bustins et al. 2013, 2014). (Terradas and Savé 1992; Lopez Bustins et al. 2014).

You can read the full article here.

The Regional Ministry of Water, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Environment of the Region of Murcia has prepared an order that prohibits the incineration of agricultural pruning waste near urban areas during the state of alarm due to Covid-19.

The regional government thus reacts to the request of the Prosecutor’s Office to end agricultural pruning burning, especially annoying and harmful to health.

Link to the new here.

Excess or shortage of water, too high or too low temperatures and a large number of insects, fungi, viruses and bacteria haunt the vineyard. Despite its reputation for being tough and bearing its best fruits in adverse circumstances, life in the vineyard is a rather dangerous adventure.

You can read the full article published in the PlanetAVino monograph 100 things you need to know to understand current wine here.

The European Commission has adopted in March 2020 a new Circular Economy Action Plan one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal, Europe’s new agenda for sustainable growth. With measures along the entire life cycle of products, the new Action Plan aims to make our economy fit for a green future, strengthen our competitiveness while protecting the environment and give new rights to consumers. Building on the work done since 2015, the new Plan focuses on the design and production for a circular economy, with the aim to ensure that the resources used are kept in the EU economy for as long as possible. The plan and the initiatives therein will be developed with the close involvement of the business and stakeholder community.

Read here the full text.

The burning of pruning waste from vineyards reduces the sustainability of agriculture, contributing to the loss of resources and to the breakdown of the organic matter cycle. So why is this practice being developed?

The answer lies in certain characteristics of the vine shoots, which make them a “residue” difficult to manage. In this case, its use is poorly understood and, although traditional management measures such as burning are becoming unfeasible and undesirable, it is necessary to offer alternatives for their management.

The most widespread traditional management measures are burning in situ or burying chopped vine shoots in the ground.

The burning of pruning is a serious environmental problem due to the emission of greenhouse gases, as well as a risk to public health. In addition, it involves the loss of a resource, organic matter and nutrients, very valuable for the soil. For this reason, regulations are beginning to prohibit it in some areas and, in fact, it is totally inadvisable in the rest of them.

To avoid or replace incineration, some producers bury the vine shoots into the soil of the vineyards. This practice of incorporating vine shoots into the soil to increase soil fertility and keep the organic matter cycle closed, seems to have a theoretically higher environmental soundness. However, it can lead to other problems as they provide an optimal substrate and shelter for pathogenic fungi that already live in the soil, which develop faster and stronger. In addition, a little degradable organic matter is provided. On the other hand, the carbon-nitrogen ratio (C / N) of the vine shoot is high (between 50 and 70), which indicates that it is not convenient to use it directly as a fertilizer component in the soil without prior treatment. The reason is that the addition of this organic matter generates a period of nitrate depression, making the plants not have access to enough nitrogen, compromising the quality of the soil, even if it is added artificially, the greater quantity will be used by microorganisms.

Therefore, it is necessary to find sustainable solutions from a technical, environmental and economic point of view.

In this sense, LIFE SARMIENTO is based on the valorisation of the vineyard pruning remains through its directed composting with a pool of microorganisms that confers additional and specific properties to the organic amendment produced, among which stand out biostimulant and bio fertilizing capacities. Composting is a process of sanitizing and stabilizing organic matter, clearing it of pathogens.

The addition of compost not only improves the vigour of the plant but also the fertility and productivity of the soil, its water retention capacity and biodiversity, as well as helping to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

A paradigm shift is essential to stop considering the vine shoots as a residue and treat them as a resource (source of nutrients) promoting circular economy.

With the contribution of compost, we are protecting the soils, a fundamental natural resource to maintain the food production systems and, consequently, our daily life.

In LIFE SARMIENTO we are implementing a management system that involves individual farmers, wineries-cooperatives and technicians, offering support and advice to other wineries interested in their development. You contact us here for more information.

Today, March 4, the European Commission has presented its proposal for a European Climate Law to enshrine in the legislation the political commitment of the EU to be climate-neutral by 2050. This law is the central element of the European Green Deal and includes measures to monitor progress and adjust actions accordingly.

The new law also includes the idea of incorporating a trajectory of successive intermediate reduction objectives. Thus, the Commission has informed that on the basis of an exhaustive impact assessment, a new EU objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 will be proposed. The Climate Law will be modified once the impact assessment has been concluded.

In addition, not later than June 2021, the Commission will review all relevant policy instruments to achieve additional emission reductions by 2030. In September 2023, and subsequently every five years, the Commission will review the coherence of national and EU measures with the objective of climate neutrality and the trajectory of 2030-2050.

At the same time, the European Commission has launched a public consultation on the future European Climate Pact, constituting an initiative aimed at involving citizens and stakeholders in the formulation of new actions for climate, information exchange, the implementation of grassroots activities and the presentation of solutions that others can follow. The consultation will last twelve weeks and the deadline will open until May 27^th  2020.

On February 24, 10 bags of organic compost were delivered to the Municipal Nursery “El Mayayo” of the Municipality of Murcia. The compost will be applied as part of the demonstration activities of the Project in order to prove the environmental benefits and different possibilities of using the LIFE SAMIENTO substrate. The compost delivery has been made through the Agroforestry Experimentation Section of the University of Murcia with which the project has been developing activities since 2019.

The municipal nursery fulfills its function as an educational garden for social inclusion, in which since 2010 training in Eco-agriculture or ecological gardening has been offered. In turn, at the end of 2019, the municipality created job exchange for the hiring of Gardeners for people with disabilities.

The plant nursery management is carried out in collaboration with the Association for the Integration of People with Intellectual Disabilities (CEOM). In addition to people with disabilities, volunteers from the Social Insertion Center who work for the benefit of the community usually participate in nursery tasks.

The Ecovino 2020 Awards 11th edition has started. It will keep the registration deadline for certified organic wineries open until March 26. Last year this event received 279 applications from 30 wine regions.

This initiative aims to promote organic wines and farming practices that respect the environment. It is the largest wine competition based in La Rioja and a benchmark for certified organic wines: in the last edition, 279 applications from 30 different wine regions were received.

The wineries interested in participating must register through the form provided at www.premiosecovino.com and send their samples to the Scientific-Technological Complex of the University of La Rioja before March 26, 2020.

The organic production vineyard area in Spain increased by more than 6% in 2018, 113,419 hectares. These are data from the Spanish Wine Market Observatory (OeMv) obtained from the latest report published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on ecological surface in Spain.

All organic wines from any region of the world that are present in the usual sales and consumption channels can compete for this award. The wines will be evaluated in April in a blind tasting by a jury chaired by the UR Sensorial Analysis Professor Antonio Palacios and composed of renowned tasters.

The jury’s decision will be announced on April 27, through the official website of the contest and the media. The awards ceremony will take place on June 5.

LIFE Sarmiento attended the final meeting organized by LIFE ADVICLIM “The challenge of climate change for European viticulture. Adaptation tools” on January 29 and 30 on the occasion of the finalization of the project.

The project has aimed at study climate change adaptation and mitigation scenarios for a variety of vineyards that represent the climatic diversity of European wine regions. During the first day, took place the presentation of different projects related to the mitigation and adaptation to climate change, among which was LIFE SARMIENTO. After the presentations, there was a series of debates on current issues around the vineyard, sustainability and climate change in which different adaptation and mitigation strategies in viticulture, methods of measuring the impacts of viticulture and indicators of the viticulture climate impact were exposed. At the end of the day, were visited the vineyard farms of one of the pilot areas of the project in Carbonera (La Rioja) as well as the Ochoa Wineries in Olite.

The second day was dedicated to a workshop with wine growers and other stakeholders in the Viticulture and Oenology Station of Navarra. During the workshop, different tools for adapting the wine sector to climate change were presented such as the recovery of traditional varieties and biotopes or the management of vegetation and irrigation in cultivation operations, among others. The day concluded with a round table of experiences and projects in which LIFE SARMIENTO participated together with LIFE NAdapta, LIFE MIDMACC, Interreg POCTEFA VITISAD and VITES-QUALITAS project.

On January 22th took place the anual visit of the external monitoring team (NEEMO Agency) to the project.

The first part of the working day was dedicated to visiting the plots of the Section of Agroforestry Experimentation (SEAF) of the University of Murcia, where field tests are being carried out to demonstrate the use of LIFE Sarmiento compost. During the visit, Jose María Egea Martínez, Professor of the Department of Plant Biology of the Faculty of Biology, explained first hand to the project monitor the progress and results obtained in the field test to date.

After the field visit, the partners reviewed the technical part of the project, updated the status of implementation of the project actions and next steps for 2020. The day concluded with the review of the financial aspects and the preparation of the conclusions of the visit.

On November 19, was held a technical workshop on alternatives to the burning of agricultural pruning at the Department of Sustainable Development and Huerta of the City Council of Murcia.

The workshop was attended by local authorities such as the Counselor for Sustainable Development and Orchard of the Municipality of Murcia or the Head of its Environment Service, as well as other municipal technicians, technicians from the environment and waste sector, the Agricultural Association of Young Farmers – ASAJA, the “Stop Burning Platform” and other related initiatives.

The workshop was oriented to the problem and alternatives to the burning of agricultural pruning and its efficient recovery as organic matter against burning. In this context, LIFE SARMIENTO presented its management of annual vineyard pruning to prevent burning and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through its transformation into organic fertilizer.

Other experiences and proposals presented by the stakeholders were based on the development of a pilot plant for composting the pruning waste of the municipality or the initial evaluation of the results obtained by the pruning waste chopping pilot experience derived from the new Ordinance to ban on pruning waste burning in the municipality area.

At the end of the workshop, a round table was held to discuss alternatives, specific actions to improve management and valuation techniques and conclusions among all participants.

Project partners visit wineries of the D.O. Ribera del Duero in the province of Burgos to disseminate and transfer the results of the innovative management of vine shoots that is carried out in the D.O. Bullas (Murcia).

During the visit, meetings were held with Bodegas Hercal, Bodegas Marta Maté, Bodega Páramo de Corcos and Bodegas Vetusta.

The objective pursued was the dissemination of the project and to promote the transfer of the system for the management of vine shoots and the composting method used, with which, an organic compost with biostimulant and biofertilizing capabilities is obtained. This compost, in turn, is subsequently reapplied to the vineyard, thus slowing down soil degradation and improving its biodiversity.

During the meetings, details about the implementation of the management and composting system were discussed, as well as the support and technical advice offered by the project to carry out a pilot experience. Lastly, the results obtained in relation to the reduction of CO2 emissions and the improvement of vineyard soils were presented.

This week we have met Bodegas Enguera in order to transfer the solution proposed in the project to reduce CO₂ emissions using a management system for vine shoots and obtaining organic compost.

During the visit, the management system and the improved composting method to obtain organic compost with biostimulant and biofertilizing properties for the crop were presented.

LIFE SARMIENTO offers support and technical advice to wineries, cooperatives and wine growers to carry out a pilot experience using the innovative composting of vine shoots.

In turn, Bodegas Enguera has a research space aimed at improving knowledge in organic viticulture and seeking strategies for adaptation and mitigation of climate change in Mediterranean viticulture, leaving the results of research available to producers. As part of these strategies, they have initiated a plan for bats conservation in the vineyard as an ally for the fight against the European grapevine moth and in 2018 they already developed an agro-composting project in cooperation with the Polytechnic University of Valencia financed with funds from the Plan of Rural Development of the Valencian Community (PDRCV).

To make the vineyard more sustainable, Enguera boosts biological control of pests and the reduction of phytosanitary treatments and they have introduced floral bands and islands of biodiversity to favour the natural enemies of the green mosquito, among others.

World Agriculture Day is celebrated on 9 September as a tribute to those who dedicate their lives to cultivating the land in order to produce food of the highest quality for consumption.

In Spain, agriculture is a very important sector since it employs 4% of the active population and occupies 40% of the national territory. It is also important to highlight the economy that moves the food industry and food distribution since almost half of the road freight transport in the European Union is agro-food products.

The problem with this activity is that it contributes, at the same time that it suffers considerably, to the greenhouse effect and to climate change.

How does agriculture contribute to climate change?

Agriculture contributes more than 20% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions (due to the use of chemicals and pesticides). In addition, agricultural intensification has had considerable impacts to the detriment of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Taking into account the above plus all the energy used in agriculture, emissions can exceed 30% of total emissions from all sectors.

How does climate change affect agriculture?

In this described context, we also know that agriculture is one of the sectors that suffers most from the effects of climate change. Heat waves, scarcity of water, loss of fertility in certain blooms and low livestock yields, among many others, are some of the consequences that this has on agriculture. In fact, one more year we have seen how heat waves have affected vineyards that have perished even when irrigated and how the absence of rain and hail can reduce the oil harvest by 40%, of which Spain is the world’s leading producer.

This is why the future of agriculture in Spain depends, to a large extent, on its adaptation to new challenges: climate change and new consumption habits. To do this, it will be necessary to create barriers, develop sustainable agricultural practices, consult specialists, associate old and new practices, always taking care of the soil and also preserving our environment.

Every year on 7 July, Soil Conservation Day is celebrated in commemoration of Hugh Hammond Bennet, a researcher who succeeded in increasing land production by protecting it.

Nowadays, soil erosion is one of the biggest problems facing the world. Factors such as wind, rain, deforestation, misuse of mechanization and industrial farming techniques accelerate the erosion process. Due to such phenomena, some of the most superficial layers of the soil are uprooted and dragged from their original location causing the appearance of very little productive land.

The soil is a structure of vital importance because it is a source of life and food. In addition, it is substantial in combating climate change because, as in the case of oceans, soils can absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, a fact that contributes to mitigating the impact of CO2 emissions on the planet.

Unfortunately, the soil is a non-renewable resource, so it is increasingly necessary that we become aware and make good use of this important resource.

From Life Sarmiento we contribute to improve the state of the soil, thanks to the application of compost generated from the remains of pruning of vineyards. This compost has biofertilizing and biostimulant properties for the crop and in turn helps to slow down soil degradation, improving its resilience and biodiversity.

For 25 years, Bullas has been recognised as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and in this great trajectory it has managed to fulfil one of the two main objectives of this figure, the quality and traceability of the product.

Francisco Carreño, president of this PDO, is proud of everything that has been achieved in this quarter century and to be able to produce quality wines, recognized worldwide. However, he also states that there are still problems to be addressed, such as the fight against erosion, depopulation and climate change, among others. In LIFE SARMIENTO we agree on the need to address these problems and we implement practices that contribute to address many of these challenges to achieve a more sustainable viticulture.

The president also highlights the commitment and determination of previous generations thanks to which it has been possible to reach our days. In addition, he places special emphasis on the advantages generated by the PDO since, without it, it would not have been possible to develop European projects that have made it possible to achieve other objectives such as adaptation and mitigation of vineyards to climate change, good practices to develop the carbon sink effect and other issues of interest.

As well as LIFE SARMIENTO does, the European project Interreg Risk AquaSoil is also concerned about the consequences of climate change, for this reason, representatives of the project have given training on how to prepare vineyards for climate change.

This training took place in Regina Viarum Winery (Lugo), which participates in the project, and was intended foryoung wine growers from Ribeira Sacra.

The objective of this project, in which the Research Center of Edaphology and Applied Biology of Segura, CEBAS, also participates, is the development of a integrated plan for efficient risk management in agricultural holdings to mitigate the impact of climate change and greater resilience in rural Atlantic areas.

If you want to know more about the project click here.

Compost produced by the project have been distributed for its application in urban farming activities in the Region of Murcia, thus contributing to reduce CO2 emissions and to improve soil structure.

Compost have been distributed to the following urban gardens and farm plots:

The orchard of the Rural Agrupado School formed by the districts of Avilés, El Consejero, Coy, La Parroquía, Zarcilla de Ramos and Zarzadilla de Totana, in which the students themselves have been responsible for applying compost to their orchard.

Test plots from the Agroforestry Experimentation Section of the University of Murcia (UMU).

Test plots of the urban gardens of Bullas Municipality.

In all of them, the compost will be applied in a control area in order to facilitate the monitoring activities by the project coordinator (Microgaia Biotech), which will assess plants growth and soil to evaluate the results obtained.

You can now register and take the course organised by the project on the management of vine shoots to obtain organic fertilizer by means of composting techniques and reduction of greenhouse gases.

With this course you will get to know the vine shoot management system used in the project and you will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to carry it out. Thanks to this system you will take advantage of the residues of the vineyard, contributing this way to the Circular Economy and you will obtain a compost of high quality with biostimulant properties and biofertilizers that improve the status of the soil and its biodiversity.

The course content is divided into three very interesting blocks:

B1. Adaptation strategy for woody crops in the face of climate change (28 h)

B2. Composting of agricultural waste (65 h)

B3. Applications and benefits of compost (10 h)

The course is free and theoretical-practical 100% online and is aimed at farmers, technicians and other professionals in viticulture.

To register, all you have to do is go to the ELEARNING section on this website and fill in the registration form.

Cheer up and participate in the course!

On Friday, April 5, was held in Bullas a day of presentation of results of the LIFE SEC ADAPT project http://www.lifesecadapt.eu/es/, project in which Bullas Municipality has participated as a partner and whose objective has been to increase the resilience capacity of European cities, promoting the change towards low carbon economies and the adhesion and active participation of the municipalities in the new Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. In this context, the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) of Bullas Municipality was presented.

The municipality of Bullas, thanks to its participation in the project, promotes and updates the model of Sustainable Energy Communities (SEC), making local communities the drivers of sustainable regional development through the coordination and support of regional authorities and Development Agencies.

At the end of the event, Bodegas del Rosario was recognized for its Good Local Climate Practices for its work within the LIFE SARMIENTO Project.

‘The vitiviniculture sector facing the challenge of climate change. Public and private mitigation and adaptation strategies in the Mediterranean ‘is a multidisciplinary monograph, coordinated by Raúl Compés (Universitat Politècnica de València) and Vicente Sotés (Polytechnic University of Madrid) and edited by Cajamar, which describes the challenges taht will face the production of wine in the coming decades.

The publication raises the situation of climate change as a challenge for the wine sector and its impacts on it, and analyses the different public and private strategies for both mitigation and adaptation. It includes chapters signed by thirty experts from different fields, organized in a first part that includes the territorial and institutional approach to climate change and a second one with productive, technological and business approaches.

The coordinators point out that the balance of the alcoholic maturity along with the phenolic maturity of the grape is going to become the critical factor of the quality vitiviniculture, and that the irrigation water management is going to be the key strategy of adaptation in many zones, with an increase in conflicts over their management and sustainable use.

The publication can be downloaded here.

The fair of Valladolid will incorporate a new event to its calendar of next year, Agrovid, a fair specializing in viticulture whose first edition will be held from January 30 to February 1, 2020.

Spain leads the vineyard area in Europe, with almost a million hectares; France and Italy appear in second and third place and Portugal has 200,000 hectares.  Agrovid emerges as a challenge to offer a meeting point between supply and demand for professionals of the sector, a place of business for farmers, manufacturers, importers, distributors, etc.

Agrovid is born “as a fair highly specialized in a strategic sector, with a powerful and constantly evolving production fabric,” said the general director of the Feria de Valladolid, Alberto Alonso.

In Agrovid could be accommodate all the products and services related to viticulture, from soil to the first transformation. The fair will have biennial periodicity, in alternation with Agrarian.

The Iberian Peninsula is one of the areas that will have to make a greater effort to adapt its wine production to the new climatic scenarios. This is confirmed by a study by the Polytechnic University of Madrid that ensures that, despite everything, the impact will be reduced.

More extreme temperatures, droughts or water stress are just some of the effects that experts associate with climate change in the coming years and all of them may affect the production and quality of wines.

But, to what extent? This is what a study analyzes in which researchers from the Higher Technical School of Roads, Canals and Ports and the Higher Technical School of Agronomic, Food and Biosystems Engineering (ETSIAAB) of the Polytechnic University of Madrid have participated.

Read here the full article (in Spanish).

Last February 14th we received the visit of our Project Advisor of EASME – Executive Agency of the European Commission for Small and Medium Enterprises – and the external monitor of the project from the NEEMO Agency.

During the visit, the progress of the project was reviewed and the technical part was discussed in detail, reviewing the project’s actions, its implementation status and the planning for 2019. During the presentation made by the partners, the main results obtained so far were communicated:

– Management of 314 Ha of vineyard from DO Bullas

– Treatment of 597.6 tons of shoots, avoiding their burning

– Production of approximately 22,000 Kg of organic substrate

– 98% reduction of CO2 emissions

– Application of the substrate obtained in vineyard plots and urban gardens

Throughout the day, we visited the vineyard plots of the D.O. Bullas participating in the project and the composting site at the cooperative Nuestra Señora del Rosario. There was also the opportunity to visit the urban gardens of Bullas Municipality where the LIFE SARMIENTO compost was applied.

The end of the day was dedicated to the review of the financial aspects of the project and the elaboration of the conclusions of the visit by EASME and NEEMO.

The Technical commission of the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV) presented last Thursday 24 January to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and food of Spain, Luis Planas, a plan of action to promote the measures against climate change in the vineyard and emphasize the importance of Spain and its wine sector to be leaders at European level in this matter of great importance for the future of viticulture in our country.

The plan has counted with the contributions of 29 wineries and contains a series of measures and strategic lines to help the Spanish wine sector to adapt adequately to the consequences of climate change in the short and medium term and to quantify the estimated cost.

Read the full new in the following link (in Spanish).

Training sessions for all those agents interested in the management of vineyard pruning waste for its transformation into compost will be shortly published.

The courses aim to make known the vine management system that is carried out in the project, offering free training about the recovery of vineyards pruning waste to all those interested.

Participation is open to technicians and / or managers of cooperatives and wineries from other Denominations of Origin and viticultural zones, to agricultural technicians, professional organizations, managers of urban gardens and / or seedbeds, as well as the general public.

The content of the courses is structured in four blocks, where training will be offered in the following areas:

• Climate Change and Circular Economy. Situation of the vineyard in Spain and Europe.  Strategies of mitigation and adaptation to climate change

• Management of vine pruning waste. Environmental problems and alternative to traditional management

• Composting process. Organic matter and soil. Composting of vine pruning waste

• Demonstration of the use of vine compost as an organic amendment to the soil. Advantages of its application

More information about the content and training sessions will be announced soon on our website.

Members of the team of El Rosario, Microgaia Biotech and EuroVértice met today at Cooperativa El Rosario (Bullas) to review the status of the project’s actions. During the meeting held, it was possible to take stock of the results obtained during 2018 and plan the next actions that will be carried out from 2019.

Among the next scheduled activities are the new collection of vine shoots that will be made after the pruning of vineyards this winter in the D.O. Bullas, the completion of the second process of composting of pruning waste and the application of the compost that will be obtained in vineyard plots, municipal urban gardens and seedbeds.

Regarding the dissemination and replication activities of the project, in 2019 the training courses aimed at the replication of the management system in other areas will begin and a session-day with viticulturists participating in the project and other stakeholders will be held.

FAO marks World Soil day with a call for urgent action to reduce the release of pollutants into soils.

According to FAO, about 33 percent of all soils are degraded, and the state of soils is deteriorating at an alarming rate.

5 December 2018, Rome – Urgent action is needed to address soil pollution and contain the multiple threats it poses to global food safety and food security, said FAO today marking  the World Soil Day.

You can read the full article in the following link.

The work carried out by Cooperativa Bodegas El Rosario of Bullas on climate change mitigation, jointly with Microgaia Biotech and EuroVértice Consultores in LIFE SARMIENTO has been reinforced this year thanks to the incorporation of new hectares of vineyard to the project from other wineries from P.O.D. Bullas. The wineries, with their disinterested collaboration, provided the vine shoots from the last pruning carried out during the past winter in order to be transformed into compost through the waste management system that LIFE SARMIENTO uses.

Specifically, theses wineries have been Bodega Carrascalejo, with the contribution of their vine shoots from 73,58 ha, Bodegas Lavia, supplying the pruning waste from 9,85 ha and Bodegas Monastrell which has provided the vineyard pruning waste of 6 ha in the project.

We invite you to know more about these wineries and about their tradition, vineyards and wines.

Bodega Carrascalejo

The Hacienda de Carrespalejo belongs since 1850 to the Pidal family that has been producing home-grown wines for five generations.

Carrascalejo is located between the towns of Bullas and Cehegín, at 640 meters altitude above sea level. The property has an extension of more than 1,000 hectares that are distributed among pine forests, scrubland and different crops, mostly dry, such as cereals, almond trees and, above all, vineyards. 74 ha of the vineyards have supplied their pruning waste to the LIFE SARMIENTO project.  Presiding this landscape is the Casa-palacio, in whose cellars the winery is located, and where home-grown wines have been produced since the 19^th century.

Since then, the care of the vineyards and the careful preparation of their wines following traditional methods, together with the adaptation of new technologies, have led the wines of this winery to achieve recognition in the most demanding markets.

In their vineyards, predominate the genuine Monastrell variety, with vines over 40 years old. There are also Cabernet Sauvignon grape cultives, Syrah, Tempranillo, Merlot and Gamacha, which, in appropriate proportions, enhance the virtues of the native variety, resulting wines of strong personality.

If you want to know more about Bodega Carraspalejo click here.

Bodegas Lavia

 Bodegas Lavia was born in 2003, when a group of wine lovers, fascinated by the potential to produce unique wines in the Region of Murcia, decided to join to create the winery.

Bodegas Lavia, in Cehegín (Murcia), began its activity as a winery of small dimensions but equipped with the latest technological advances and which shows great respect for the environment, achieving the maximum balance in its plantations and the maximum expression in its DO Bullas wines from own grapes in an ecological way.

Its was the singular peculiarities of this winery, that fitted perfectly with the requirements demanded to be part of the great MGWines Group family, which led its inclusion in the group during 2014.

This winery, currently counts on the certification of ecological production by the Council of Organic Agriculture of the Region of Murcia in all its references.

Bodegas Lavia is located in Venta del Pino, a place of great landscapes richness and strong viticultural character where areas of the height Monastrell variety t are located, at 800 meters above sea level, with more than 40 years.

The country house has 12 hectares of Monastrell vineyard, in addition to a small plot with Syrah on one of its slopes. From these 12 ha, approximately 10 ha have contributed to the supply of vine shoots for the project.

For more information visit the website of Bodegas Lavia.

Bodega Monastrell

Bodega Monastrell is born from a long family farming tradition. Own vineyards, wishful thinking and a well-designed solid project are the foundations of this winery, that in 2005 vinifies its first vintage.

The vineyard is located in the Valle del Aceniche, between the municipalities of Cehegín and Bullas (Murcia), with an altitude higher than 850 meters above sea level. The country house, entirely owned by the family, has a cultivated area of 20 ha next to the winery, of which 6 ha have joined the LIFE SARMIENTO project.

The climatic and edaphic characteristics of Valle del Aceniche make easier to obtain grapes with excellent oenology properties in each of he varieties cultivated by Bodega Monastrell, which owns 90% of Monastrell, 8% of Petit Verdot and 2% of the Tempranillo variety.

The winery practices viticultural techniques according to a biodynamic agriculture, respecting the nature and following its vital rhythm. In turn, both, the wine production and the wines of Bodega Monastrell are protected and certified by the Council of Organic Agriculture, since the 2011 vintage. 100% of their wines are Tintos de Crianza (reds with ageing wines).

You can find more information on the Bodega Monastrell website.

During the summer, the second cycle of composting of the vine shoots has continued. As in the first cycle and continuing with the pruning management system, vine shoots were stored in the collection points. Once the chopping was made, they were transported to the transformation site in the Cooperative Bodegas el Rosario in order to start a new composting process.

The overall duration of the composting will be 6 months. Thanks to this process, mature compost, free of pathogens and weeds will be obtained in order to be used again in the soil as an organic amendment. To ensure the hygienization of the compost, pharameters as mixing/agitation, temperature and humidity, microorganism inoculation and physical-chemical analysis will be controlled. The process will end in 2019.

On the other hand, the compost obtained from the previous cycle of composting has been stored in bags to ensure its conservation and to facilitate its transport and distribution to the viticulturist ‘plots where the vine shoots were obtained. The distribution of the compost will take place after the wine harvest for its application to the soil during the fertilization period, in order to close the cycle “use/waste/handing/re-use” in the vineyard.

It is worth mentioning that thanks to the adhesion to the project of new wineries during this second cycle (2018), all of them located in the town of Bullas, the project has been provided with shoots from approximately 100 more hectares.

Regarding the viticulturists involved, during the first cycle of management 59 viticulturists took part in the project, adding 11 more to the project this year, it makes a total of 70 viticulturists involved.

Finally, the monitoring of the urban micro-gardens of Bullas where the compost was applied, has continued during the summer and the periodic measurements will continue during the coming months.

On July 24, we celebrated a networking event in Bullas between LIFE SARMIENTO and the SwitcMed Project developed in Lebanon.

The objective of the project is to demonstrate the technical, environmental, social and economic feasibility of the composting of exclusively organic waste generated by wine companies and wineries in the Beqaa Valley (Lebanon). Within the framework of the project, a pilot activity for the composting of residues produced during the pressing of the grapes (grape pomace) is currently being carried out.

The project is being carried out by the Center for Regional Activity for Sustainable Consumption and Production based in Barcelona and the Center for Nature Conservation of the American University of Beirut (AUB-NCC) in Lebanon.

The initiative presents the possibility of becoming a point of reference to be reproduced and replicated in other regions of Lebanon, as well as in other states of the Mediterranean water-basin: a model of circular and ecological economy that is able to use resources efficiently and to involve and to train local wine companies using the best available techniques in accordance with the objectives of the national and regional plans.

During the day, knowledge and experiences on the activities developed by both projects were exchanged, the vineyard plots of DO Bullas were visited, as well as the place where the vines were transformed, where the composting process was explained in detail.

On May 31, a networking event took place in Bullas between the projects LIFE ADVICLIM and LIFE PRIORAT + MONSANT.

LIFE ADVICLIM “Adaptation of viticulture to Climate Change: high resolution observations of the adaptation scenario for viticulture” presented the conclusions derived from the implementation of the project to date. In the same way, LIFE PRIORAT + MONSANT shared its experiences on the efficiency in the use of resources for the improvement of the vitivinicultural sustainability of the Comarca del Priorat.

Throughout the day, the vineyards plots of DO Bullas participating in the project were visited as well as the place where the vine shoots are being transformed and the composting process could be explained in detail.

The complementary objectives of these three projects and how to address them in each particular project, offered a global vision of the effects of Climate Change in the Spanish vineyards and the main trends for its mitigation.

You can find more information about this two projects at the following links:

LIFE ADVICLIM

LIFE PRIORAT + MONSANT

On Tuesday, May 15th, we received the students from the Green Marketing course held in Murcia Region by the NGO Red Araña “Entities for Employment” within the framework of the FLAGA Project.

The FLAGA project, co-financed by the Empleaverde Programme of the Biodiversity Foundation from the spanish Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment and the European Social Fund, aims to provide a quality job to unemployed people in companies from the green sector.

From FLAGA project they were interested in knowing LIFE SARMIENTO as an example of sustainability for their students, which were able to know more about the LIFE Programme from the EU  that supports Life Sarmiento, the environmental problems associated with vineyard pruning waste and the vineyard composting solution proposed by the project.

The users of the urban-gardens of the City Council of Bullas received yesterday the first bags of organic compost obtained in the project for the application in their plots.

The compost supplied, an organic fertilizer free of chemical products, is the product of the first cycle of composting of the vineyards pruning collected in the plots participating in the project located in the Protected Denomination of Origin of Bullas.

During the day, the project technicians explained to the users of the orchards the protocol for the use of the compost and the benefits of its application. During the growth of the crop, there will be periodic visits to the urban-gardens to monitor the response and yield of the crop, as well as to provide support and resolve any doubt that may arise from the farmers.

During April, the collection and stockpiling of the vineshoots from the annual pruning is being carried out to start the new composting cycle.

The collection of the branches is the first activity that stablish the pruning management system in the vineyards of the project (collection, transport, storage and composting). The procedure follows the scheme already carried out the previous year: collection of the pruning which farmers have been gathering in areas of their plots, transport to the collection points, chopped and transport to the composting place located in the cellar of the cooperative El Rosario.

Management system improvements

Due to the experience gained during the first year of the project, some key aspects of the management have been improved, such as the optimization of the collection and transport of shoots, the grouping of collection points, the increase in their volume and the reduction of the number of points to minimize transportation.

On the other hand, this new pruning cycle incorporates approximately 147 ha more thanks to the entry of new vineyard plots into the project.

Once all the vine shoots have been collected, they will be cut up and transported to the processing plant, where the compost will be produced again and ready for 2019. In this way, the closure of the vineyard cycle is achieved, contributing to a local circular economy.

On the occasion of the beginning of the collection activity of vine shoots for its management we wanted to take stock of the achievements made during the first composting cycle of the project.

The main impact generated is the reduction of GHG emissions, since by avoiding the annual burning of the pruning waste and transforming them into compost, a direct reduction of 85% of CO2 emissions has been achieved, compared with the usual burning practices. The area managed during this period has been around 224 ha, in which 230,700 kg of vine shoots have been collected and the emission of 485,402 tons of CO2 has been avoided. Therefore, the management of grapevine pruning waste from PDO Bullas is converting around 1,025 kg / ha of waste to a by-product with new uses.

In relation to adaptation to climate change, the application of compost to the soil helps to slow down its degradation, improving its fertility, biodiversity, resistance to erosion and its yield, which increases its capacity to adapt to climate change.

As a resulto f all this, LIFE SARMIENTO, with an ecosystem-based approach to adaptation and focusing on vulnerable areas, works to improve soil fertility by being a low-emission project, contributing at the same time to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

On March 23, LIFE SARMIENTO visited LIFE+ Vineyards4Heat project (V4H), promoted and coordinated by the City Council of Vilafranca del Penedès, located in the Alt Penedès region, one of the most important wine-growing areas in Catalonia. The project has the collaboration of three beneficiary partners: COVIDES (wine cooperative that brings together grape producers), INNOVI (Catalan wine cluster) and NOU VERD (social initiative cooperative).

The cultivation of vineyards annually provides an underutilized biomass of up to 30,000 tons / year in the Alt Penedès area, therefore, this project was born as a way of using the agricultural biomass from the annual vineyard pruning as a source of local and renewable energy, demonstrating its environmental, economic and social benefits for the region and for the wine sector. The project is based on the transformation of the energy contained in the shoots to obtain heat and cooling.

Traditionally, most of the biomass resulting from pruning is burned without producing energy, treating it as a waste, instead of as a resource. That is one of the reasons why LIFE SARMIENTO has carried out a networking session with this project, since both projects solve the same problem in two different ways, being complementaries and closing in both cases the cycle of the biomass of the vineyards. These projects, therefore, become a local strategy for the adaptation and mitigation of climate change in agriculture, reducing CO2 emissions and serving to establish the bases of the biomass management helping to meet the objectives of the European Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change.

The LIFE+ Vineyards4Heat project started in June 2014 and ended in November 2016.  Its main objective has being to demonstrate the operation of the biomass circle, with two pilot tests, one in a winery where a biomass boiler was installed and supplies energy to the installation and another one located in the facilities of the City Council that supplies energy to an area of public facilities in Vilafranca del Penedès.

During the visit, both boilers and the vineyard plots were visited and we had the opportunity to see the equipment used for the pruning management system.

We invite you to visit its page by clicking here to know more about this Project.

Representatives from LIFE projects converged on Madrid, on 13-14 March to discuss the impact of rising temperatures on agriculture and forestry in the Mediterranean. The two-day platform meeting drew on expertise from LIFE projects, EU policy makers, local authorities and stakeholders in the agro-forest sector to tackle the impact of climate change in an area notoriously exposed to its effects.

The event, organised by Spanish NGO Fundación Global Nature and supported by the European Agency of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (EASME) and the Directorate-General for Climate Action of the European Commission, singled out solutions to help farms and forests adapt to southern Europe’s shifting climate.

From extreme weather events to forest fires, climate change has hit the Mediterranean hard in recent years. According to the latest report from the International Panel on Climate Change, the region is among the most vulnerable in the world to the impacts of global warming.

At the event, delegates met in working groups specialised on increasing the climate resilience of Mediterranean farms and forests, implementing adaptation policies and engaging with stakeholders.

We invite you t oread the full story here.

During February and March, the project received the visit of numerous students from different Training Centers of Agricultural Experiences from the region, such as the Degree of Oils and Wines, Degree of Agroecological Production, Degree of Viticulture of the CIFEA Jumilla, Degree of Education and Environmental Control of CIFEA Molina de Segura and the students from the course “Waste as a resource” taught by Región de Murcia Limpia Association.

The visits began at El Rosario winery, where an introduction to the situation and context of the wine sector in the región and to the El Rosario cooperative was made Then, a tour through the winery began, during which the process of winemaking could be explained from the entry of the grapes to the winery until they were commercialized and packaged as a bottle of wine. During this tour we visited the room of the mosaics of the winery, where is located the exhibition of the LIFE SARMIENTO project and where we presented the project to the attendees and detailed it main objectives and actions. Then, we proceed to explain the composting process of the vineyard in the composting place in the cellar.

The visits ended with a field visit to the vineyard plots of the project in the area of Venta del Pino (Bullas), where the students could observe in situ the pruning of the vine and the location of several spots where shoots are collected, prepared for their chopping and moved to the composting plant where the second cycle of the project will begin.

Yesterday we had the opprtunity to visit de Urban Gardens of Bullas Municipality, where we met with the users of the 14 plots which are currently been used and we could introduce the LIFE SARMIENTO Project.

Thanks to the visit we could know more about the operation of theses urban gardens and their management. Thus, the assignment of the municipal plots is done for a period of three years and is aimed at retirees, pensioners, associations or any person interested in this experience, once this period is over, the adjudications are made again.

Due to the premises of the Municipality, which establish the obligation to use organic fertilizers in the plots, compost from domestic organic waste, as well as from the garden itself and, in general, the use of traditional sustainable practices  and respectful with the environment, the urban gardens are ideal places to apply the organic substrate obtained in the project.

During the visits, the participation of the users of the urban gardens in the demonstration actions of the project was agreed, which will consits in the application in their gardens of the compost obtained after the first composting cycle of the Project.

At the next visit, the compost will be supplied for its application in the plots, just before the new sowing time. Then, the specific characteristics of the LIFE SARMIENTO compost, the protocol for its use and the monitoring process will be explained to the users of the orchards.

Members of Microgaia, coordinating partner of the  project, visited the composting site in Bodegas El Rosario facilities in order to add the last components needed to complete the maturation of the compost: two types of microorganisms that will provide the ideal characteristics as organic fertilizer.

The vine shoots or sarmientos pruning management cycle developed by the project begins with the annual pruning of vineyards at December and concluding on February approximately. Once all the branches are transported to the processing plant the composting process begins, which lasts about six months: three months for the initial composting and three more for the final maturation of the compost and preparation of the compost that later will be applied in the vineyard plots just after the next pruning.

The composting process is aimed at producing the biological decomposition and the stabilization of the organic matter under temperatures of 60ºC-70ºC, in order to produce a stable final product, free from pathogens and undesirable weeds, which can be used again in the soil as an organic amendment. The process main works are the periodic stirring of the waste and the addition of water. During the last stage of maturation, two types of beneficial microorganisms, Trichoderma harzianum and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF), are inoculated into the compost, which will increase the later delivery of nutrients to the vines, facilitate their growth and provide them also resistance in front of pest.

The result is an organic amendment that improves soil quality while providing also favorable features for the crop and an ecologically feasible peatless substrate with enhanced properties compared to the existing ones. The composting cycle will be repeated 4 times over the 4 years of the project in order to be able to monitor significant changes in soil, plant and yield data.

Last January 19th, members of the LIFE SARMIENTO team met with the manager of the Agroecology and Environment Center of Murcia (CEAMA) located in Bullas. The objective of the meeting was to make contact with the center in order to present the work that LIFE SARMIENTO is carrying out in Bullas, introducing the vineyard pruning waste management system that is being used for the transformation of the pruning waste into organic compost and its subsequent application to the soil as an organic amendment in the vineyard plots participating in the project. Thanks to the meeting, it was possible to know the training activities that are currently carried out in the center as well as the projects related to Climate Change that may be of interest for possible future collaborations with LIFE SARMIENTO.

The spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment (MAPAMA) has made public the annual report on the potential of viticultural production which, in general terms, evidences a continuous downturn of vine cultivation from 1980 until today of 42% in Cultivated area. In 1980 there was a cultivated area of 1,642,622 hectares, while currently the vineyards occupy 953,607 hectares.

Along with the decrease in surface area, the evolution of the vineyard map in Spain in the last 40 years is also noteworthy, with a clear tendency to move towards the north, reflecting an evident change in dynamics: it has changed from having a very large expansion in the south of Spain and hardly anything in the north.

Some of this changes in dymamics may be due to the climate, since it plays the most decisive and difficult role to control in the elaboration of wine. The spring and summer seasons in Spain are becoming drier and hotter, and consequently the vineyard, which is so intimately linked to the rhythm of the seasons and the evolution of temperatures, is acting as one of the best bioindicators of climate change in agriculture.

Matías Vela, winery consultant, approved trainer and technical director sommelier of Misumiller.es explains that to maintain production rhytms of som PODs it woild be necessary to advance the harvest activity and start harvesting with practically green grapes. But that would have disaster results, since it would directly affect the wine characteristics, which in addition to being odorless, would have a very harsh taste and a bitter and astringent tannin, that ruins the quality of the wine.

To deal with this situation there are different adaptation processes, some wineries have already been using changes in the crop system, substitution of varieties, vertical displacement, irrigation contribution, etc.
 

You can read the full story here.

A research published in ‘Nature Climate Change’ journal, suggests that, although planting lesser-known grape varieties could counteract some of the effects of climate change, scientists and winegrowers need to explore how the wide diversity of this crop can be adapted to different climates.

One of the effects of global warming is that it will be complicated that in many in many wine regions to continue cultivating the same varieties that have been cultivated in the past. The Old World has an enormous diversity of vines – more than 1,000 varieties – and some of them seem better adapted to hot climates and tolerate drought better than the 12 that occupy 80% of the global wine market.

Unfortunately, convincing producers to try different varieties of grapes is a difficult task, and the reason is related to the concept of “native land”, which refers to the taste of the wine as a reflection of what grapes, where and how they were grown. Only certain traditionally used varieties are part of each “native land”, leaving small place for change. ‘In the main producing regions, there is the notion that the historical native land is what makes a great wine, and recognizing that the climate changes implies recognizing that the land is changing’, explains Professor Elizabeth Wolkovich, from the Department of Evolutionary Biology and of Organisms of the University of Harvard.

In addition, researchers still do not have enough data to determine if other varieties will be able to adapt to climate change.

You can read the full article here.

Last Thursday, January 11^th,  took place the second visit of NEEMO external monitor assigned by the European Commission to monitor LIFE SARMIENTO Project. The meeting was attended by managers from the the three parteners of the project (Microgaia Biotech, Bodegas El Rosario and EuroVértice).

During the day was presented the general progress of LIFE SARMIENTO. The technical part was reviewed in detail, analysing each action of the Project, its implementation status and its planification for 2018 period. Likewise, the main financial aspects were checked and a expenditure forecast for the new period was made.

At he end, LIFE SARMIENTO team could show to the external monitor the composting state of the vineyard prunning residues located at the transformation site in El Rosario facilities, which are already in their last phase of maduration.

The role of compost in agriculture is twofold; on the one hand, it acts on the ground as an organic amendment, and on the other, on plant species, acting as organic fertilizer and growing medium.

The soil continuously used in a cultivation system suffers a progressive decrease in the level of humus, causing several problems such as accelerated erosion, deterioration of the physical-chemical and biological properties and, in general, decreased fertility ground. The contribution of compost counteracts all these deficiencies.

The are broad applications of the compost, depending on its granulometry, presence of impurities, etc., and can be as different as horticultural, citrus, vineyard, forest and rice fields. In turn, it is also being used in sugar beets, non-citrus fruits, improved degraded soils, forestry and nurseries.

In general, the application of mature compost at moderate doses causes, both at field and greenhouse level, appreciable increases in crop yields.

There are other possible uses of compost in fields such as landscaping, restoration of degraded soils and the recovery of surfaces that are affected by various activities.

It also interesting to point out the possibility of using compost in non-natural forest areas, and in the reforestation plans for burned areas, abandoned agricultural lands, areas damaged by industrial discharges, etc., expanding the market of this product.

Find more information here.

On December 14^th took place at the Wine Museum of Bullas the last meeting of the LIFE Sarmiento Project betwen the partners of the project and the members of the Cooperative “Nuestra Señora del Rosario” in order to prepare the new prunning cycle of vineyards. During the event, the project actions already carried out in the first year of the project were reviewed and the farmers of the Cooperativa Nuestra Sra. del Rosario were again asked to cooperate in order to avoid the burning of the shoots that would be generated during the next pruning. In turn, it was explained to the attendees the stage of maturity in which is the first compost already generated by the project and the forecast for its final maturation. The meeting was also attended by agents from differents organizations such as the City Council of Bullas, the Association Región de Murcia Limpia or the Integrated Center of Training and Agricultural Experiences of Jumilla, which had the opportunity to know the project and were invited to participate in the dissemination and demostration activities scheduled for 2018. The day ended with a wine tasting at the Wine Museum hall, where the farmers and the rest of participants could share their opinions about the planification for the new period.

The architectural firm Een til Een has crossed the boundaries of green building by using agricultural waste as building materials, which would normally be considered waste, offering a new, efficient and affordable way to build houses in the future. As part of BIOTOPE, an exhibition park and resource center designed to showcase the latest sustainable building technologies in Middelfart, Denmark. On this basis, the biological project will stimulate a new market for green growth through the refining of waste. It also demonstrates how to build healthy, green homes in the future that cost a competitive price.

The biological home is based on a flexible and modular construction system. The house is designed to ensure rapid construction and disassembly. Simplified production and modular design make future adaptation and replacement of the construction less complicated and less costly.

Here you have more information.

This week, the project coordinator, Microgaia, has been presenting actions and objectives of LIFE Sarmiento in Future IPM Congress in Riva del Garda (Italy). This congress, which already counts with its third edition, met around 1000 participants that have exchanged knowledge and experiences to improve plan protection against pest and pathogens. The compost produced in the framework of LIFE Sarmiento has biopesticide properties, so its use will contribute to reduce pesticide use-and-risk in integrated pest management (IPM).

Our colleagues at EuroVértice and El Rosario met this morning in order to review the state of the project in the Cooperative’s facilities. During this day we have reviewed the actions concerning sarmientos collection and the composting process.  We have also updated the financial state of the cooperative.

Following the pruning’s management approach proposed by the project, samiento’s composting started this last summer. After the storage in collection points, chopping and transport to the transformation site, the composting process began. This involves monitoring parameters such as temperature and humidity in order to control the process and determine when tipping and water and microorganisms addition should be done. Microorganisms favour the breakdown of vegetal matter and confer bio-stimulant and bio-fertilising character to the final product. The fields of the Cooperative “El Rosario” are expected to receive the compost produced this first year during the next spring.

By the other hand, samples collection in selected parcels is being carried out during this September in order to test compost effects during the next four years. Doing this, soils where the compost will be applied are characterised and we can obtain a study baseline regarding yield and quality crops improvement and for the physicochemical and biological state of soils where the LIFE SARMIENTO compost will be applied.

In order to improve the understanding of the concept of Circular Economy, the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS) published a report on April 7, which reviews definitions, processes and impacts in different sectors and the value chains.

The conclusions of the report are very interesting:

• The Circular Economy has achieved wide appeal among the academic, political and business sectors, but its interpretation and application have been very diverse. Although some definitions and interpretations focus on aspects of physical and material resources, others go further and discuss a major transformation of the economic system that involves various sectors and issues that go beyond material resources and waste.
• Available studies take different approaches when calculating impact, making it difficult to compare results from different sources.
• There is a need at EU level for greater clarity on the areas and sectors that fall within the scope of the Circular Economy. This can help avoid confusion, as well as support the preparation of studies that provide consistent messages about the potential effects that Circular Economy could generate.
• In order to avoid simplistic messages, for each case of applying a circular economy process to a sector, all parameters that play a role in the overall sustainability of the circular process that has to replace a linear process must be carefully considered.
• It is important to provide clarity on the expected impact across sectors on employment. This would also assist policymakers in designing well-targeted transitional policy measures to manage negative impacts.
• Although the effects on employment of the Circular Economy in terms of the number of jobs have been analyzed in several studies, evaluations of other social and employment impacts seem to be less present in the literature.
• Indirect effects on the economy (e.g., value chain impacts and / or changes in consumption patterns) need to be understood to estimate overall impacts at EU or national level.

From LIFE Sarmiento we take note of these conclusions and support their consideration by researchers and policy makers, who are designing new policies for the arrival of the circular economy to civil society.

In this link you can consult the published report.

The 15th National Congress of Recovery and Recycling organized by the Spanish Federation of Recovery and Recycling (FER) will take place on 15 and 16 June. These days have been consolidated during the last years as the meeting point of the sector in Spain.

The organization has already closed the program, which will feature some of the largest international experts in recycling. From LIFE Sarmiento we encourage all the agents of the sector to attend, for being an opportunity not only to learn about technological developments, but also to become aware of the needs that exist both in Spain and in the rest of Europe.

You have more information on this link.

The European Environment Agency, together with Zero Waste Europe and Friends of the Earth Europe, have asked EU member states whether they will support the much-needed proposals to boost EU waste policy in the negotiations they will held in Brussels in the coming weeks to promote an open and transparent decision-making process and a complete transition towards a circular economy.

Policymakers and NGOs, together with a growing number of industries, agree that the shift to a “circular economy” – where waste generation is prevented and products are reused or recycled – is the best solution for the Planet and for business.

The ongoing negotiations in Brussels will determine the future of EU waste laws in the 28 member states and will reveal whether the EU is ready for the transition to a circular economy.

The senior representatives of the Member States will meet this month to define the position of the Council of the European Union. At the end of May, the three EU institutions – the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council – will enter into the final interinstitutional negotiations before agreeing on the final text of the new EU waste laws.

As a result of the study, an interactive map of EU waste policies has been drawn up to monitor the ongoing negotiations, which can be found here

The process of chipping the vine shoots is on progress.

After the weather conditions (rain, snow) have improved, the technicians and working on the chipping process, which will be finished before the end of May. The vine shoots are placed in the collecting areas and, once the process is finished, they will be transported to the composting site to finish the process.

Initiatives from around the world will gather at this annual meeting organized by the EU to share their experiences of sustainable work within a circular economy model.

With the slogan “Green Jobs for a Greener Future” the EU Green Week will start on 29th May. Every year there is a debate on European environmental policy, which is increasingly oriented towards the development of a circular economy model that will allow for the maintenance of the value of products, materials and resources to reduce minimum generation of waste.

The current focus on European policies is generating significant changes in the European economy including the labor market. And this will be spoken of. About the creation of new jobs through business initiatives that are developing new sustainable business models, expanding their markets and adapting innovative solutions for an efficient use of resources.

According to EU Green Week sources, despite the economic crisis of recent years, the environmental goods and services sector has created new jobs. There is a growing real demand for innovative skills that requires skilled and qualified people, thus becoming another important issue to address: demand for new types of “green skills” in different european professional sectors.

A scientific study advices about the global warming impact on wine production with the disappearance of the current suitable zones for its production.

This is a research work carried out by scientists from different universities and organizations from countries such as the United States, Chile and China. It states that Climate Change will have a direct impact on ecosystems affecting different species, but it will also affect indirectly to land uses as a result of habitats loss, focusing specifically on the effects on wine grape production.
According to this study, due to Climate Change, the suitability of the current main wine-producing regions will decrease by 2050 between 19% and 73% (depending on the area), moving these crops to higher elevations as can be seen on the world map generated from this data.

Experts announce that this situation can lead to possible conflicts related to land uses and the fresh water ecosystems, so they warn about the necessity to make efforts of adaptation and conservation on agriculture, like preventive measures to face these possible effects, which could bring about a significant change in the current agrifood industry model and lead towards self-sufficiency and food security.

This is recognized by the European Compensation Network (ECN) in a piece of information published in which it estimates the direct jobs that could be generated from processing unused biological waste.

The ECN affirms that taking into account the potential biomass of unused municipal waste (64 Mt), more than 50.000 direct jobs in rural areas would be created in the biowaste sector, and up to 16,000 in urban areas.

According to this report, the biological waste used already generates around 90.000 direct jobs, mainly in rural areas reaching 70.000 direct jobs.

The organization that makes these data visible, the ECN, has as its main objective to promote sustainable systems of organic waste management, supporting the circular economy and the creation of local jobs, while wishing to contribute to safeguarding the soil for future generations.

LIFE reWINE promotes the reuse of bottles in the wine sector to reduce waste generation, greenhouse gases and production costs.

This initiative, which has been recently presented, aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a sustainable system of collection, cleaning and reuse of glass bottles in the wine sector, identifying barriers and opportunities, as well as evaluating the main environmental, technical aspects and economic benefits derived from the pilot system.

The wine industry is one of the most affected by climate change, so new techniques and strategies are needed to reduce the carbon footprint in the sector. In the case of LIFE reWINE, the initiative is even more meaningful in view of the fact that, currently, there isn’t any available system for the recovery of wine packaging, as opposed to other sectors where such a network exists.

LIFE reWINE system involves all the links in the distribution and consumption chain, from wineries to restaurants and final consumers, considering the whole process of the bottle, from its labeling to its recovery and recycling, with a forecast of recovery of about 100,000 bottles until June 2019. This is also intended to help raise awareness and achieve qualitative and quantitative objectives of waste prevention.

The Institut Catalá de la Viñya i el Vi (INCAVI) hosts the conference “Uniting efforts towards the reduction of phytosanitary products” in the control of mildew and powdery mildew in vine plantations.

It is a meeting that aims to show the results of the LIFE FITOVID project obtained from the application of different management schemes for the control of mildew and powdery mildew of the vine. These conclusions have been drawn from the impact of the reduction in the use of plant protection products in the production of grapes, must and wine, and include their consequences from the environmental, economic and health areas.

The meeting will begin on Wednesday, April 5 at 10:00 am at INCAVI in Vilafranca del Penedès (Barcelona), and will affect the improvement of efficiency in treatments and the correct realization of them, as well as the good state of the applicator machinery, also showing the reduction in the costs of phytosanitary products and the saving of fuel.

Polytechnic University of Catalonia and the University of the Basque Country, together with companies from the Tecnalia group (Neiker / Azti) are participating in this date.

‘El Segura, a river full of life‘ is the title chosen for the documentary that carries out a tour of the biodiversity of its section in the Region of Murcia.
Many people have participated in the presentation, having the opportunity to know the peculiarities of its great biodiversity, as well as the need for conservation of this ecosystem.
The documentary also reflects the important cultural, economic and social legacy of the river thanks to the agricultural and industrial uses developed around it.

The documentaty was produced by Integra Foundation, in collaboration with ANSE Association and Segura River Basin Authority through the LIFE + SEGURA RIVERLINK project.

 It is presented as an alternative to the current model of production and consumption, and it is growing. These are some of the conclusions that can be drawn from the first report on Circular Economy made in Spain by the Cotec Foundation for innovation.

And this model presents the potential to solve environmental challenges, while opening up business opportunities and economic growth.

The publication gathers and analyzes the available indicators of this economic model, based on the maximum use of resources, and proposes the creation of a roadmap to know where to start and how far.

The report also analyzes the current situation of the Circular Economy in Spain and its main actors, reviews the policies developed in this regard and includes successful examples of Circular Economy developed by companies and entities in Spanish territory.

Conducted by the UNESCO Chair of Sustainability of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), in collaboration with the International Recycling Association (RECNET) and the Association for Sustainability and the Progress of Societies (ASYPS).

The first steps of the process have begun. Technicians and farmers of the Nuestra Señora del Rosario cooperative work hand in hand to remove the vine shots and transport them to collection centers.

There, wastes that were previously burned producing environmental problems, will be cleaved to begin their process of transformation to compost.

This is an action that aims to implement new practices that are more sustainable and beneficial to the environment, while trying to demonstrate the advantages of a system of community management of vine shots.

The collection will continue until all the farmers have finished their pruning work, streamlining the process with the transfer in batches to the processing area.

Two members of the LIFE Sarmiento team, Sabina Romero from Microgaia Biotech and Eva Navarro from EuroVértice Consultores, attended a meeting for Climate Change Mitigation projects in Brussels on October 3-4, as approved in the 2015 Call-for-Proposals.

A number of EASME reps, the agency in charge of the LIFE Programme, and NEEMO, the team in charge of project monitoring, explained the duties and requirements of the programme throughout the project developments.

Some time was also dedicated to networking and sharing of experience for the 13 projects approved in this overriding topic.

On October 11, Microgaia Biotech, “Nuestra Señora de El Rosario” Cooperative and EuroVértice, as partners of the LIFE Sarmiento Project, met for the first time in the Cooperative facilities in Bullas (Murcia, Spain).

During this meeting, partners reviewed the project actions and the roles of each partner, and defined the tasks for the upcoming months.

The DOP Bullas vineyards (Region of Murcia) innovates with more sustainable practices in the management of vine shots.

The LIFE Sarmiento project was created with the aim of minimizing CO2 emissions due to the burning of pruning waste, replacing its current waste management practices for others more beneficial to the climate.

In addition to being an innovative solution to this environmental problem, the initiative improves the soil conditions in arid zones through transforming the pruning remains into compost and its later incorporation into the soil as an organic improvement.

In this way a double task is performed. On one hand, the revaluation of these residues by transforming them into by-products, obtaining a quality compost with biostimulating properties. On the other hand, contributing to the stimulation of a Circular Economy that directly and positively will impact in the territory where the action is carried out.

The project is granted the European Union through the Environment and Climate Action Program (LIFE). The total budget is 835,020 euros. The companies Microgaia Biotech, Eurovértice and the cooperative Nuestra Señora del Rosario are participating in that initiative which will have a duration of four years (until the end of 2020).