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.