The Government of the province of Buenos Aires has formalized the creation of the Provincial Program Good Agricultural Practices Soils, with the aim of promoting the recovery and development of the fields, and also contributing to sustainable local development and rural roots.
The Programme seeks to encourage sustainable production based on soil care and responsible application of agrochemicals, based on distribution, training in the field, certifications and economic incentive.
Applicants need to submit an analysis establishing the soil status of agricultural production units whose results will enable them to submit a three-year work plan for each agricultural production unit with the aim of implementing BPA to improve soil suitability.
The design of the plan should include the implementation of crop rotation that ensures a positive balance in terms of carbon fixation in the soil; practices to prevent water and wind erosion; and the implementation of actions leading to the gradual reduction of agrochemical use in production.
It also establishes the development of a network of agents for the implementation and coordination of the Programme.
Producers will receive technical assistance for incorporation into the Programme, and the development of a feasibility assessment report of the three-year work plan.
Once this plan has been approved, the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture will determine the incorporation of applicants into the programme and their registration in the Register and then corroborate the fulfilment of the proposed targets, after which the Directorate of Cereals and Oilseeds will prepare a report recommending whether or not to categorize the registered producer as active.
Incentives include a non-reimbursable contribution to be calculated at 75% of the following scale: for agricultural production units up to 600 hectares the equivalent of 10% of the real estate rate; for agricultural production units of 601 and 1,000 the equivalent of 6%, and for agricultural production units of 1,001 hectares onwards, with a maximum cap of 5,000 3% of the real estate rate.
