Farmers will sign agri-ecological agreements for rural development from 2009

From 2009, the farmers will sign agri-ecological agreements with the local public authorities as part of a pilot project. Through these agreements, the farmers will commit themselves to cultivating the grasslands. The crop seeds will be offered as part of the project “Sustainable and Integrated Management of Steppe Land in Europe”, Info-Prim Neo reports. After signing the agreement, the farmers will have to work the land for seven years. “The farmers will thus pledge to limit animals’ access to the given lands and to avoid the use of chemical fertilizers. The farmers will be remunerated for the work done, but not in the form of money, but by the high productivity obtained on these lands,” Carolina La Chapelle, international expert in rural development, said at a seminar on September 15. According to project coordinator Marcela Vatamaniuc, the major objective of the project is to contribute towards the restoration and conservation of the steppe ecosystems. There will be worked out mechanisms for applying sustainable agriculture oriented towards the historical and social-cultural values of the steppe resources and of the risk zones for working the lands. About 40 national and international experts in agriculture, ecology, tourism and other fields are involved in the project. Steps will be taken to devise the social-economic basis for durable protection of nature in combination with the optimal use of natural resources and to conserve and for conserving and rehabilitating the steppes, Marcela Vatamaniuc said. The project is implemented in Cahul district, but also in Ukraine and Russia. The project “Sustainable and Integrated Management of Steppe Land in Europe” costs 2.5 million euros, money provided by the Tacis Program and the European Community. The project was launched in June 2007 and will continue until December 2009.