Alfalfa or alfalfa (from Arabic al-fáṣfaṣa “fodder”), along with other fodder crops, can help mitigate the climate emergency. Its use in agriculture and animal husbandry is the focus of the Medi-C-A-Rbonio project, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the environmental impact of production.
The project is implemented under the 2014-2020 rural development program of the Emilia Romagna region by the Italian Association of Dried Forages (AIFE), based in Ravenna, and the Animal Production Research Center (CRPA) in Reggio Emilia. Its presentation takes place on 4/23/21, 3 p.m., in web meeting.
Medi-C-A-Rbonio, the eco-friendly alfalfa.
Alfalfa(Medicago sativa L.) or Spain grass, or also alfalfa, is a herbaceous plant belonging to the Fabaceae (or Leguminosae) family.
It is known for beneficial properties in agriculture. Like other legumes, it is a nitrogen-fixing crop. It assimilates atmospheric nitrogen and transfers it to the soil. A valuable function that makes the use of chemical nitrogen fertilizers unnecessary and reduces the risks of nitrate contamination of groundwater.
An unparalleled improving crop, it is ideal in rotational cultivation. This is why it is often alternated with autumn-winter cereals, such as wheat and barley. Moreover, in modern agriculture it is capable of producing for 4 or 5 years. Numerous mowing and continuous regrowth induce a strong absorption of carbon dioxide resulting in a reduction of the greenhouse effect and allow treatments with fungicides and pesticides in general to be avoided.
Characteristics that make it an ideal crop for preparing soils for organic farming.
More protein than soybean
In addition to its soil- and environment-friendly profile, alfalfa, especially when dehydrated, has an annual protein yield of about 2,500 kg per hectare. This is an extremely high value considering that soybean, the crop of choice for protein supply, rarely reaches 1000 kg per hectare/year.
Annual production ranges from 6-8 tons of dry matter per hectare in semi-arid areas to 12-19 tons per hectare in water-rich areas.
Alfalfa made green in Italy
Such a prodigious crop is now the focus of the Medi-C-A-Rbonio project, which aims to elaborate a series of pluses of environmental compatibility of fodder produced and marketed by AIFE members and to define the a ‘made green in Italy‘ product ecological certification issued by the Ministry of Environment.
AIFE represents 90 percent of the Italian dried and dehydrated fodder supply chain with a production of about 800,000 tons/year or 10 percent of total national production, ranking second in Europe after Spain and France.
The Italian Dried Fodder Association has about 30 processing plants. This is where the alfalfa produced on 90 thousand hectares of land distributed among Emilia Romagna, Marche, Veneto, Lombardy, Lazio, Umbria, Tuscany and Abruzzo is conferred.
How to participate in the web meeting
The web meeting is held on the zoom platform. Participation is free after registering at this link: https://filieraitalianaforaggi.it/iscrizione where the event program can also be viewed.
Speakers include Maria Teresa Pacchioli of CRPA, Angelo Frascarelli of the University of Perugia, Germàn Giner Santonja of the European Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Bureau, Nicola Di Virgilio of DG Agri at the European Commission, MEP Paolo De Castro, and Sara Cortesi of ENEA.
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".