Traduction de «Aptitude du sol à la production agricole » (Français → Anglais) :

Emphasises that the production of biofuels should not interfere with food production or compromise food security; believes, however, that balanced policies to promote increased European yields in feedstock crops such as wheat, maize, sugar beet and sunflowers could include provision for biofuel production, taking account of ILUC, in a way which could provide Europe’s farmers with a secure income stream, attract investment and jobs into rural areas, help address Europe’s chronic shortage of (GM-free) high-protein animal feed, make Europe less dependent on ...[+++] fossil fuel imports; believes that in cases of market oversupply of the agricultural products referred to, the production of biofuels and bioethanol would represent a temporary outlet which would maintain sustainable purchase prices, safeguard farmers’ incomes during crises, and serve as a market stability mechanism; stresses the need to encourage the integration of uncultivated arable land which is not being used to produce food into the production of bioenergy, with a view to meeting national and European renewable energy objectives.

Recognises soil degradation to be a major constraint in agricultural production, and calls for greater ambitions and efforts to improve soil and water management practices, particularly in light of climate change; welcomes the development of controlled traffic farming (CTF) technologies, which reduce soil damage caused by overworking of the land, and also welcomes recent efforts to integrate high-resolution remote sensing technologies into organic farming; encourages the Commission to quantify the environmental and production benefits of these new techn ...[+++]ologies and to ensure awareness, knowledge and technology transfer.

However, agricultural production is part of a complex ecological system, and nutrient loss from farms to the surrounding environment can occur depending on a wide range of factors, such as the type of soil, the level of precipitation, tillage practices, and proximity to sources of water.

Size : 25,713 km land area Land use: 48% agricultural land, 37% covered by forests Agriculture 12% GDP, agricultural employment 36% 2 million inhabitants, The most important production types are – grazing livestock rearing, fruit and vegetable production and wine production Low productivity, agri-food sector is non compliant with Community standards, weak land parcel structure, low level of professional agricultural activity, low level of modernization of agricultural holdings, limited investment capacity, unfavourable age and educa ...[+++]tion structure, low level of business activity in rural areas Environment: well preserved and richness of bio-diversity, soil and water sensitivity to erosion in some areas, difficult natural conditions for farming, abandonment of arable land within rural areas.

The programmes, which have been granted ECU 411 million of Community funding, are designed to boost the economy in these fragile areas by developing their strong points and potential. These are: a capacity to produce high-quality agricultural products with environmentally sound methods and to use biomass for power generation, two areas in which Austria is in the forefront of progress; the potential of the forestry sector; outstandingly beautiful locations and landscape which can generate high value-added in the tourist sector; the dynamism of small and medium-sized enterprises; the opportunities offered by the changes which Austria's ...[+++] central European neighbours are undergoing.

PROGRAMME CONTENTS A. Subprogramme "Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture": 1. Improvement of agricultural products - crop production: food and agro-industrial crops; crop genetics; crop protection; - proteins of animal origin: stock farming; animal genetics and reproduction; veterinary medicine; sea and inland fisheries, aquaculture; - forestry production in humid and arid areas. 2. Conservation and better use of the environment: - appraisal of resources; water resources and their use; soil management and protection, desertif ...[+++]ication and management of savannahs; underexploited genetic resources; wild flora and fauna; 3. Agricultural engineering and post-harvest technology: - agricultural engineering/mechanization; preservation of products; processing of products; 4. Production systems: - multi-disciplinary approaches relating to plan products; inter-cropping; relationships between crop- growing and stock-farming; ecologically fragile environments; B. Subprogramme "Medicine, Health and Nutrition in Tropical and Subtropical Areas" 1. Medecine: - transmissible tropical diseases: parasitological; bacterial; viral; mycological; - non-transmissible tropical diseases: genetic disorders; acquired diseases; 2. Health: - health services research: operational research; plannng management and evaluation; - environmental health: water-related diseases; traditional medicine - tropical medicinal plants; 3. Nutrition: - nutritional deficiencies; impact of agricultural, food and social-economic strategies on nutritional status; - relationships between production and storage systems, food habits and health status; - bioavailability of nutrients and their toxicology///.