Aridoculture - Dryfarming
The Aridocolture project aims to codify a set of agronomic practices combined with the careful selection of seeds of species and varieties with low water needs and specific tolerance to stress phytopathies. It is an agricultural technique aimed at facing the current climate crisis by adapting to the conditions of high temperatures and low water availability. Dry farming was born to face climate change and aspects linked to it, as the sudden increase in energy and production costs due to unstable geopolitical situations caused by either serious emergencies as well as shortages in the agricultural sector.
It is in this context that the interest of Azienda Agricola Santa Teresa for Aridocoltura is born, our main priority is the maintenance of productivity within a view of energy (as economic) saving, as well as sustainability through the appropriate use of resources. Within a few years of research in collaboration with the non-profit Association Cercatori di Semi, we have come to the selection of crops with very low water needs, and zero or minimal production loss, depending on the species, in percentages lower than 10% compared to control crops, that were irrigated conventionally.
With the drafting and the forthcoming publication of the free practical guide "Aridocolture", which includes Open Source results related to research in our experimental gardens, we have made a concrete commitment to provide a solution that protects biodiversity as well as sustainability in today's very difficult agricultural landscape. We make the results of the research public, and access to the guide free in order to encourage as many farmers as possible to try his agricultural technique amongst the most sustainable, which evolves with the climate and farmers themselves.
Who is it intended for?
The seeds, produced in arid cultivation with organic certification, are aimed at the professional market and for self-production; with a view to economic advantage in the management of crops for the former, and constant improvement through the reproduction of seeds for the latter.
All the seeds distributed are reproducible so as to be able to independently select, year after year, the specimens best acclimated to the local pedoclimate (soil climate), water availability, and the cultivators themselves.
Thanks to continuous research, we commercialise the seed and the idea of long-term cultivation, accessible to all, ethically correct and economically sustainable: agriculture is one of the major global responsible for the consumption of drinking water (about 70% of the drinking water reserves available on earth is used for the primary sector); the reduction of water needs in crops translates into tangible economic advantages for the farmer, while at the same time conveying sustainability through this lever.
The selection of the seeds
The close collaboration between the cultural association Cercatori di Semi and the Company Santa Teresa has led to the selection of cultivars with the lowest water needs of the species. In the early stages, stable parental lines of the following varieties were selected:
· Siccagno tomato sel. Aridoculture (L. lycopersicum)
· Desert Watermelon (C. lanatus)
· Tepari Blue Bean (P. acutifolius)
· Tepari Santa Teresa Bean (P. acutifolius)
· Tepari Pinacate Bean (P. acutifolius)
· Pignoletto del Musset Corn (Z. mays)
· Casaba Hopi melon (C. melo)
· Giant Vetch from the Murge (L. sativus)
· San Lorenzo Amaranth (A. hypocondriacus)
The research keeps going with the continuous introduction of additional varieties and species based on studies on both, cultivars with low water needs, and those with marked precocity.
Conclusions
Aridoculture pursues an idea of sustainable and economically advantageous agriculture: water and resource savings, higher quality production even in disadvantaged pedoclimates and products with valuable organoleptic qualities.