|
|
 |
Everything about Maize > Maize & the Environment
Sustainable and Environmentally-Friendly Farming
With experience, farmers have learnt how to fertilise and protect maize using more targeted products with new ingredients that are effective at low doses and do not damage the environment. This is referred to as “integrated farming”, and is gradually becoming common practice. It is environmentally friendly, produces a good yield and quality products. Best farming practices are being more widely adopted and substantial and continual improvements have been made in this area. Contrary to commonly held ideas, maize growers use water intelligently and sparingly, taking great care not to waste water and not to pollute it.
 Target: Zero Pollution
|
| | Maize is a crop which requires very little treatment. The pesticides used in maize farming are mainly weed-killers which are spread on the ground. By using minimum dose levels and taking into account outside factors (e.g. wind and humidity), maize farmers can avoid risks likely to contaminate surface water.
Maize absorbs only small quantities of nitrogen, mainly between June and August which is when nitrogen is released from the organic matter in the soil and reaches maximum levels. This is an advantage. Maize farmers divide up nitrogen input, adjusting the doses required to the needs of the plants throughout the growth cycle and avoiding any surplus. In the future, if French farmers are able to use GMOs (as is already the case for farmers in the US and Spain), the levels of insecticides required will be even lower and water consumption will be reduced. |
|
OK, Maize does like Water, but only in Summer! |
| | ![]() |
Maize drinks too much water, according to the critics. But they’ve got the story wrong. Maize actually consumes only small quantities of water, in any case much less than other common crops, such as rice, wheat or potatoes, to name just the top three. But the peak demand for water is when maize flowers, i.e. midsummer, when there is often a water shortage. Maize does not drink much, but it drinks when everyone is thirsty!
Maize farmers have been genuine pioneers as citizens with an ecological conscience and for more than fifteen years have been practising integrated water management. They have installed equipment for efficient crop irrigation so that the plants are given only the amount of water they need. Many farmers have water meters and can comply fully with programmes restricting water consumption. Farmers know just how valuable water is and do everything they can to save it. Initiatives that can be highlighted include joint water management by a number of maize farmers who can set up “water towers” and avoiding tapping simultaneously. During the 2003 heat wave, maize farmers agreed to sacrifice part of their crop so as to share the limited water supply with their fellow citizens. More recently, maize farmers met to draw up, implement and distribute a charter for irrigating farmers where they make voluntary undertakings which are specific and binding commitments designed to save water. |
|
A Binding Commitment… |
| | Another initiative by maize growers in France, is the charter on integrated maize farming in France. The charter complies with integrated farming objectives, with practices that are both efficient and environmentally-friendly. The charter has to be submitted to authorised bodies for approval for implementation. For maize producers, this is a voluntary commitment on traceability. The “integrated maize farming charter” is moving towards definitions for each situation, stage by stage, setting down the best farming methods for proper protection of the environment. It is based on a clear technical manual which sets downs the “golden rules” for efficient and socially responsible maize farming. Both maize-growers and the general public should reap benefits, with proper transparency in practices, an environmentally friendly approach and greater safety for all concerned. Maize growers seeking recognition for integrated farming have to prove they comply with the different points in the Charter, and there is a voluntary undertaking on traceability. Environmental practices set down in the Charter are often binding and incur additional expenditure and time for maize growers. A number of farmers have therefore said that local authorities should pay compensation so that the charter can be implemented as quickly and as widely as possible as a community-based effort.
|
... with incalculable benefits |
| | Consumers and society at large will have the assurance that the farming has been conducted with a full commitment to transparency, respect for the environment and respect for consumers. The benefits expected for the community are incalculable, not just for ecology, but also for safety for each and every one of us. Ultimately, maize producers will also gain from this, enjoying a better image, being more open to the community and society, with a stronger market and greater value for their products, with excellent farming methods and effective results, satisfying the expectations of consumers and citizens. |
|
|
