The native vegetation remains on the banks of the rivers that cross the only nine banana farms in Ecuador that maintain the environmental certification of the global network of the Alliance for the Custody of Water (AWS, for its acronym in English) on the sustainable management of this resource. The endorsement is given by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) through a plan.
These farms located in Guayas and Los Ríos, and whose production is destined for export, are 43% of the 21 farms with this certification worldwide. In rural areas there is the custom of cultivating even felling the banks of the rivers, on the edges; harmful practice, says Victoria Mena, officer of the WWF-Ecuador Biotrade and Markets program.
With the reforestation of the edges, corridors are formed in which wildlife of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds can already be observed.
The objective is to promote a responsible, social, equitable, environmental, sustainable and economically beneficial stewardship of water and soil.
“It is a very challenging certification and different from others, since it not only focuses on the site where the farm is located, but also on the watershed. So, having these two scopes, some steps have to be taken to achieve it, including maintaining constant communication with the actors of the basin that are outside the farm. A lot of novel processes with which productive activities are not normally related”, says Mena.
They are quite demanding guidelines to manage water resources in economic, social and environmental areas. “It is a standard certification designed to be applied in all industries and companies. It was universally thought of in this way to really have an impact on water conservation,” adds Mena.
The process includes five steps. The first is to collect information related to water in the place where the farm is located and from the watershed. The second is to commit to water stewardship and come up with a plan. The third is implementation. The fourth is to evaluate execution. The fifth, to socialize the results with the different actors of the corresponding basin.
Seven of those certified in Ecuador are part of the WWF Sustainable Banana Production project, the banana company Dole Food Company and the German supermarket chain EDEKA.
“We implement good agricultural practices, such as principles of conservation of natural ecosystems, management of water resources, cultivation of waste management, climate change and social and labor issues. This shows how conventional banana production can move towards sustainability and provide added value compared to its competition in the rest of the world,” says Mena.
The fruit from these farms is identified on the shelves with the panda bear seal (symbol of the WWF), which allows consumers to see when there is a responsible production of a product, which is valued in markets such as the European Union.
One of the results of environmental care in the midst of banana crops is that the return of wildlife, such as sloths and ocelots, has already been captured.
A concrete action was the implementation of post-harvest water recirculators, which has achieved a one-third reduction in the amount of water used in processing. “Banana production also uses a lot of water in irrigation, production, cultivation; and equipment, procedures or methodologies are not normally used to measure temperature, humidity, etc., which could reduce the amount of liquid used in irrigation. So, that is something that is also being ventured into in the project”, indicates Mena.
Wendy Alvarado, Certification Manager at Dole Ecuador, assures that the water stewardship programs worked on reforesting the upper basin of the Guayas River to have a greater impact on the lower parts, which receive the sediments produced by human, agricultural and agricultural activities. and industry.
Another practice is elimination of herbicide use in conventional banana production with manual weed management. “It is an environmental commitment that the farms have chosen that requires the hiring of additional personnel.”
Besides, it’s the increase in vegetation cover, which is not usual in banana plantations, with the planting of creeping plants that cause better fertility and soil composition.
“Certification teaches us, for example, that it is not only the quality of the water that has to be protected, but also the quantity. So, first we deal with issues of contamination, that all the correct water analyzes are carried out, but also understand how much water there is, with measurement mechanisms, and how much is being used”, indicates Mena.
The reforestation of the riverbanks and the retreat of the crops is crucial, since the crops have pest and disease management processes with the use of pesticides with chemical components that filter into the tributaries, he adds.
As there is no native vegetation, therefore, there are no containment barriers. “Besides, they also maintain a certain structure in the soil to prevent a lot of erosion and thus change the rivers. This is extremely important for the biodiversity of fresh water and the state of conservation of the water resource”. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
