Role of Sustainable Agriculture in Environmental Protection

Sustainable agriculture means growing food in a way that will not reduce that quality of the product, while production itself will have a minimum impact on natural resources and the environment, without affecting the natural relationships within the ecosystem. With sustainable agriculture we try to preserve ecosystem values without reducing the quality of the produce.

The purpose of this manner of food production is to preserve the natural resources for future generations through their rational use. The main principles of this system are: healthy environment, economic profitability, social equality and economic development.

An important goal in sustainable agriculture is for each participant in the product: farmers, distributors, sellers and customers to know the origin and the region of the products and the way they are grown. The most usual methods applied in this type of production are: use of local varieties and seeds, minimum impact and pressure on the soil, minimum use of water, reduced pollution and release of waste waters.

Rice production is the main feature of the central part of the Bregalnica region. The traditional way of growing rice unfortunately requires huge quantities of water and the use of pesticides. The rice fields themselves emit large quantities of greenhouse gases, which additionally pollute the environment. By acquainting the local population with new, modern and sustainable methods of rice production, farmers notice the difference in the use of resources compared to the quantity and quality of produced rice. By being closer to sustainable agriculture, farmers are directly involved in the protection of their environment.

This system promotes healthy food with known origins, strengthens the local economy, protects autochthonous and rare varieties, reduces migration to urban areas and improves life in urban areas.