Pasvalys biogas and bioethanol production company ‘Kurana’ together with one of the most famous environmental protection organizations ‘Birdlife’ has launched an initiative that will encourage farmers to farm more sustainably, with more active participation in ecoschemas.
The project ‘Harmone with nature’ is intended to encourage as many farmers as possible to live in harmony with nature – to protect biodiversity, conserve natural resources, and introduce advanced agriculture practices on their farms.
According to Jurgis Polujanskas, CEO of Kuranas, with this initiative the company aims to create a sustainable value chain – from the field to the final product.
The company located in Pasvalys produces products without waste and adheres to high environmental requirements in the production process. The bioethanol produced in ‘Kurana’ emits as much as 80 percent into the environment. less carbon dioxide than mineral fuel, so it is an effective way to reduce transport pollution. Now the company is taking another step – it encourages farmers who supply raw materials to the factory to choose more sustainable farming.
‘Only by being in harmony with nature will we be able to be proud to have created a successful business. Every year our company buys 169 thousand tons of non-food grains from farmers – we want this raw material to be grown in accordance with high environmental standards, and for nature and Biodiversity would not be harmed. For this purpose, we have joined forces with one of the most famous environmental protection organizations, Birdlife, which will help farmers choose the path of sustainable agriculture with their knowledge and competences,’ said J. Polujanskas.
Ecoschemas – an opportunity to create a sustainable farm
Liutauras Raudonikis, director of the Lithuanian Ornithological Society, which represents Birdlife in our country, noted that due to intensive agriculture, the landscape of the village is changing – meadows and bushes are decreasing, so it is increasingly difficult for birds to find food and places for transition.
According to the ornithologist, it is important that farmers become allies of nature – feel their responsibility and protect nature. Farmers can now participate in ecosystems – these are environmental measures that farmers can apply in exchange for additional payments in order to contribute to more environmentally friendly agriculture.
Farmers can choose various ecoschemas – for example, growing intermediate plants, maintaining perennial meadows, doing non-till farming, etc. However, according to the data of the National Payment Agency, out of 111.2 thousand farms declaring agricultural land and crops, only about 44.3 thousand (approximately 40%) participates in ecosystems.
According to agricultural specialists, farmers do not show much enthusiasm, because the requirements of ecoschemas are often complex and confusing, and there are a number of administrative challenges. According to J. Polujanskas, the joint project of ‘Kurana’ and ‘BirdLife’ aims to interest farmers from participating in ecosystems. Therefore, ‘Kurana’ first turned to farmers who supply grain to the company.
Farmers were asked to fill out questionnaires about participation in ecosystems. If farmers apply ecoschems and they cover larger areas than the necessary requirements, then they claim valuable ‘Kurana’ prizes, from awards and free agricultural consultations to excursions and tickets to basketball competitions.
In the long run, it is intended to expand the scope of the project by expanding the knowledge and competences of farmers, motivating them to implement sustainable agriculture practices on their farms.
