SOILPRO
LIFE08ENV/IT/000428
SOILPRO PROJECT
STEERING COMMITEE MEETING
ATHENS 26 SEPTEMBER 2013
Regione Siciliana
Assessorato delle Risorse Agricole e Alimentari
Dipartimento Interventi Infrastrutturali per l’agricoltura
Servizio VI - Assistenza Tecnica in Agricoltura, Programmazione e
Sistemi informativi
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
State of the Art
Main Activities:
Sample survey
In collaboration with Leader Partner two questionnaires have
been elaborated on the perception of the measures for
environmental protection in agriculture:
one is addressed to agricultural farm included in the Pilot
area of the project. The questionnaire regards the
management and protection of the soil
120 firm managers have been interviewed;
the other is more general and addressed to the citizen. This
general survey has been administered to about 300 people living
in the regional territory.
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
State of the Art
Main themes of the interviews:
 Information about the farm (location, soil use,
management, etc.,)
 Conservative measures undertaken (traditional or
extraordinary farming tecniques, advantages,
disadvantages.)
 Degree of knowledge of the measures planned
(CAP, RDP) for soil protection
 Services to the farms considered necessary by the
farmers.
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
State of the Art

In collaboration with Leader Partner two
databases have been created, in order to
elaborate the data resulting from the surveys.

Following the questionnaires, a report will be
created with the analysis of the perception by
the farmers and the general public of the
environmental measures of protection in
agriculture
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
State of the Art

Organization of a Workshop and a Round Table about
“Soil, Agriculture and Territory: a possible equilibrium”,
held at the University of Palermo on 17 dicembre 2012.
The Region of Sicily, the CRA-ABP, the University of
Palermo, the University "La Sapienza" of Rome, The
University of Messina, and 8 representatives of Sicilian
agricultural organizations discussed together with the
Sicilian land owners about soil protection and the Soilpro
project methodology to find the best soil protection
practices: more efficient and sustainable.
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
State of the Art
In collaboration with the University of Palermo and CRA - ABP the following
activities have been carried out:
Identifying representative sample areas with presence of
farms applying agri-environmental measures
 Population of database with target data on soil degradation
processes for Region Sicily
 Field trips for soil sampling
 Validation of snapshots of current soil conditions for Region
Sicily
 Monitoring of soil condition
 Compiling Survey Form concerning soil and crop
management in the farms
 Field surveys in the sample areas: comparison between
areas with or without agri-environmental measures
 Collection of soil samples – Physical and chemical analysis

SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
Pilot area of Sicily
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
State of the Art
The activities have been carried out in the pilot area of the
SOILPRO Project , within 46 representative survey areas.
For each survey area the soil macro-use has been
specified: arable soil, vineyards, olive groves, fruit orchards,
pastures, heterogeneous agricultural areas.
On the basis of the historical information, 211 land parcels
have been selected to study the agricultural management
during the latest 30 years, in order to estimate the
effectiveness of soil protection measures.
In the pilot area 118 pilot farms have been selected to
monitoring the soil
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
State of art.
The monitoring activity in the pilot farms has been carried out
in two phases:
The first phase regarded all the 118 pilot farms: it included
field analyses and interviews to the owners (Survey Form
concerning soil and crop management in the farms)
The second phase regards 15 farms that are considered
representative. In the pilot farms selected a field survey is
being carried out with a view to monitoring the soil.
The first field survey was carried out in March 2013.
It implied a comparison between five pilot farms applying
agro-environmental strategies, and five traditional farms.
In October 2013 the second field survey will take place.
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
Towards a Coordinate regional Plan for the protection of the
soil with special reference to the measures applied in agriculture
Within the RDP Sicily has recently taken two measures aimed
at the protection of the environment, the recovery and the
conservation of the traditional landscape.
 Measure 214 – Action 214/1G – Contrasting
hydrogeological instability and recovery of
traditional agricultural landscape
 Measure 216 – Action A2 – Non-productive
investments in farms (associated with Measure
214- Action 214/IG)
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
Towards a Coordinate regional Plan for the protection of the soil ….
The combined measures have aroused keen interest on the
part of the farms.
30 million € have been budgeted to help associated/single
farmers.
Out of 1531 requests for support, 1401 have been accepted
with a financing of about 25 million €
At the reopening of the terms, 358 other requests have been
presented (they are still been evaluated) .
The surface involved is about 8.000 Ha (out of 9.800 Ha of
terraced areas in the Messina province).
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
Area of interest
The actions 214/1G
e 216 /A2, are
applied only in
Nebrodi and
Peloritani mountains
for the terraced
areas cultivated with
hazelnuts, citrus,
olive, vine and
orchards.
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
Towards a Coordinate regional Plan for the protection of the soil ….
General aims of the Measure
Maintaining and recovery of terraces and ditches to enhance
water infiltration and reduce runoff and soil erosion
 Plantation and pruning of local tree species and
Mediterranean maquis, not only of agricultural interest,
to reduce fires risk
 Maintaining cover crop in orchards, without the use of
herbicide
 Interdiction of burning crop residues
chopping and crop residues burying
Abandoned terraces with landslides in
Messina province (Sicily)
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
The area between the Tyrrhenian and Ionian sides of the
Peloritani and Nebrodi mountains is characterized by a typical
agriculture performing its primary role in production, although
less than other agricultural contexts of Sicily, but it also plays
environmental and landscape functions, which currently are
gaining growing priority.
 In this area there are terraced agricultural systems which
play a productive role by creating flat soil surfaces and the
formation of fertile soil with a good storage capacity.
 These terraced areas play a valuable and irreplaceable
function against soil erosion and landslides by increasing the
time of surface water runoff

SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
Delimitation of the eligible areas for the application of the
measure
Map overlay - Area of interest: Municipalities characterized by
 High soil erosion risk
 High proportion of orchards
 Many terraced area
Vigilance Committee of RDP approved
the use of Soil Erosion Map of Sicily
produced by SoilPro Project as a part
of a Soil Protection Measure Plan for
Sicilian Region.
Nowadays it is used for the
environmental monitoring of RDP in
Sicily
Soil erosion risk
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
Area of interest and
terraced areas
Desertification risk
±
SICILIA
MESSINA PROVINCE
MUNICIPALITIES
TERRACING
0
25
50
Km
100
SOILPRO




Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
Main roles of the terraces
To provide the ecosystem services
they have a conservative role creating flat soil surfaces and
the formation of fertile soil with a good storage capacity.
These terraced areas play a valuable and irreplaceable
function against soil erosion and landslides by increasing
the time of surface water runoff
Biodiversity conservation - The visual identity of the
territories is a further positive value of these farming
systems. The identity is not only landscape but also the
presence of traditional crops such as Hazelnut, Citrus fruits,
Olive, Vines and Fruit trees. These crops are local ecotypes
often endangered of extinction
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
Towards a Coordinate regional Plan for the protection of the soil ….
Actions 214/1G and 216/A2
Compliances for the farmers (5 years )
0.5 hectares is the minimum farm area necessary to
participate to the measure
 Maintaining weeds controlled exclusively mechanically or
manually (at least 4 events per year; at least one of these
has to be carried out in late spring/early summer, depending
on altimetry, to contain vegetation to avoid fires risks)
 Containing mass tree, cutting and distributing residues on
site, removing and transferring them in case of pest problems
 Interdiction of chemical herbicides
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
SOILPRO
Actions 214/1G and 216/A2
Subsidies per year and per hectare
Crop
(€)
Hazelnut
400
Citrus
370
Vines
340
Olive
380
Orchards
360
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
Actions 214/1G and 216/A2
Eligible investments within Measure 216 – Action A2
 Extraordinary maintenance:
reconstruction of damaged
terraces and recovery of the surface water drainage
 Hazelnut groves: a project to rehabilitate non-productive
stumps has been planned in order to prevent fire risk,
to reduce soil erosion and desertification
(weeding, elimination of brambles, dead plants and dry
branches)
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
Actions 214/1G and 216/A2
Eligible costs within Measure 216 – Action A2

Planting non-productive crops on the empty areas
of the terraces, (due to fires or eradication of
dead plants) using mixed native plants, especially
the ones endangered, in order to prevent soil
erosion and desertification and improve
biodiversity and landscape protection
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
Actions 214/1G and 216/A2
Measure 216 – Action A2
Concentration of aids and expenditure ceilings
The aids are delivered as capital contributions and
amounted to 100% of the eligible cost of the
investments
The maximum contribution is 5.000,00 €/ha
However, the maximum expense per project
cannot go beyond 150.000,00 €
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
European and National Laws on Cross-compliance in Agriculture
of the Common Agricultural Policy
The Sicilian Region is obliged annually to define a list of
commitments to be applied locally and can decide with its owns
legislative measures the application of the rules and the
subdivision of its territory in homogeneous areas for
pedoclimatic characteristics, with the aim to adapt the national
measures and objectives to local conditions
Rules for the maintenance of areas in good agronomic and
environmental conditions
Rule 1 – Measures for soil protection
A Proposal of a regional action
To use the “Soil map erosion risk of Sicily” planned within the
Project SoilPro to determine the distance between the
drainage channels
SOILPRO
Regione Sicilia,
Assessorato Regionale delle Risorse Agricole ed Alimentari
Tasks:
 Realization of furrows (drainage channels)
every 100 meters in the areas classified
from 2 to 10 t\ha yearly erosion.
 Realization of furrows (drainage channels )
every 80 meters in the areas with erosion
above 10 t\ha yearly.
CAP 2014 -2020
Between 2014 and 2020, over EUR 100 billion will be
addressed to help farmers to cope with the soil and water
quality, biodiversity and climate change

At least 30% of the rural development
programmes' budget will have to be allocated to agrienvironmental measures, support for organic farming
or projects associated with environmentally friendly
investment or innovation measures
CAP 2014 -2020
RDP Sicily 2014 -2020
The Regional staff of Soilpro is going to
propose a new AEM based on the informations
coming from the Project :
“Sod-seeding and minimum tillage for wheat
(Triticum durum) in areas with clay soils”
with the aim of increasing the organic matter
and carbon sequestration in the soil and
reduce CO2 emissions and soil erosion.
Thank you for your attention !