The Government of the province of Buenos Aires today formalized the creation of the Buenos Aires Soils Provincial Good Agricultural Practices Program, with the aim of promoting the recovery and improvement of the fields, and contributing to sustainable local development and rural roots. Through Resolution 48/2021 of the Ministry of Agrarian Development, published today in the Official Gazette of the district.

The Program seeks to encourage sustainable production based on caring for the soil and the responsible application of agrochemicals, based on dissemination, training on the subject, certifications and economic incentives.

Thus, it was determined that those human or legal persons who comply with the adoption of good agricultural practices (GAP) in the agricultural production that they develop will be able to register.

Applicants must present an analysis that establishes the state of the soil of the agricultural production units, the results of which will enable them to present a three-year work plan for each agricultural production unit with the objective of implementing GAP that will improve the suitability of the soil.

“The design of the plan should contemplate the realization of a crop rotation that guarantees a positive balance in terms of carbon fixation in the soil; practices to avoid water and wind erosion; and the implementation of actions leading to the gradual reduction of the use of agrochemicals in production, “said the measure.

It also establishes the formation of a network of territorial agents for the implementation and interjurisdictional and intersectoral coordination of the Program, through the articulation with private and public actors, at the municipal, provincial and national levels, that adhere to the Program.

Territorial agents must provide technical assistance to producers for their incorporation into the Program, and the preparation of a feasibility evaluation report for the three-year work plan.

Once this plan is approved, the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture will determine the incorporation of applicants to the program and their registration in the Registry and then the fulfillment of the proposed goals will be corroborated, after which the Directorate of Cereals and Oilseeds will prepare a report recommending or not the categorization of the producer registered as active.

“Registered producers will be able to access the incentives that are granted under the Program, as well as the benefits that are agreed with other organizations,” the resolution indicated.

Among the incentives, we highlight “a non-refundable contribution that will be calculated according to 75% of the following scale: for agricultural production units of up to 600 hectares the equivalent of 10% of the real estate rate; for agricultural production units of 601 and 1,000, the equivalent of 6%, and for agricultural production units of 1,001 hectares onwards, with a maximum ceiling of 5,000, 3% of the real estate rate. “