Goals and activities
To carry out the cultivation, storage, and marketing of South Tyrolean fruits in an environmentally-conscious and consumer-friendly fashion and thus in particular to promote the ecologically sustainable cultivation of fruit in South Tyrol.
Agrios fruit from integrated cultivation
The work-group has activities throughout the territory of the province of South Tyrol.
All fruit-growers and marketers who commit to observing the guidelines can participate. It is necessary to renew participation on an annual basis.
Fruit coming from South Tyrol and complying with the guidelines is allowed to bear the designation “South Tyrolean fruit from integrated cultivation.”
AGRIOS carries out its activities in compliance with the relevant provincial laws and resolutions of the provincial government. It prepares the “Guidelines” for the integrated cultivation of pome fruit and for the harvesting, storage, and marketing of the fruit, and applies for their official approval.
At the beginning of each new fruit-growing year, producers and marketing agencies who wish to participate in the AGRIO program sign (according to the relevant guidelines) a written application at an independent certification body to participate in the program. Provided the fruit fulfills all applicable guidelines and regulations, the marketing agency can then use the designation “from integrated cultivation.”
Integrated agriculture – What does that mean?
Natural resources are used in a sustainable fashion, the soil’s fertility is preserved, and aids employed with care.
Integrated production includes all cultivation tasks carried out in the fruit orchard in the course of the year.
All measures must be noted in an operating book and are checked by an independent inspectorate.
Integrated agriculture is a natural and sustainable method of agriculture. Natural resources are used in a sustainable fashion, the soil’s fertility is preserved, and aids such as fertilizers and plant protectants used carefully.
Integrated production includes all cultivation tasks carried out in the fruit orchard in the course of the year and is thus a form of comprehensive operational management.
The choice of stock and planting system, the application of fertilizer, irrigation, pruning and support, regulating the amount of fruit hanging on the trees, and other measures all the way up to the use of plant protectants are all done in accordance with the principles and philosophy of integrated production.
And integrated production doesn’t stop when the harvest is over. No, even after picking the fruit – when grading and packaging the apples – the guidelines of integrated production have to be observed.
All measures must be noted in an operating book and are checked by an independent inspectorate.
All operations working according to integrated production principles have the same goal: The environmentally friendly and economically successful production of safe, healthy, and high-quality foods.