Ministry ofAgriculture of Georgia Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia CCooddee ooff GGoooodd AAggrriiccuullttuurraall PPrraaccttiicceess ooff GGeeoorrggiiaa Tbilisi, Georgia 2007 Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia Code of Good Agricultural Practices of Georgia Tbilisi 2007 1 CCCCCooooonnnnntttttrrrrriiiiibbbbbuuuuutttttiiiiinnnnnggggg EEEEExxxxxpppppeeeeerrrrrtttttsssss::::: David Bedoshvili Gizo Gogichaishvili Marina Gvinepadze Irine Tsomaia Zaur Julukhidze Petre Naskidashvili Avtandil Korakhashvili Alverd Chankseliani Alexander Mindorashvili Rusudan Khubutia Guram Aleksidze Goderdzi Goderdzishvili Michael Kutalashvili Leri Chakhava LLLLLeeeeegggggaaaaalllll EEEEEnnnnntttttiiiiitttttyyyyy uuuuunnnnndddddeeeeerrrrr ttttthhhhheeeee PPPPPuuuuubbbbbllllliiiiiccccc LLLLLaaaaawwwww ––––– TTTTThhhhheeeee WWWWWooooorrrrrlllllddddd BBBBBaaaaannnnnkkkkk FFFFFiiiiinnnnnaaaaannnnnccccceeeeeddddd GGGGGeeeeeooooorrrrrgggggiiiiiaaaaannnnn AAAAAgggggrrrrriiiiicccccuuuuullllltttttuuuuurrrrreeeee DDDDDeeeeevvvvveeeeelllllooooopppppmmmmmeeeeennnnnttttt PPPPPrrrrrooooojjjjjeeeeeccccctttttsssss CCCCCoooooooooorrrrrdddddiiiiinnnnnaaaaatttttiiiiiooooonnnnn CCCCCeeeeennnnnttttteeeeerrrrr (((((PPPPPCCCCCCCCCC)))))::::: Ioseb Murvanidze, Nino Inasaridze TTTTThhhhheeeee WWWWWooooorrrrrlllllddddd BBBBBaaaaannnnnkkkkk: Darejan Kapanadze © 2007. Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia. 2 STATEMENT of Petre Tsiskarishvili, Minister of Agriculture of Georgia and David Tkeshelashvili, Minister of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia on publication of the Code of Good Agricultural Practices of Georgia Georgia is one of the countries with oldest agriculture. Over thousands of years Georgian peasant had been caring for and protecting the environment in which he lived and worked. His tireless labor resulted in the creation of a number of varieties of crops and animal species. Georgia’s agricultural landscapes, that have developed through harmonizing agriculture with cultural life and natural settings, are attracting viewers from all over the World with their variety and unique beauty. Unfortunately, nowadays even some basic rules of agricultural practice are not being followed in many farms of Georgia, resulting in environment pollution and exhaustion of natural resources. The scale of soil erosion in agricultural plots has dramatically increased, soil fertility has dropped, pests, deceases and weeds have spread and surface and ground waters as well as air have got polluted. All the aforesaid endangers human health, future sustainability of agricultural production and development of tourism. The Constitution of Georgia requires from the citizens to take care of natural and cultural environment of the country. The State in its turn assumes responsibility for ensuring efficient nature management and while taking into consideration economic and ecological interests of population of Georgia obligates everyone - including agricultural producers - to protect the environment. The Law on Environment Protection of Georgia (1997) requires utilization of mineral fertilizers as well as growth stimulating of plant protection preparations within the limits that do not endanger human health as well as plants, animals, nature and soil. The Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia and the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia hereby present the Code of Good Agricultural Practices of Georgia. The proposed document aims at providing information on environment friendly agricultural production rules and increasing public awareness of the importance of adhering to them. Notwithstanding the fact that the Code is not a legally binding act, it is of crucial importance in terms of socio-economic development of the country and its integration into the EU. The Code of Good Agricultural Practices compiles obligations prescribed by law, recommendations, and practical advice noteworthy for small farms alike large agricultural enterprises, providers of agricultural service and extension – i.e. for everyone related to agricultural production and environment protection. By developing and introducing the Code of Good Agricultural Practices, Georgia has made a step forward towards harmonizing with the environment friendly agricultural practices introduced in the EU and other developed countries. Georgia is willing to support further development of agricultural sector and as well as take care of environment protection and sustainable utilization of natural resources. Signed by: Petre Tsiskarishvili David Tkeshelashvili Minister of Agriculture of Georgia Minister of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia 3 Table of Contents 1. Introduction 5 3.3.5. Using manure in agriculture 32 1.1. Essentialis, Importance and 3.3.6. Manure and slurry as pollution Purpose of the Code 5 sources in agriculture 33 1.2. Brief overview of the history 3.3.7. Biological waste management and present status of the in animal husbandry 34 Georgian agriculture 5 3.4. Plant protection from pests 35 1.3. Types of farms, production 3.4.1. Legal framework 35 and landownership structure 3.4.2. Methods of Plant Protection 36 in Georgia 8 3.4.3. Threats from pesticide 2. Soil protection from erosion application 36 and degradation 9 3.4.4. Types and preparations of 2.1. The present status of the soil pesticides 36 cover in Georgia 9 3.4.5. Pesticide purchase and labeling 37 2.2. National legal framework 3.4.6. Safe transportation and for soil protection 10 storage of pesticides 38 2.3. Water erosion 11 3.4.7. Safe use of pesticides 38 2.4. Wind erosion 13 3.4.8. Personal safety of operators 40 2.5. Soil chemical reaction (pH) 16 3.4.9. Safe disposal of pesticide waste 41 2.6. Chemical degradation of soil 17 3.5. Protection of the environment 2.7. Degradation of the soil from pollution from sewage physical structure 17 water and waste 43 2.8. Soil salinization 18 3.5.1. Legal framework 43 3. Protection of water from 3.5.2. Waste from primary processing agricultural pollution 19 of agricultural produce 43 3.1. Introduction 19 3.5.3. Reduction of waste in 3.2. Application and storage of processing units 44 fertilizers 19 3.5.4. Human domestic waste 44 3.2.1. Plant nutrition 19 3.5.5. Application of sewage and sludge 3.2.2. Mineral fertilizers 22 for irrigation and fertilization 47 3.2.3. Soil fertility management 24 3.5.6. The passing of effluent from 3.2.4. Estimation of fertilizer fish production ponds to application rate 24 urface water 47 3.2.5. Dates and methods of 4. Protection of atmospheric air 48 fertilizer application 25 4.1. Introduction 48 3.2.6. System of fertilizer use in 4.2. Emission of ammonia and other crop rotations 26 odorous substances 49 3.2.7. Practical recommendations to 4.3. Emission of greenhouse gasses 49 reduce the loss of nutritive 4.4. Air pollution caused by the elements in the soil 27 application of pesticides 50 3.2.8. Environment protection 4.5. Pollution of air by dust and smoke 52 measures 28 5. Glossary 53 3.2.9. Influence of fertilizers on 6. Relevant Legal Acts 54 yield quality and food safety 28 6.1. Plant protection 54 3.2.10. Purchase and storage 6.2. Soil protection 55 of fertilizers 29 6.3. Water protection 55 3.3. Organic fertilizers and management 6.4. Protection of Atmospheric Air 56 of biological waste in Animal 6.5. Land Property 56 husbandry 30 6.6. Livestock laws 56 3.3.1. Introduction 30 6.7. Other Laws 57 3.3.2. Organic fertilizers 30 7. Laboratories Accredited 3.3.3. Rotted manure 31 by the Accreditation 3.3.4. Slurry 32 Centre of Georgia 58 4 Introduction 1.1. Essentialis, Importance and Purpose of the Code The Code of Good Agricultural Practice (CGAP) contains legal obligations, recommendations and practical advice envisaged for individual growers and farmers, large agricultural companies, agriculture service and extension employees and for everyone who is involved in agricultural production and preservation of the rural environment. The aims of the CGAP is to reduce the negative influence of farming on the environment to prevent the irrational use and impoverishment of the main natural resources (soil, water and air) and to promote environmentally friendly practices in Georgia. As in the European Union (EU) and other developed countries, implementation of the Code of Good Agriculture Practice (CGAP) is voluntary in Georgia. CGAP comprises all main sectors of agricultural activities that are critical in causing water, air, and soil pollution. It gives advice for the prevention or decrease of pollution. A successful implementation of CGAP has to be based on three integrated basic principles, which can be defined as economically viable, environmentally friendly, and socially acceptable. Introduction of environment-friendly agricultural practices will facilitate not only production of quality and healthy food, but also conservation of biodiversity, improvement of the environment for living and recreation, promotion of Georgian agricultural products in international markets and the growth of attractiveness of Georgia’s agricultural landscapes for tourists. The recommendations and practical advice provided in the Georgian CGAP are placed in the frame of the national legislature, which is less restrictive in terms of environment protection compared to that of the EU-member countries. Nevertheless, the code represents the first attempt to harmonize the Georgian agricultural practices with the production rules and standards adopted in the EU and other developed countries. By developing the Code, Georgia is conforming to the Nitrate Directive EEC/91/676, which binds the EU member-countries in having a code of good agricultural practice to reduce the negative impact of agriculture on the environment. The recommendations and practical advice of the Georgian CGAP are based on the recent scientific achievements and modern production practices of Georgia and provide for environmental protection in the rural areas. The Code is subject to regular updates and revision that will accommodate expected changes associated with the scientific, as well as social, economic and political development of the country. The Georgian CGAP is acknowledged as a statement of goodwill by Georgia to promote further agricultural development without causing ecologically adverse consequences on the national, regional, and global scales. 1.2. Brief overview of the history and present status of the Georgian agriculture The Georgians have been cultivating land since the ancient times. The diversity of the climate and the rich soils supported a great variability of crop production. Herodotus mentioned in the 5th century BC that the population of the eastern coast of the Black Sea used ploughs and acknowledged the importance of rotating cereals with legume crops for maintaining soil fertility. Georgia has old traditions in viticulture. Archeological excavation provides evidence that the local population was engaged in wine-making in the 3rd-4th centuries BC. Up to 500 local grape varieties are still preserved in Georgia. The Caucasus and Western Asia belong to the area where wheat was believed to have originated. Three out of 12 wild or cultural varieties of wheat have been preserved only in Georgia: Asli, Makha and Zanduri. 5 Photo 1: Grape harvest in Kakheti Photo 2: Akhaltskhe Red Doli wheat The total area of Georgia is 69.7 thousand km2. The lowlands and foothills occupy about 13% and 33% of its area respectively, while the remaining 54% is occupied by mountains. The arable land is about 790 thousand ha (11.5%), while the permanent crops cover about 268 thousand ha (3.8%). Hay meadows spread over 142 thousand ha, while the pastures occupy 1,800 thousand ha. All agricultural lands along with forests occupy as much as 85% of the total area of Georgia. The environment of Georgia is characterized with a diversity of soils and climate expressed in vertical belts. All climate types ranging from wet and dry subtropical to permafrost are found in Georgia. Various soil types have been identified in the country starting from red and yellow podzols, which is typical for wet subtropics, through grey-brown soils of the dry subtropics and primitive soils of the high mountains. According to the variability of the environment, Georgia is subdivided to 13 zones and 6 sub-zones which have different agricultural specializations. The lowlands of East Georgia receive about 400-600 mm of rainfall during the growing season, which hardly sufficient for plant production. The annual precipitation increases from East to West, towards the Black Sea, and reaches 1,500-1,200 mm in the coastal zone. Most of the East Georgian lowlands used to be irrigated, pre-dominantly by flooding. The present status of the irrigation system is unsatisfactory and most of it is not functioning. As a result, most of the crops are grown under dry-land conditions in the East. In the West, all crops are rain-fed so irrigation is not used because of the sufficient and excessive rainfall. The variability of soils and climate in Georgia provides for opportunities for growing many different crops. Georgia can produce crops of high export potential, such as seed and stone fruits, grape, citruses, tea, nuts, hazelnuts and chestnut. The Georgian environment is very favorable for growing sugar beet, tobacco, cereals, forage, potato, sunflower, vegetables, and melons, as well as for producing of various aromatic and medicinal plants. Tea, citruses, sub-tropical fruits, nuts, chestnut and tobacco areas are mostly located in West Georgia. West Georgia is rich in rare grape varieties, which are used for the production of expensive wines. Among the annual crops in the West, maize is the most widespread and there are a number of local food varieties. Maize is often inter-planted with kidney beans. The soybean area has also 6 increased during recent times. Most of the seed, stone fruit and grape areas are located in East Georgia. The major field crops of East Georgia are winter wheat and sunflower. Maize for feed, beans and alfalfa are sown frequently in irrigated areas. Potato and barley are important crops in the mountain areas of West and East Georgia. The irrigated part of South Georgia is specialized in early vegetables and early potato growing. Large areas of Georgia are covered by meadows and pastures which provides favorable conditions for the development of livestock production. Cattle, sheep and pig production have always been important sectors in Georgian agriculture and there are several high capacity poultry farms in Georgia. Besides livestock, Georgian honey is known for its outstanding quality and Georgia has resources for the development of fish production. There are about 856 lakes and 44 artificial water reservoirs, with total area of about 8,800 and 7,800 ha, respectively. Also, there are numerous rivers with 1400 ha suitable for fishing. The production of fruits is less than half of what it was before the disintegration of the Soviet Union and disruption of the ties with Georgia’s traditional markets. Grape production is a third, citruses one eight and tea has declined by 20-times. According to official data, namely the Agricultural Census of 20041, the area of fruit production was as big as 130.5 thousand ha in 1988, but has declined to as little as 37 thousand ha. During the same period, the area of grapes has reduced from 117.7 ha to 37.7 thousand ha, citrus from 27.1 ha to 8.7 thousand ha and tea plantations from 65 ha to 11.5 thousand ha. In contrast, the area under annual crops, such as maize, wheat and sunflower has almost doubled. Nevertheless, the total area of utilized arable land has decreased from 785 to 421 thousand ha, which is largely due to reduction of the area under feed crops (from 344.8 to 20.3 thousand ha). There was significant reduction in the numbers of cattle during the same period from 1,650 thousand to 1,250 thousand. For pigs and sheep the numbers reduced from 1,150 to 730 thousand and 2,000 to 700 thousand respectively. Farmers experienced significant problems with increased prices on inputs and decreased prices on commodities as a result of the collapse of the centralized supply system of the Soviet Union and transition to free market. The competitiveness of the Georgian agricultural products was adversely affected as was the income of Georgian farmers. Following the break-up of the Soviet agricultural system many farms in Georgia are now managed inefficiently because of land fragmentation, lack of machinery, deficit of good quality seed and planting material, and often the inefficiency is due to the lack of appropriate farming knowledge and experience. The produce from such farms is inferior compared to imported products in terms of quality and competitiveness. Most farmers, especially the small ones, use minimal or no agricultural inputs. In the 1980s about 600 thousand tones of mineral fertilizer and up to 800 thousand tones of peat were used in Georgia annually, as well as 3.5 million tones of manure, which were collected from local cattle and poultry farms. By mid the 1990s, only 12 thousand tones of mineral fertilizer were applied, while manure was not even collected. At present, growth of fertilizer application is being observed; however the amount of applied fertilizer is far below of the amount applied in the 1980s. Sole application of nitrogen has become characteristic of many farms. The drastic reduction of the amount of applied fertilizer has negatively affected the balance of the nutritive elements and fertility of soils in Georgia. Similar to fertilizers, the application of pesticides has also declined. As much as 35 thousand tones of pesticides were applied in the 1980s, while not more than 1 thousand tones were applied in mid 1990s. 1 Agricultural Census of Georgia – Ministry pf Economic Development of Georgia. Tbilisi 2005. 7 Historically, as well as during the Soviet period, much attention was paid to crop rotation and its importance in maintaining soil fertility and controlling weeds and pests. Nowadays, seed rotation is almost abandoned as it is hard to apply it to small pieces of land. Undeveloped marketing channels restrict the choice of cash-crops and farmers cannot afford to plant crops that provide little or no income but which are necessary for the improvement of soil productivity and for controlling weeds and pests, e.g. green manure and cover crops. Therefore mono-culture has spread widely in Georgia which requires higher amounts of inputs and reduces significantly the competitiveness of agricultural production and environmental sustainability. Many farmers do not pay sufficient attention to safety rules while working with fertilizers and pesticides, which results in the pollution of the environment. It is often found in rural areas that sewage and waste water from residential buildings and livestock farms are directed to rivers and other surface water bodies without treatment. Although the application of fertilizers and pesticides has declined in Georgia, the agricultural sector remains an important source of pollution. The importance of observing sanitary and hygienic standards in regard to food safety must also be emphasized. The degradation of agricultural land has been progressing at a high rate in Georgia since the beginning of the last century. The total area of arable land diminished by as much as 400 thousand ha from 1936 to 1988, caused mostly by erosion. The area of degraded forests is about 330 thousand ha. The illegal cutting of forest amounted to as much as 200 thousand m3, which has caused damage estimated at 4 million GEL. 1.3. Types of farms, production and landownership structure in Georgia The introduction of the system of collective and state farms by the Soviet government in 1929 to 1930 radically altered the traditional structure of landownership in Georgia. Most of the agricultural land was transferred to big farms, which employed modern large-scale machinery and equipment and high amounts of the inputs were supplied under the centralized investment program. A land privatization reform is ongoing in Georgia since 1992 so that agricultural land is being transferred back to farmers. At the beginning of the land reform process, 681.1 thousand families, who were the former employees of the state and collective farms, received on average about 1.25 ha of land in private property. In total, they received as much as 772.6 thousand ha. Plots of land were also transferred to the rural population, which had not been engaged in agricultural production. Employees in the education, health care and cultural sectors received on average 0.51, 0.68 and 0.61 ha, respectively. The residents of urban areas, which were economically closely affiliated with rural areas, also received about 0.22 ha of land (about 329 thousand families)2. Since the adoption of the law ‘Lease of Agricultural Land’, about 825 thousand ha has been leased to legal entities and individual farmers. Out of this total area, 322.2 thousand ha was rented by 44 thousand individual farmers (in average 7.3 ha), while 5 thousand legal entities rented about 502.8 thousand ha (on average 100 ha). The land reform has resulted in drastic changes in the structure of land ownership. The former 2,063 big farms (including 821 collective and 1,029 state farms, 116 inter-farm associations and 28 farmer cooperatives) were abolished and replaced by new owners: private entrepreneurs, land tenants, small private farms, farmer groups etc. At present, the government is undertaking privatization of the remaining land. During 2 Khutishvili Koba, Akhalbedashvili Iveri – Results of the reform implemented in the agrarian sector of Georgia and the ways of overcoming the existing problems. http://www.csp.org.ge/ge/pages/ news.html (downloaded on August 25, 2006) 8 the Soviet era, there was about 7% of agricultural land in private use (not private ownership). While more than 25% of agricultural land was passed to private ownership and as much as 30% of agricultural land was leased to private farmers by 2003. According to the Agricultural Census of 2004, there are about 730 thousand private farms registered in Georgia, out of which 691.5 thousand farms own agricultural land (including hay- meadows and pastures). The share of small farms that use less than 1 ha of agricultural land is as much as 75%. About 23% of farms use from 1 to 5 ha land. Only 2% of farms use more than 5 ha land in agricultural production. The percentage of farms with less than 1 ha of arable land is almost 85%, while the proportion of farms with more than 5 ha arable land is only 1%. Among the vegetable, fruit, grape, citrus and melon producing farms the share of small farms is even higher; horticultural enterprises including orchards of less than 1 ha are managed by almost 98- 99% of farmers involved in fruit, grape, citrus and melon production. Only 55% of the farms in Georgia keep cattle and of those 34% keep pigs. The overwhelming majority of the farms raising livestock are small. The share of farms having from 1 to 4 cattle is almost 86%; those farms having more than 100 cattle are owned by 47 farmers. The share of farms having 1-4 pigs is as big as 94%; only 8 farms have been registered with more than 100 pigs. The share of the big and medium size farms is higher among the sheep farms. The share of the small farms with 1-4 sheep is only 42%, while the share of those with 5-20 sheep is 46%. There are about 32 trout farms that produce 250 tons of trout per year and 128 lakes which cover as much as 2,650 ha and produce 550 tons of fish annually. In conclusion it is evident that small farms dominate in Georgia at present. Almost 82% of farms consume most of their own produce, while only 18% of farms sell most of their products in the market. 2. Soil protection from erosion and degradation 2.1. The present status of the soil cover in Georgia According to data of the 1980s, there are as much as 650 thousand ha of eroded pastures and 380 thousand ha of eroded arable land in Georgia. As much as 90 thousand ha of land is experiencing lateral erosion because of flooding caused by un-protected rivers. In total, more than 1 million ha are eroded, which as about a third of the total agricultural land. In East Georgia, soil erosion is caused by both wind and water, while in West Georgia water is the main cause of erosion. Overgrazing, cutting of tree shelterbelts, plowing of steep slopes and plowing down slopes has resulted in dramatic reductions of soil fertility. Increased soil salinity is observed on 7% of agricultural land. At present, large-scale secondary soil salinization is observed in the Alazani valley due to the malfunctioning drainage system and non-compliance of irrigation rules and dates. As much as 7-8% of agricultural land suffers from water-logging because of the malfunctioning drainage systems. Acid soils occupy about 11% of the agricultural land in Georgia. The area of the very acid soils, which cannot support viable agricultural production, has increased up to 37 thousand ha. During the last 15 years, the content of organic matter in the soils of Georgia has declined by 0.8-1.25%. More than 80% of the arable land is deficient in phosphorus, while 60-70% is deficient in potash. Soil fertility is managed inefficiently on many farms without observing elementary rules or, application of fertilizers is completely abandoned due to an absence of appropriate machinery or knowledge. Very few soil tests are conducted which are necessary in order to recommend the type of fertilizers to be applied and their application rates. 9