Mediterranean agriculture - Problems and prospects
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 25 January 1983 (23rd Sitting) (see Doc. 5001. report of the Committee on Agriculture). Text adopted by the Assembly on 25 January 1983 (23rd Sitting).
- Thesaurus
The Assembly,
1. Considering the results of its Parliamentary Hearing on Mediterranean agriculture, held in Palma de Mallorca in March 1982 and other recent relevant work of the Assembly, such as on aquaculture development ;
2. Aware of the large, and widening, disparities in productivity, as well as social and other conditions, besetting agriculture within the Mediterranean region ;
3. Concerned about the situation in arid, mountainous and remote regions, and in many Mediterranean islands- areas where the lack of manpower, investment, transportation and local markets for agricultural produce is felt with particular severity ;
4. Perturbed by the continued destruction of forest areas in the Mediterranean- caused by fires and excessive felling- and by the consequences this has for soil preservation, employment in rural regions, and possibly, in the longer term, the climate itself,
5. Calls on member states to promote the gradual modification of agricultural production in northern and southern Europe, so as to have the entire region benefit as much as possible from comparative advantages resulting from its variety of climates, soils and other conditions of production ;
6. Invites member states concerned to consider, within the context of paragraph 5 above, inter alia the following measures :
6.1 to seek agreement among member states for a sharing out of the periods in which they market their fruits and vegetables in northern Europe and other export markets ;
6.2 to ensure that subsidies for olive oil production are above all given to poorer regions, and to encourage production of nuts and dried fruit in these areas in order to diversify their agricultural base ;
6.3 to promote animal production in arid Mediterranean regions by introducing, inter alia, new drought-resistant forage varieties- thus reducing the region's excessive dependence on imported animal feedstuff ;
6.4 to promote seed production in Mediterranean areas, thus reducing the area's need for imports ;
7. Recalls the fundamental importance of regional planning measures and in particular the creation of zones reserved for agriculture ;
8. Supports efforts to increase irrigation in Mediterranean agriculture, but warns of the consequences of continued reduction of the ground-water level, particularly in many islands ;
9. While wishing to strengthen family farming as a fundamental part of life in the areas concerned, stresses the necessity of improving the structure of Mediterranean holdings- which at present are often too small or dispersed to allow rational production- and hopes that the European Community will in future devote a larger share of its resources to this end ;
10. Strongly encourages the formation of cooperatives in Mediterranean areas to improve production, distribution and marketing, and facilitate the spread of innovations ;
11. Favours the application of advanced technology for the needs of Mediterranean agriculture - in particular from fields such as biology, weather forecasting and observation of soil, etc. by "remote sensing" via satellite ;
12. Calls for a large-scale programme of forest-fire prevention and reforestation in the region to reduce soil erosion, help restore a less arid climate, and provide alternative employment for the rural population.
