SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Dec. 14 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Ministry of Ecological Transition, the Fight against Climate Change and Territorial Planning of the Government of the Canary Islands has approved an increase of 686,260.50 euros in funds for the project ‘Improving knowledge of climate change and proposals for climate action measures for the agricultural sector of Canarias’, aimed at the protection and sanitation of the cultivation of the vine on the islands. This initiative will be developed in collaboration with the regional Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.
The regional councilor responsible for the Area, José Antonio Valbuena, explained that with this increase in spending the total budget for this initiative will rise to about 1.3 million euros (1,285,699.20 euros) distributed in annual payments until the year 2025. .
Valbuena explained that this decision is caused by the “confirmation that this type of crop is suffering the effects of climate change and its viability and that of the agrosystems related to it are being put at risk”, and recalled that it is almost 5,000 hectares of green surface present on all the islands.
For his part, the Deputy Minister for the Fight against Climate Change and Ecological Transition, Miguel Ángel Pérez, explained that the protection of agricultural biodiversity is at risk due to climate variation and the appearance of new pathogens, which is why he considers it essential to increase the investment to safeguard the cultivation of grapes on the islands.
“The climatic variation that will foreseeably exist in the Canary Islands and that is already beginning to become evident, apart from influencing the physiological state of the vine, affects the plant health of the crop, and the development of new measures that can mitigate the development of pathogens in the vine, guaranteeing the longevity and good production of the crop”, pointed out Miguel Ángel Pérez.
To carry out this action, the Vice-Ministry for the Fight against Climate Change and Ecological Transition has agreed to give continuity to the company Gestión del Medio Rural de Canarias SA (GMR Canarias) for its long experience in the agricultural world and for knowing the issue in depth and have developed a pilot project on climate change and vine cultivation sanitation.
Among the actions to be carried out are the evaluation and analysis of vulnerabilities, risks and expected impacts on the islands’ crops, paying special attention to those of greatest socioeconomic importance, as well as the creation of a system of specific indicators for monitoring the risks linked to agriculture and livestock, in addition to risk mapping in the face of agro-climatic events and the sanitation of vine cultivation for at least 15 local varieties (Listán Blanco, Listán Negro, Marmajuelo, Negramoll, Malvasía aromatica, Tintilla, Vijariego Negro , Gual, Baboso Negro, Vijariego Blanco, Malvasia Volcánica, Diego/Bujariego, Albillo Criollo, Forastera Blanca, Listán Prieto, Baboso Blanco, Tintilla Castilian, Verdello, Malvasia Rosada and Bastardo Negro).
