Moving Towards Sustainable Agriculture Through Higher Education
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Farmer 6 We have to be careful, as they say agriculture is not important, but agriculture is of utmost importance to our country! Certain people may not appreciate
as they are served, but since you have a local Maltese product, a healthy product and
a very good one, in my opinion, if you do not take care of them and help them, one
day in the future it is going to be a shame as then you cannot bring them back.
The need for more dialogue between the government, different stakeholders and
farmers themselves was mentioned by a number of farmers. They feel the need to be
consulted and voice their opinions on decisions taken in the name of farmers. ESD
is built on giving a voice to all relevant stakeholders and giving a voice to the sectors
of society which may not always be heard.
Another relevant issue raised by one of the farmers to guarantee a better future for
farmers, was the need to work with school children. This would enable them to get
to know more about the farmer’s work, appreciating their work and understanding
where their food comes from. Seeing the produce grow, one would become aware of
the whole process involved, knowing how it is produced and finally ending at home
on their plates.
Farmer 3 The thing I like most about farming, is the need to carry a sense of
responsibility, to produce your crops in the most nutritional means and cultivate it,
as at the end we are producing food for our consumers.
4.6 Discussion on Main Findings
This research project elected to provide a clearer picture of the local farmers’ attitudes
and perceptions towards sustainability issues in farming. It is evident that farmers
are familiar with the concepts of sustainability, not necessary the word ‘sustainability’ itself, but rather the concepts which form an integral part of sustainable
agricultural practices. Through interviews, farmers integrated the social, economic
and environmental aspects of their practice.
It is apparent that farmers do practice some sustainable measures, which were
mostly passed from previous generations, such as crop-rotation, use of natural fertilizers and herbicides, the importance of upkeep of rubble walls, maintaining their
soils’ nutrients, etc. Meanwhile, it was also evident that the majority of farmers feel
that they cannot totally do away with using artificial chemicals, such as pesticides,
pointing out the fact that lately they have been witnessing an increase in invasive
pests and diseases damaging their crops.
In view of Malta’s natural water resource, farmers acknowledge that it is a scarce
resource, pointing out the fact that in recent years the majority of farmers have been
using more efficient water irrigation methods, such as drip-irrigation. New Water,
having been lately introduced in new areas around the Islands, has great potential of
helping reduce ground water extraction. Some of the farmers are still uncertain about
using it, fearing that it will be of a detriment to the quality and taste of their produce.
15
Farmer 6 We have to be careful, as they say agriculture is not important, but agriculture is of utmost importance to our country! Certain people may not appreciate
as they are served, but since you have a local Maltese product, a healthy product and
a very good one, in my opinion, if you do not take care of them and help them, one
day in the future it is going to be a shame as then you cannot bring them back.
The need for more dialogue between the government, different stakeholders and
farmers themselves was mentioned by a number of farmers. They feel the need to be
consulted and voice their opinions on decisions taken in the name of farmers. ESD
is built on giving a voice to all relevant stakeholders and giving a voice to the sectors
of society which may not always be heard.
Another relevant issue raised by one of the farmers to guarantee a better future for
farmers, was the need to work with school children. This would enable them to get
to know more about the farmer’s work, appreciating their work and understanding
where their food comes from. Seeing the produce grow, one would become aware of
the whole process involved, knowing how it is produced and finally ending at home
on their plates.
Farmer 3 The thing I like most about farming, is the need to carry a sense of
responsibility, to produce your crops in the most nutritional means and cultivate it,
as at the end we are producing food for our consumers.
4.6 Discussion on Main Findings
This research project elected to provide a clearer picture of the local farmers’ attitudes
and perceptions towards sustainability issues in farming. It is evident that farmers
are familiar with the concepts of sustainability, not necessary the word ‘sustainability’ itself, but rather the concepts which form an integral part of sustainable
agricultural practices. Through interviews, farmers integrated the social, economic
and environmental aspects of their practice.
It is apparent that farmers do practice some sustainable measures, which were
mostly passed from previous generations, such as crop-rotation, use of natural fertilizers and herbicides, the importance of upkeep of rubble walls, maintaining their
soils’ nutrients, etc. Meanwhile, it was also evident that the majority of farmers feel
that they cannot totally do away with using artificial chemicals, such as pesticides,
pointing out the fact that lately they have been witnessing an increase in invasive
pests and diseases damaging their crops.
In view of Malta’s natural water resource, farmers acknowledge that it is a scarce
resource, pointing out the fact that in recent years the majority of farmers have been
using more efficient water irrigation methods, such as drip-irrigation. New Water,
having been lately introduced in new areas around the Islands, has great potential of
helping reduce ground water extraction. Some of the farmers are still uncertain about
using it, fearing that it will be of a detriment to the quality and taste of their produce.