A project with several trials in the province of Cuenca is studying the effect that the use of liquid pig manure has on cereal and sunflower crops and the comparison of these slurries with the use of chemical fertilizer on the same plots.
ECIPUR This is a project that is being developed through the Operational Group made up of the University of Castilla-La Mancha, the Provincial Technical Agricultural Institute of Albacete, ICPOR and ASAJA, in collaboration with farmers and ranchers. According to the conclusions of the first results of the project, which are echoed by the agricultural organization, the use of slurry as organic fertilizer obtains similar yields to chemical fertilizers and becomes a solvent alternative for the fertilization of farmland.
ECIPUR, through a project with European funding, is analysing circular economy models in the pig sector to promote sustainability and efficiency in the pig sector.
“In this way, reducing agricultural production costs by minimising the use of synthetic chemical fertilisers, within the framework of competent and competitive agronomy, allows for the creation of a sustainable circular economy with an integrated pig production model that minimises the impact of these farms on the environment, taking advantage of the available liquid manure for the fertilisation of crops intended for animal feed” they point out in a press release.
The pig sector is characterised by its complexity and its continuous adaptation to the demands of the current agri-food situation in ecological transition towards sustainable models. The characterisation, evolution and diagnosis of the pig farming sector in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha is one of the main axes of the project. The pig census in our region is behind Aragon, Catalonia, Castilla y Leon, and Andalusia, but the technological challenges at regional and even municipal level justify its analysis and an accurate diagnosis.
The project consists of several trials in plots in Mariana and Ribagorda, in the province of Cuenca, where the effect of using this organic fertilizer on cereals and sunflowers is being studied and the comparison with the use of chemical fertilizer in the same plots.
The first results of the study on the complete sunflower crop cycle show that, at a production level, the yield per hectare has not been reduced, so mineral applications can be replaced by the slurry generated on livestock farms.
The study shows that similar results are obtained in treatments carried out with slurry compared to mineral fertilization, so this type of organic fertilizer is presented as a valid alternative to chemical fertilizer in sunflower cultivation, since it allows this resource to be used as a fertilizer, guaranteeing a circular economy in livestock farms, without significantly altering the data obtained in production and in the quality of the final product.
As for environmental indicators such as the carbon footprint, for which the digital calculator of the Ministry of Ecological Transition was used, the progress of the study concludes that the CO₂ per hectare emitted is similar whether organic fertilizer or chemical fertilizer is used.
The first conclusions of the project are very positive and demonstrate the viability of organic applications on farms. “Slurry guarantees a circular economy in Castilla-La Mancha by offering farmers an alternative that represents significant cost savings in addition to replacing chemical fertilizers with organic ones that improve the soil structure and provide organic matter to the land,” says Francisco Montero, professor of Plant Production at UCLM.
In terms of the environment, thanks to the implementation of this project and the results it is producing, the result of exhaustive research, the proper use of slurry is promoted, with a homogeneous and uniform application that avoids excess nitrogen, “by knowing exactly what is the necessary quantity to apply so that the crop receives the fertilizer it needs, we avoid applying excess fertilizer and the corresponding risk of filtration into the groundwater that worries us so much.”
Furthermore, the study on the use of slurry as organic fertilizer supports the European requirement to reduce chemical fertilizers by 50 percent in the coming years.
Feasibility studies on the distribution and application of liquid manure produced on agricultural surfaces require topological studies on equivalent theoretical surfaces, susceptible to administrative validation with regard to current regulations, which are currently carried out using geographic information systems, remote sensing and drones.
Once the first results have been obtained, the ECIPUR project will continue with its work in the following cereal campaigns to ratify the first conclusions and confirm the potential of slurry as an organic fertilizer and an alternative to chemical fertilizers.
In this context, the JCCM (2023) register of livestock farms refers to a total of 1,258 production and reproduction farms, of which more than 85% (1,099) are in an intensive or mixed regime, with a maximum capacity of 2,347,840 places/year. All this means that Castilla La Mancha is the fourth largest pork producer at national level, with direct, indirect and induced jobs affecting some 33,000 people, producing 400,000 tons of meat, of which 5.37% is exported, and reaching a market value of 448 million euros, which represents 5.8 percent globally. The provincial distribution in number of farms and places places Toledo in first place (63% and 62% respectively), Cuenca (15% and 17%) and Albacete (11% and 18%).
Project with European funds
This initiative is 90% co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), 7% is provided by the Department of Agriculture and the remainder comes from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
ASAJA’s participation is framed within its involvement in initiatives aimed at rural development through proposals and activities in the agricultural sector, which promote the economic and social stability of farmers and ranchers. It is also directly committed to its members and the agricultural sector, providing its direct collaboration in production infrastructures, facilities and, especially, with its experience as agricultural entrepreneurs, to contribute to the development and dissemination of schemes based on a circular economy applied to the agricultural sector. Likewise, ASAJA develops its commitment to the training of young people and includes and strengthens its orientation to aspects related to pig farming.
ECIPUR studies the use of slurry as fertilizer
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