Overview on the research activity of the Unit
The strategic importance of soil in environmental balance
Although it has always been a mistaken concept to separate agriculture from the environment, discussions still continue today in accordance with antithetical positions which draw their origins from schools of thought which promulgate the domination of the environment over man, on the one hand, and the supremacy of man over the environment, on the other. In reality, the ethical concept, in accordance with which nature and the environment gain or lose valency depending on the choices of mankind, and of farmers specifically, is essentially neglected. However, frequently the choices made by man in the agro-environmental sector have not been in keeping with the principles of respect for and protection of the environment. Yet it is clear that in the last few years, particularly in response to the agreements signed at the international conferences of Rio de Janeiro and Kyoto, the strategic development programs of the more industrialised countries and the proposed measures in developing countries have taken account of environmental problems. Indeed, from the early '90s up until today, the concept of "ecocompatibility and sustainability" has been developing, becoming the focus not only for environmental protection measures, but also for the trends and perspectives of international agrarian policy. Agriculture can be defined as ecocompatible and economically sustainable, if the management criteria deal with the rational utilisation of natural resources, the recovery, maintenance and optimisation of the fertility of the soil in terms of respect for the biological, chemical and physical equilibrium. "Agenda 21", for example, the official document of the United Nations Conference on "Environment and Development" (Rio de Janeiro 2-14/6/1992) defines the farmer as a "steward" of natural resources (cp. 32), contributing towards restoring his original role as "custodian of the environment", in many ways not acknowledged in the recent past.
And it is precisely towards this viewpoint that the Research Unit in Gorizia has oriented its scientific activity, basing its research on the strategic importance of the soil in the environmental equilibrium, emphasizing the specific functions of support and substrate for the growth of plants, of filtering and depuration of the water which recharge the strata, of modulation of the biogeochemical cycles of the elements.
Within the context of institutional topics and as an answer to the need to promote environmental quality also in terms of soil management, water protection and food safety, Gorizia Research Unit is investigating topics mainly concerning the characterization, improvement and rationalization of traditional and new-generation fertilizers. In this sector, the Research Unit is assessing, in particular, the cost-effectiveness of the conversion of animal flours into fertilizers.
The high-resolution instruments of the Research Unit, together with those present in experimental farm in Tor Mancina (Rome) allow to study new chemical, physical and biological testing methods, not only aimed at determining the quality of matrixes, but also at defining indexes of agri-environmental quality.
The Unit further developed its activities by investigating new related topics such as the assessment of chemical and biological fertility based on a geostatistical approach to the analysis of data for the assessment of soil quality and of its local variability, and the study of reclamation strategies of soil fertility in marginal areas through the adoption of the most suitable practices of soil management.
In the field of the optimization of the exploitation of natural resources, the Unit is studying the agri-environmental functions of the mineral and organic components of soil which are involved in the dynamics of immobilization of nutrients and xenobiotic elements, heavy metals, with particular attention to the humic component and to the main factors contributing to the definition of its accessibility and bioavailability.
The research activity focuses around four main topics: assessment of soil quality with combined pedological, numerical and geostatistical approaches; natural resources favouring fertility and the protection of soil quality; exogenous fertilizing substances; and new analytical methods for soils, fertilizers and sediments (see also Research Topics)
