Glinka World Soil Prize | 2nd edition, 2017
The second award of the Glinka World Soil Prize 2017 goes to the Argentine No Till Farmers Association
The 2017 Laureate is the NGO Argentine No Till Farmers Association (Aapresid) “sustenabilidad sin frontiera”, which made a clear contribution in the dissemination of sustainable soil practices in the region and beyond.
“The FAO Glinka World Soil Prize positions us as a reference in the world of soil conservation. In a way, this recognition in sustainability will help us position ourselves as agents for the protection of natural resources, providing more opportunities for interaction, dialogue, and joint work,” said Santiago Nocelli Pac, President of Aapresid, adding: “We are not being rewarded for producing, but for producing and conserving.”
Aapresid was created 30 years ago to fight against the high rates of erosion caused by conventional tilling practices. As a consequence, yields in Argentina were decreasing and severe consequences on soil organic carbon stocks and water availability were envisaged for the next future. Initially, small farmers and technicians started using soil machineries - with the help of local industries - that perform seeding without disturbing the soil, and adopting practices from conservation agriculture.
The group enormously increased in size: agricultural farmers and agronomists joined Aapresid, which rapidly became an open network of innovative farmers receptive to science and to technological advances. This network comprises around 2 500 farmers from Argentina and Brazil, over 200 institutions, 100 companies, and 150 media partners working along with governments on sustainable agricultural practices.