The Terraprima project “Sown Biodiverse Pastures for climate change mitigation and soil protection” is submitted to public voting in the European competition “A World I like – with a Climate I like”.
Financed by the Portuguese Carbon Fund, the national SME project involves more than 1 farmers in 000 hectares in Central and Southern Portugal and promotes the sequestration of 50 million tons of carbon, making it one of the projects in competition with greater effect on climate change mitigation.
The project can be consulted at http://world-you-like.europa.eu/pt/historias-de-sucesso/apresentacao-dos-projetos/sown-biodiverse-pastures-for-climate-change-mitigation-and-soil-protection and public voting takes place until the 6th of September, at 23:00 (Portuguese time).
At the end of the public voting, the 10 most voted projects by the public will be submitted to a jury, which will select three winners.
In five countries (including Portugal), the 10 most voted projects by the public will be submitted to the jury, which will select five national winners. These will be part of a national advertising campaign in autumn 2013.
«The removal and sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere that the project promotes is due to the great productivity of Seeded Biodiverse Pastures. This productivity results in an extraordinary abundance of roots that lead to a great increase in organic matter in the soil», explain the project's promoters.
With this increase, the project also promotes water retention, soil fertility and reduced susceptibility to erosion.
“These environmental benefits are particularly relevant, as the project implementation area significantly coincides with that identified by the National Action Program to Combat Desertification as being highly susceptible to desertification”, they add.
As Biodiverse Seed Pastures are more productive and have a natural nitrogen fixation capacity, «they also reduce the environmental impacts associated with the production of fertilizers and feed. Weeds are controlled more efficiently and with less cost, reducing the risk of fire».
Recently, and on the occasion of the World Day to Combat Drought and Desertification, the terraprima was awarded by the National Commission to Combat Desertification with the certificate “Champions of the Arid Zones 2013”.
The award was given on June 17 by the Secretary of State for Forests and Rural Development at a ceremony at the Ministry of Agriculture, Sea, Environment and Spatial Planning.
In the competition promoted by the United Nations Land for Life 2012, the Portuguese SME was one of 15 semi-finalists among more than 100 applications from 52 countries.
Terraprima also received an Honorable Mention in the Green Project Awards in 2011 and was recognized with the attribution of the 2010 Companies Gold Climate Award from the Portuguese Association of Environmental Engineering.
Terraprima – Environmental Services is a Spin-off Instituto Superior Técnico with an SME LIDER certification, whose work in the sustainability of agriculture was recognized as a success case of entrepreneurship by UTEN – University Technology Enterprise Network.
The knowledge and technical base that have guided Terraprima's activity since 2008 are provided by a multidisciplinary team that includes two forestry engineers, a doctorate in Forestry Engineering, a biophysical engineer, an agronomic engineer and a master and doctorate in Environmental Engineering.
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