The agroecological challenges in the wine sector: perceptions from European stakeholders
From Firenze University Press Journal: Wine Economics and Policy
Caetano Beber, Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna.
Léa Lecomte, Univ. Bordeaux, Bordeaux Sciences Agro
Isabel Rodrigo, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa
Massimo Canali, Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna
Alexandra Seabra Pinto, Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária
Eugenio Pomarici, Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, Università di Padova
Eric Giraud-Heraud, Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE
Stéphanie Pérès, Univ. Bordeaux, Bordeaux Sciences Agro
Giulio Malorgio, Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna
The agroecological transition has become a signifi-cant issue in European vineyards due to the extensive use of pesticides in the wine industry. However, the sec-tor is also facing challenges concerning its carbon foot-print, even though it contributes a relatively small per-centage to agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Viti-culture frequently experiences the negative effects of cli-mate change, such as irrigation difficulties, vine diseases and the inadequacy of traditional grape varieties, result-ing in a loss of wine character [1,2]. In addition to envi-ronmental challenges, the wine industry is confronting various obstacles, including a decline in consumption in traditionally wine-drinking countries. This decrease can be attributed, at least in part, to increasing health con-sciousness among consumers, influenced by health lob-bies. The sector’s social responsibility and the economic organisation of fragmented industries also play a role, particularly when the absence of large trading companies hinders commercialisation efforts [3].Given the multitude of challenges at hand, it is not surprising that stakeholders may not be fully convinced to prioritise the agroecological transition. While some progress has been made, a major revolution has yet to emerge to address these concerns. This article aims to shed light on the issues that stakeholders perceive as priorities, taking into account the perspectives of professionals in the wine industry, institutions and the agricultural research sector, who provide alternative viewpoints.The policy environment in the EU pushes for a significant reduction of the environmental impact of production activities across the EU. In particular, the new common agricultural policy (CAP), which entered into force in January 2023, pledges to target more ambitious environmental and climate-related commitments than its predecessors. Considering the wine sector, it is explicitly recognised that ‘while the successive 2008 and 2013 reforms of the wine policy have overall achieved their objectives, resulting in an economically vibrant wine sector, new economic, environmental and climatic chal-lenges have appeared’1 [4].These more ambitious commitments were quantified in the farm-to-fork strategy, released by the Commis-sion in 2020, while the reform process was slowly proceeding. The document announced that the Commission itself was to take additional action to reduce the overall use and risk of chemical pesticides by 50 % and the use of more hazardous pesticides by 50 % by 2030, without compromising farmers’ incomes. Furthermore, it stated that EU Member States should consider such a target in the design of the Strategic Plan, the new CAP program-ming tool introduced by Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 (Strategic Plan Regulation)2 [5]. The strategic plan regulation is not highly pre-scriptive concerning the financial resources allocated to addressing environmental issues in the wine sector. It only mandates the allocation of at least 5 % of the budget for actions that have a positive impact on the environment, climate change or sectoral sustainability [6]. Beyond these financial constraints, sectoral inter-ventions provided for in the strategic plan regulation include a variety of intervention types that may support the agroecological transition of the vitivinicultural sec-tor. This transition could also be supported by resources derived from the renewed mechanisms for calculating CAP direct payments, particularly from the new vol-untary environmentally friendly practices (ecoschemes) and from the rural development policy [5,6].The options provided by the CAP spending meas-ures available to vine growers could contribute to improving the environmental performance of the EU wine sector. However, given the current state of vineyard protection techniques, such improvement would seem largely insufficient to achieve the target of halving pesti-cide use by 2023.The CAP reform, through Regulation (EU) 2021/2117 (amendment regulation)3, allows the inclu-sion of varieties derived from a cross between Vitis vinifera and other species of the genus Vitis in the pro-duction of wine with a protected designation of ori-gin (PDO). These vine varieties are better adapted to changing climatic conditions and exhibit greater resist-ance or tolerance to diseases, enabling a significant reduction in the number of required treatments (usual-ly to only three or four). Indeed, after lifting the ban on their use in PDO wine production, these varieties may attract greater interest and could be a game changer for the future of sustainable winemaking, helping to align the industry with the aims of the Farm to Fork Strat-e g y [7, 8].Previous research has highlighted that the culti-vation of wine grapes and the production of wine are associated with a myriad of environmental issues. These concerns primarily revolve around the use of chemi-cals, particularly pesticides [5]. This concern regarding pesticides has been associated with consumers paying increasing attention to environmental protection and sustainable development, creating new awareness and opportunities [10]. However, differing views on how best to address this issue within the sector could potentially confuse consumers and delay the implementation of adaptation measures [11–16].This study investigates this issue by analysing stake-holder perceptions of the ongoing agroecological tran-sition, focusing particularly on the use of pesticides in the wine sector and potential strategies to address the problem. The research centres on two distinct strategies: organic production and the use of resistant grape varie-ties. To this end, a questionnaire was sent to the main stakeholders in the wine sectors of three major wine-producing countries, namely France, Italy and Portugal. Participants were asked about the significance of envi-ronmental issues for their businesses. This study aims to highlight stakeholder beliefs about sustainable inno-vation in the wine industry, addressing the following research questions. What influences stakeholder percep-tions of an agroecological transition in the wine sector? Which strategy do wine sector stakeholders consider most viable in the long term? What is the role of resist-ant grape varieties?The article is structured as follows. The subsequent section presents the survey and the methods for its anal-ysis. This is followed by the results, which are divided into two parts: the components of perceptions and the multivariate analysis. A comparison of organic certifica-tion versus resistant varieties is then discussed, and the article finishes with the primary conclusions and policy implications.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/wep-15244
Read Full Text: https://oaj.fupress.net/index.php/wep/article/view/15244
