Sustainable Agricultural Management and Landscaping Through Agroforestry and Permaculture Case Study: Northern Malta Shawn Sammy Vella James Madison University
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James Madison University JMU Scholarly Commons Masters Theses The Graduate School Fall 12-18-2010 Sustainable agricultural management and landscaping through agroforestry and permaculture case study: Northern Malta Shawn Sammy Vella James Madison University Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019 Part of the Agriculture Commons Recommended Citation Vella, Shawn Sammy, "Sustainable agricultural management and landscaping through agroforestry and permaculture case study: Northern Malta" (2010). Masters Theses. 433. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019/433 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the The Graduate School at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT AND LANDSCAPING THROUGH AGROFORESTRY AND PERMACULTURE CASE STUDY: NORTHERN MALTA SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT AND LANDSCAPING THROUGH AGROFORESTRY AND PERMACULTURE CASE STUDY: NORTHERN MALTA A dissertation presented in part fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Sustainable Environmental Resource Management/ Master of Science in Integrated Science & Technology SHAWN VELLA NOVEMBER 2010 Supervisors: Dr. L.F. Cassar, Dr. A. Sacco, Dr. W. Teel UNIVERSITY OF MALTA - JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY ABSTRACT Shawn Vella Sustainable Agricultural Management and Landscaping through Agroforestry and Permaculture. Case Study: Northern Malta The farming industry in Malta is facing severe challenges. Many small patches of arable land are being abandoned following land use conflicts and competition from foreign agricultural products. This reduces the economic capacity of the farming industry which leads to soil erosion and land degradation. On the other hand, the remaining land is being intensively farmed with the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Local government following EU regulations is trying to change this trend by aiming more at promoting a sustainable future for this industry in Malta whilst preserving the natural environments, but still many farmers choose not to practice these natural techniques. A qualitative study lends itself best to analyse such issue, with special reference made to the north area of Malta as a cluster sampling area. An in-depth analysis of a local farm converting to permaculture is carried out followed by open-ended, semi-structured interviews amongst a sample of local farmers, departmental representatives and two foreign experts. These provided a wide perspective with which to analyse the local agricultural situation and propose actions to be taken to improve the economic output of farming by investing in local resources, enhancing and strengthening the biodiversity, protecting the environment and generating alternative working opportunities, and promote agritourism. An important concept to hold on to is that of focusing on quality rather than quantity. Supervisors: Dr. L.F. Cassar, Dr. A. Sacco, Dr. W. Teel ‘MSc.SERM’ / ‘MS. IS&T’ NOVEMBER 2010 Keywords: AGROFORESTRY, PERMACULTURE, SUSTAINABLE, LANDSCAPING, AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT. iii Statement of Authenticity I, the undersigned declare that this dissertation is the result of my own research. Any figures, conclusions and statements contained herein are mine unless otherwise stated. Shawn Vella November 2010 iv To my wife Fiona, our families and closest friends for their support v List of Acknowledgements I wish to thank my supervisors, Dr. L.F. Cassar, Dr. W. Teel and Dr. A. Sacco for guiding and assisting me in this dissertation, and for their encouragement and dedication during my course of study. I would also like to thank Dr. L. Conrad for her help and guidance. I am indebted to the farmers, departmental employees and foreign experts for offering their time and discussing the topic of my dissertation. Special thanks go to Mr D. Mallia for providing me with in depth information and on site help. Gratitude is due to Mrs Joyce Vella for proof reading my dissertation. I would also like to thank all those who, in one way or another, offered me their help and their support, especially my newlywed wife for her immense help, patience and encouragement. vi Table of Contents ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................... iii Statement of Authenticity.................................................................................................................iv Dedication...................................................................................................................................v List of Acknowledgements..........................................................................................................vi Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Research motivation and problem definition ..................................................................... 2 1.3 Objectives ............................................................................................................................ 3 1.4 Structure of thesis ............................................................................................................... 3 Chapter 2: The Maltese Islands’ geographical and agricultural background ............................ 5 2.1 Location and area ...................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Climate ...................................................................................................................................... 5 23 Geology, geomorphology and hydrology ................................................................................... 6 2.4 Soils ........................................................................................................................................ 11 2.4 Human influence on natural environment ............................................................................. 14 2.5 Reafforestation initiatives in Malta ........................................................................................ 15 2.6 Agriculture .............................................................................................................................. 16 2.7 Agroforestry and Permaculture .............................................................................................. 17 Chapter 3: Agroforestry and Permaculture ................................................................................. 19 3.1 Agroforestry: Definition ................................................................................................... 19 3.2 Precautions prior to initiating Agroforestry practices ...................................................... 21 3.3 Permaculture Solutions: Definition ................................................................................... 22 3.4 The Principles of Permaculture ......................................................................................... 24 3.5 EU Agricultural Policies ..................................................................................................... 25 3.5.1 Agriculture in the EU - the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) ........................................... 25 3.5.2 Emphasis on quality, organic farming and care for the environment ................................ 27 vii 3.5.3 CAP - promoting trade and generating work ................................................................ 30 3.4 Sustainable agriculture in Malta ....................................................................................... 31 3.4.1 Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs (MRRA): Organic Farming ............................ 31 3.4.2 The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) v.s. sustainable development. 31 3.4.3 The Malta Standards Authority (MSA) .......................................................................... 32 3.4.4 Permaculture in the Maltese Islands through the Malta Organic Agriculture Movement (MOAM) .................................................................................................................... 34 3.4.5 Revival of indigenous trees through organic farming: BIOLMED Project ..................... 35 3.4.6 Revival of the Indigenous Olive Tree: PRIMO Project ................................................... 35 3.4.7 Maltese tree varieties in permaculture farm designs ................................................... 36 3.5 Farm design based on permaculture principles ................................................................ 40 Chapter 4: Methodology ................................................................................................................. 44 4.1 Rationale ........................................................................................................................... 44 4.2 Method Selection .............................................................................................................. 44 4.2.1 Triangulation ................................................................................................................. 44 4.2.2 Qualitative study ..........................................................................................................