HECTOR FABIO MOSQUERA
Martha Montañez
Universidad Externado de Colombia
Gustavo A Yepes López
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The companies that are already investing and thinking about climate solutions are not only innovating their business, they are investing in competitiveness in the long term, the climate impacts are generating their own sector of solutions, best practices and innovation for resilience .
Our innovation started in the field ... understanding that population growth and the conventional way of food production make the use of natural resources such as water, soil and air quality or emissions that are generated in the productive process, be a determining factor of attention for the future.
Blanquita Orgánico is the first organic rice in Colombia. Every detail of its cultivation is carefully controlled to guarantee not only a 100% organic, healthy and delicious rice, but a rice that protects the environment and its Biodiversity and that contributes to the community, in a fair and sustainable long-term commercial relationship.
It's unwavering commitment to the environment and to the Fair, Solidarity and Responsible Market, allows it to be in the Certification processes of ECOCERT and CALIDRIS for both organic food stamps and Fair Trade, as well as for the Amigo de los Aves stamp.
Our work methodology involves 6 fundamental aspects in rice production: planting date, planting density, pest and disease management, weed control, fertilization and water management. These simple steps with follow-up have shown that it is possible to produce rice in a more environmentally friendly way. The purpose is to achieve the change of conventional production patterns to alternative patterns of production much more efficient that generate higher income, allow the provision of ecosystem services and actively link producers as participants to solve the problem of efficient use and management of water, to the community in their homes to carry out actions to reduce waste and above all to understand that our finite planet requires changing the patterns of negative behavior to reach future generations.
The climate is perhaps the most relevant variable for agricultural activities.
In that order, we will begin our approach considering the growth of the population as the second factor that forces us to produce abundantly to satisfy the basic needs of who we are on the planet. Being so many people, many justify their actions in production with bad practices that terribly affect the soil in which we grow. They simply give priority to their profits for the high production of their crops applying agro-toxic inputs that undoubtedly generate higher yields and higher incomes, but DO NOT take into account that the permanent damage to the soil will work against their interests in the long term.
The area of influence of Arrocera la Esmeralda is located in the departments of the Valle del Cauca, Cauca and now with support in Chocó. With development of activities in 670 properties to which we provide free technical assistance with the aim of reducing the impact and bring a product to the market with higher quality and above all cleaner.
Rice is grown under different water regimes and water management practices can include methods of moisture conservation, irrigation or control of excess water through drainage.
Water is lost through evaporation, surface runoff and infiltration and deep percolation. The objective of soil water conservation is to reduce these losses. High rice yields are obtained when there is good water management.
As this is the most important vital resource for the entire planet and in every sense all species depend on it, our greatest effort is focused on this management, because as we need it, a percentage is lost naturally, but the greatest impact is that of the contamination that we human beings make in all our daily processes both in the industries and in homes.
"The results obtained by applying the methodology of intervention and action with the producer through the companies that are an integral part of the rice production chain have given us today recognitions and certifications that make the company visible in an international environment, of values and above all of commitment to the care of nature and the human being"
We have gone through strict certification processes to obtain the ESR seal endorsed by Ecocert that certifies us as a RESPONSIBLE COMPANY, which performs supremely dense audits of all our processes, thus giving us a star for compliance with the best standards worldwide. "We achieved the Master's degree in this process, and we are currently trying to get certified in FOR LIFE. It is for this reason that today we can not only sell in the United States, but also in the European community with a price up to 6 times higher than current rice allowing us to obtain greater utility in this type of product."
We belong to SISTEMA B CORP. Obtaining here the certified B company certification, which seeks to demonstrate our commitment to the community
"Belonging to this group of companies with purpose generates greater loyalty within the clients, suppliers and labor force."
"For the second year in a row due to our practices of inclusion in the community in conditions of disadvantage due to ethnicity, social status or even judicial background or to involve reinserted workers, we have been considered with another group of Latin American companies as the best in the World. This recognition has led to invitations to speak in other countries of our resilience both in terms of community and opportunities provided and climate resilience."
The basis for proper water management and efficiency is based on good soil preparation with agricultural instruments (precision or scientific agriculture) that are suitable for heavy soils such as the Valle del Cauca.
Most of the farmers have cisterns in the area of Villa Paz, Timba, Bertha and Quinamayó. Jamundí is supplied from the mouth of the river Claro, Arrocera La Esmeralda made a loan for the construction of this intake and today collaborates with the community that allows them to sustain $ 18.75 / ha / semester to those who source it and thus guarantee the good use of the resource.
The reduction of production costs is a very important factor for several sectors of the industry and Colombian banking, with all the advances in training that we have given to our farmers, they have managed to understand that being banked allows them to venture into new possible credits or to create a culture of savings and investment, we also instruct the young population on the importance of making contributions to the pension system to create a future culture of greater security, however, it is necessary to generate those resources to contribute from somewhere.
"Our proposal is to reduce costs and production of a greater harvest in the same unit area, to explain it clearly, in other areas of the country, the production of rice in a hectare is on average around 4,500kg, with the methodology of planting blanquita occurs on average in one hectare 8,500 and we have cases of up to 12,000 k / ha. This is achieved by decreasing as we have been saying in the use of inputs and also in natural resources."
In cash that means approximately a reduction in $ 468.75 per hectare, values that have taken advantage to improve their quality of life and invest in their social security.
"On the other hand in the crops the waterfowl are an alternative income for our farmers, since as a result of the conservation they were arriving more interested in the birds, the idea was to give our farmers the option of a business that they can attend to perfectly. They were encouraged to receive training to receive people from outside the country in their homes and be able to attend them directly. We developed the AVES DEL ARROZ app, which you can download from the play store or app store so that whoever wants to visit the crops can contact the farmer directly so that he can observe birds first-hand, and the farmer takes advantage of this opportunity."
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Since the birth of Arrocera La Esmeralda (1950), it has had the firm conviction to develop economic activity with a philosophy based on corporate social responsibility.
Pay the maximum price in the agricultural sector and transform the cereal efficiently to reach a consumer with a competitive price is the philosophy of the company, which produces the traditional brand Arroz Blanquita.
The company is convinced that competitiveness in the field lies in the knowledge that translates into the behavior of a stable market; that's why, today, it's the only rice company in the department.
