Within the framework of the international LIFE AgroPaper® project, focused on reducing the use of plastic mulch in agriculture by replacing it with mulching paper, work has been carried out on the production and demonstration of different types of 100% biodegradable and compostable paper. With the information collected, some of the main properties of the paper have been modified throughout the project.
The following table presents the specifications and novel requirements of agricultural paper for each crop, climatic conditions and type of crop.
Among the different actions, in addition to these specifications and requirements for each scenario, tailor-made paper has been produced using different natural inks, coatings and treatments. Also, paper characterisation analysis, guidelines, training material for the use of agricultural paper and the establishment of a working protocol for farmers, have been established.
To demonstrate that the paper is effective for various types of agricultural crops, the different entities involved in this project have validated the paper by testing it on different crops in different climates in Spain and France. In addition, to confirm that the paper mulch works properly, it has been tested over several harvests.
This project is financially supported by the LIFE programme of the European Union under the reference: LIFE 19 ENV/ES/000404.
