Good Agricultural Practices

Abid Hussain, MSc, Horticulture, [email protected] GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES (GAP)

The concept of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) has evolved in recent years in the context of a rapidly changing and globalising food economy. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), GAP is the application of available knowledge to address environmental, economic and social sustainability for on-farm production and post-production processes, resulting in production of safe and healthy food and non-food agricultural products. Many farmers in developed and developing countries already apply GAP through sustainable agricultural methods such as integrated pest management, integrated nutrient management and conservation agriculture. These methods are applied in a range of farming systems and scales of production units, facilitated by supportive government policies. Presently, GAP is formally recognised in the international regulatory framework for reducing risks associated with the use of pesticides, taking into account public and occupational health, environmental and safety considerations. Several supermarkets, retailers and Government bodies around the world have GAP in addition to their own codes of practice, which their suppliers need to satisfy. This trend of increasing adoption of GAP by both public and private sectors may create incentives for its adoption by farmers by minimising the risk of contamination, right from pre-planting stage of crop to post-harvest stage of the crop and by opening new market opportunities, provided they have the capacity to respond. GAP applies to a broad section of food/agricultural commodities, which include, fruits and vegetables, livestock, flowers and ornamental plants, medicinal/aromatic plants, and aquaculture. Some of the major risk minimising measures covered under GAP are highlighted below: Pre-planting Measures • Selection of site based on land history, previous manure applications and crop rotation, and away from animal housing, pastures or barnyards;

Abid Hussain, MSc, Horticulture, [email protected] • Proper and thorough composting of manure, incorporating it into soil prior to planting, and avoiding top-dressing of plants; • Manure storage as far away as practical from areas where fresh produce is grown and handled; • Timely application of manure, preferably at the end of the season to all planned vegetable ground or fruit acreage when soils are warm, non-saturated, and cover-cropped; • Selection of appropriate crop. Production Measures • Water used for irrigation or chemical spray should be free from pathogen; • Drip irrigation method to be used, whenever possible to reduce the risk of crop contamination; • Proper field sanitation and animal exclusion; • Adequate worker facilities and hygiene;

Harvest • Use of clean harvest aids; • Adequate Worker hygiene and training; Post-harvest Handling • Proper application of worker hygiene methods to avoid contamination of produce; • Monitoring wash water quality, preferably use of potable water for washing operations; • Sanitizing packing-house and packing operations; • Immediate transfer of harvested produce for pre-cooling and cold storage; • Clean, damage free and contamination free transportation of fresh produce to the markets and warehouses; • Ensuring damage and contamination free packaging to maintain traceability norms of fresh produce.