Contribution of Good Agricultural Practices to Soil Biodiversity

At present time when climate change has negative effect on soil moisture and can decrease significantly the productivity, good agricultural practises have a high importance via their direct influence on soil properties, regimes and biodiversity. Objectives of this study have been focused on the assessment of good agricultural practises in different soil cultivation types: conventional, minimum till, mulch, no-till and organic farming. Method used was based on two case study areas where organic and/or minimal farming systems have been applied. As a control, we chose soil with traditional cultivation. In organic farm, we evaluated earthworms;their amount and status and in farm with different types of cultivation we evaluated the microbial activity to assess the biodiversity conditions. Basic soil properties and soil structure have been set to be able to assess the influence of good agricultural practises on soil environment. Our study shows positive effect of these practises on soil moisture content, biodiversity and soil structure stability. These findings can be used for further studies determining the ways of soil cultivation in harmony with nature—in sustainable way.

Assessment of Good Agricultural Practices on Cocoa and Coffee Farms in Northern Haiti

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and presents a unique scenario for the food and agriculture industry, because there is no food safety legislation. The application of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) leads to improvements of quality, safety and sustainability of agricultural products. The purpose of the study was to assess the status of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) in cocoa and coffee farms in Northern Haiti. A general survey captured information about the farmer and the farm, and an audit checklist was used to assess compliance to GAPs. A total of 11 farms (n = 11) were audited, of which 7 were cocoa farms (64%) and 4 were coffee farms (34%) in the regions of Dondon, Limonade and Milot. Average overall audit scores for coffee farms (73%) were higher than for cocoa farms (55%). Farms affiliated with a cooperative scored higher (78%) than those that were not part of a cooperative (55%). The sections of the survey on “Practices related to premises and production site”, and the “use of agricultural inputs and chemicals” received the lowest scores but were confined to the cocoa farms. “Record keeping” plus “distribution, transportation, and traceability” were cause for concern with both the cocoa and coffee farms. Critical non-conformances included the access of livestock animals and domestic pets to processing and storage areas, the lack of control in the application of agricultural chemicals, a lack of safeguards on equipment and elevated surfaces, and washing of fresh cocoa beans to remove the mucilage with water that had not been treated or tested for potability. The root cause of the non-conformances, regardless of the commodity, was either related to poor physical and organizational infrastructures, or to a lack of technical training.

Future development of Good Agricultural Practice in China under globalization of traditional herbal medicine trade

Traditional herbal medicine(THM)is an important part of the traditional Chinese medicine culture.Due to its high medicinal potential,it should not only serve for the Chinese people’s medical use,but also contribute to the world medicine,THM for the international market must be standardized and large-scale,and produced according to the"Good Agriculture Practice"(GAP).The quality of THM directly affects the patient’s treatment status and safety of use.Therefore,the quality assurance of THM runs through the entire process of research and development,production and clinical practice.The standardized production and cultivation of THM is the starting point of the THM industry chain and plays a decisive role in the economic development of the THM industry.This article summarizes the development history,limitations and future development of GAP,and clarifies the opportunities for THM in the rapid development of the international and domestic Chinese medicine industry.In addition,analyzing the deficiencies that were existing in the former GAP implementation process and by suggesting science-based quality measures,it is hoped to stipulate improved GAP guidelines in the future and to lay the foundation for a modern THM international trade.

Ensuring Compliance of Raw Herbal Materials Stemmed from China with European Good Agricultural and Collection Practice

A'simplified'European procedure now allows the registration of traditional herbal medicines as medicinal products even without the support of clinical data.This procedure entails the requirement that those products comply with European Good Manufacturing Practice for medicinal products,which in turn implies that the raw herbal materials comply with the European Guidelines for Good Agricultural and Collection Practice.On the basis of a comparison between European Good Agricultural and Collection Practice and China Good Agricultural Practice,as well as direct observation made at sites in China,we issue some recommendations to facilitate good communication between the Chinese producer and European pharmaceutical customer,with a view to ensure full compliance with European expectations.

Status and Trends of GAP Base Construction of Chinese Materia Medica in Guangdong Province

It is one of the key points for modernization and internationalization of traditional Chinese medicines to construct the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) base of Chinese materia medica (CMM). GAP helps to minimize contamination and improve the quality of CMM during the plantation and the production of Chinese crude drugs. In this article, the status and development of CMM production bases of GAP in Guangdong Province, China, are presented. The suggestions upon the problems during the development of GAP for Chinese crude drugs are also provided.