
Asparagus: flown in, heated, grown under foil? What we can pay attention to
As a result of German asparagus cultivation, around 100 tons of plastic end up in the environment every year. And still only 40 percent of agricultural films are recycled! Ökochecker Joti clarifies which asparagus performs best in cultivation.
How is the harvest going?
Before harvesting, the asparagus must first ripen in the ground for a long time. It takes a total of three years until it is ready to harvest. It's worth getting up early: white asparagus turns purple when it comes into contact with sunlight. The quality deteriorates as a result.
He is stung “blindly”. To do this, it is first dug out of the ground and finally separated into the ground using appropriate tools. Unlike the white variety, the green variety is not stung. It grows less deeply in the soil and can easily be cut off. When green asparagus comes into contact with sunlight, it produces chlorophyll, giving it its color.
How damaging to the climate is cultivation?
Asparagus cultivation produces around 4,700 tons of film every year. In Germany, however, only around 40 percent of agricultural films are currently recycled. Across the EU it is only 24 percent! The films are now used in almost every business because they support the healthy growth of asparagus. This means that the popular vegetables can be harvested earlier and the farm's yields increase accordingly.
In addition to the waste generated, growing with foil brings with it other problems: In bird protection areas, growing in foil can lead to ground-nesting birds not being able to find breeding space. And through the films, microplastics end up in the soil, which harms the soil organisms and thus also the organism.
However, heated cultivation is significantly more harmful to the climate. The soil is heated through pipes in the ground and the asparagus can grow in the cold season. This would not be possible without heating the soil, because it only grows at a soil temperature of 10-12 degrees Celsius.
For the sake of the environment, it is better not to use heated asparagus: the ecological balance is higher compared to foil asparagus from Germany. By far the worst thing for the climate is goods imported by plane from Peru. This has a CO₂ equivalent of around 20 kilograms. This is more than six times the CO₂ footprint of its heated cultivation counterpart. And more than ten times as much as foil asparagus from Germany (1.82 kilograms of CO₂ equivalents).
Organic farming: how sustainable is it?
When growing organically, the soil in which the popular vegetables are planted is usually healthier. This means that these organic plants can be operated for longer. And: With organic farming, more valuable weeds grow. This provides an important food source for insects.
Conclusion
If you want to do something good for the environment the next time you buy, it's best to choose regional goods - this way you avoid long delivery routes. The organic version of the vegetables stands for climate-friendly cultivation and does not use heated soil.
Source:
SWR Marktcheck / Ökochecker – Author: Isabella Campanelli, Moderation: Panagiotis Fotiadis
Further links: Federal Information Center for Agriculture (2022) , Federal Center for Nutrition (2023) , NDR (2023) , study on plastics in the environment by the Fraunhofer Institute and NABU
Already read? Fact check: Asparagus is said to increase the desire for sex?
Notes:
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