Technological development facilitated communication and accelerated change. It left a mark on many domains crucial in daily life, yet a special impact it had on agriculture. Through technology, society got easy access to food, but on the other hand, it questioned the human impact on nature and health in the context of excessive consumerism.
Interested in the new working methods in agriculture, in how foods arrive on our table every day, I initiated an interview with Dumitru Gavrilov, a practicing specialist in the field of horticulture in Italy for 10 years. Mr. Gavrilov is from the Republic of Moldova, and since 2013 he has been working as a horticulturist in the private sector in Italy, the Emilia Romagna area.
Hello Mr. Gavrilov. Can you tell us more about yourself? Where did you get the knowledge and skill to practice this job?
A simple answer would be that “life teaches us”. I have always lived in this small village in Moldova. Here, like any of my neighbors, I had to develop such skills to take care of my own orchard and garden. With all this, I had special help from my brothers who studied agronomy, worked, and still work in the field. They showed me better working methods, they shared with me working techniques that they also applied.
My brother Ion interacted the most with horticulture. He graduated from the University of Agronomy and specialized in the care and grooming of trees for his bachelor’s thesis.
What education do you have? And how did you get to work in this field?
First of all, I have to say that I like the field, but it does not mean that I do not like the one in which I finished my studies. Basically, I am an electrical engineer, and I had many tangents with agriculture precisely because engineering is not only about power cables but also about technology as a whole and its utility in everyday life.
Working in the orchard brings me pleasure because it gives me the opportunity to see the impact of my work both immediately and in the long term. By grooming the trees I give them a beautiful shape, then when flowering I see the positive impact of previous work that gives the trees enough strength to grow beautiful and healthy branches and flowers. And finally, I enjoy seeing the fruits.
At the same time, a tree must be healthy and look beautiful. So, I adapt the work to each type of tree so that in the end they can be groomed with care, responsibility, and aesthetic sense. Also, I have to give each tree a certain shape by considering its nature, so as to have a good harvest. For example, the kiwi tree is groomed differently from plums or nectarines.
How did you learn to groom kiwi trees, since this is not a type of tree that can be found in Eastern Europe?
I started by planting these trees in the orchard where I work. Then, when they grew up, special care was needed, a method that I learned from the owner of the orchard, who works with us. He inherited the orchard from his parents, who until recently worked in the orchard too.
Is there a particular working method that guarantees a good harvest?
Of course. The secret is to take care of each tree separately, but also to consider that it is part of a whole orchard. In the kiwi tree case, we cut lots of new branches and leave only 7 on one side and 7 on the other. If we would leave all the branches to grow, the tree would weaken trying to diffuse nutrients and water to too many branches and respectively flowers and fruits. Also when the fruits grow, while they are still small, we break a part of them before they consume too much energy. This way we make sure that the fruits left on the tree will grow beautiful and healthy. This method is also used on other trees like nectarines and cherries in order to get healthy, juicy, and big fruits.
If you were to make the difference between Moldovan and Italian agriculture, what would you mention?
I guess Itally is more developed in the sense of the technical equipment used in agriculture. A special aspect I noticed is the state aid given to farmers not only for the development of their activity but also to ensure the farmers an income and a recovery of losses in case of natural calamities or any damage caused by natural phenomena.
Through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the European Union gives funds for agriculture to the member states. Italy receives a great part of these funds. For example, the budget for 2023-2027 establishes that through the CAP, Italian farmers will receive aid worth 37 billion euros over the next 5 years (Olive Oil Times, 2022). Are these aids visible?
Of course. In Italy, insurance is made for all plants. This encourages farmers to continue working, knowing that they will receive help if the weather will get bad and will ruin their crops or harvest. Farmers also receive discounts on diesel and other necessities. In Moldova, on the other hand, the farmer is alone. If he has a dry year, or if hail damages all his plants, he will get no help. Yes, there are several aid programs, but they are periodical, help farmers within the limits of funds, and are not intended to protect farmers’ income and plants in case of bad weather.
Speaking of machines and how easy is to farm with them, what is the number of workers needed for the orchard you work in?
The orchard is approximately 15 ha and for all the work 3 people are enough. The surface of the orchard is quite large, but with the machines and good organization, everything works as planned.
When picking the fruits, the owner hires a few more workers because the fruits must be picked quickly – about 2 weeks after the first sign of ripening. But for the other work all year round, 3 people are enough. There is lots of work given that the orchard has different varieties of nectarines, peaches, and kiwi. So they have different grooming periods and different ripening times, which allows us to pick the fruits one at a time and sell them throughout the year.
How does the fruit get from the producer you work for to the consumer?
It all starts with the first signs of ripening when some fruits are taken to the laboratory to check their size, taste, and color. Peaches and nectarines, for example, must have a yellow side and a red side – we never pick the green ones. Also, on the machine we have the fruit gauge – there are several rings that indicate the size of the fruits we must collect. They should not be picked if they are larger or smaller.
The fruits are harvested in several steps. Initially, we pick the good ones, which at the end of the day are transported to the refrigerator. Then we pick the ripe fruits, which are for juice, or for immediate consumption, but they never make it to the supermarket or the traditional markets, because they don’t last a day – they are too soft and spoil quickly.
What can you tell us about the working machines? How did you learn to use them?
The easiest way to learn how a machine works is through the power of example, through observation. I know these machines mechanically, I understand how they work, and they were not new to me. Even if the machines are modernized, at the base they have the same mechanisms and operating principles.
But in terms of employee safety, do you receive clothes and anything necessary to carry out the work in safe conditions?
In general, all work is organized in such a way that the risks of getting injured are reduced to a minimum. We are equipped with clothes, shoes, and gloves to do the work in safe conditions.
In the late 90s and early 2000s, it was common for people to work without an employment contract because the employer and the employee had certain benefits (either to avoid state taxes or to work although being an illegal migrant). How many employers still employ people without an employment contract?
I have been working with a seasonal employment contract since the very beginning. The contract provides security both to the employee, in the idea of receiving a salary for the work you have done, but it also gives the employer the certainty that the employee will comply with the contract and work when needed.
Currently, employers are checked by the police if the number of employees corresponds with the number of employment contracts they have. The reason for these checks is to penalize and discourage illegal work and tax evasion. Penalties for illegal work are approximately 8000 euros/person.
Under these conditions, are there employers that take the risk to employ somebody without a working contract?
There were farmers who hired and paid people without a labor contract to pick grapes. Some of them were caught by the police and fined 5000 euros/person. Imagine if you have 4 people employed on that day, and you get a fine of 20,000 euros, and the work of these people for this day would not have cost you even 5% of the amount paid for the fine. So, no. I do not think there are too many farmers to pay for somebody’s work without a working contract.
What is the work schedule? Is it a fixed schedule or it depends on the growth of the fruits and the weather?
The working schedule differs depending on the activity and the season. The activity in the orchard involves the care and grooming of the trees, and picking the fruits respectively. All year the work schedule is influenced by the weather. In winter, for example, I need light to groom the trees. But because the day is shorter, I can work a maximum of 7h 30m, if it is not cloudy or if it does not rain. Otherwise, it gets dark faster and I cannot work.
However, in the summer, the schedule changes during fruit picking. We start collecting the fruits from 07:00 to 12:00. From 12:00 to 16:00 it’s hot, so we take a break. Nobody works at those temperatures. Then at 16:00, we start to collecting the fruits again until 19:00 – 20:00. Sometimes we can extend the program if the fruits ripen too quickly. But the orchard is always monitored in order to plan the activity well and respect the work rules and not waste the harvest.
There are different methods of growing plants. Some are more or less organic. What type of orchard do you work in?
The orchard where I work is as organic and natural as possible. For example: when planting trees, organic fertilizers are used, i.e. some pellets from bird droppings. Although it seems too simple to be effective, the amount of nitrogen available in granular chicken droppings reaches 100%, phosphorus – 70%, and potassium – 90%. This helps to enrich the soil with minerals that will help the trees grow. This is done only when we plant the trees.
When picking fruits, do you apply special substances for long-term storage?
Not. Both the fruits and the trees are not treated with anything. The fruits are organic, and from the moment we collect them, they are taken to the refrigerator. The farmer has a contract with the refrigerator. After delivery, the farmer does not know what happens to the fruit. It is the decision of the refrigerator or the merchant what he does with the fruits. They can treat the fruits with something or not, I guess it depends on how many contracts the refrigerator has with supermarkets and how many fruits it can deliver quickly. But in the orchard I work in we do not treat the fruits with anything.
Do you take certain measures against pests or everything is done naturally?
Everything is done as naturally as possible. There are European rules that prohibit the treatment of the tree and the fruit according to the old methods. However, it is impossible to have an orchard without fighting against pests. Temperatures have risen a lot, and pests have changed. Various types of insects, molds, and bacteria attack trees and fruits. So any orchard owner these days uses some treatment against pests, but as least invasive as possible. For example, for insects, we simply hang small packages with repellants on tree branches. But against fungi and bacteria, special treatments are applied in accordance with EU norms, before the trees bloom.
So you can no longer grow trees and fruits without special help?
You see when consumers hear the word organic, they think it’s a fruit grown on trees like my grandparents did 50 years ago. But the climate has changed a lot since then. No one can grow fruit like that anymore. The entire orchard dies in a few years, either eaten by termites, or penetrated by fungi, and many others. If it could be so simple, do you think it wouldn’t have been done?
Speaking of climate, is there a preference for certain types of trees in the area?
Kiwis are very popular in the Emilia Romagna area. If you go a little further north you will not find kiwi orchards. Maybe a few orchards close to Rome, among the mountains. Kiwis are difficult to grow. They need certain temperatures and a certain degree of humidity – they don’t like cold and frost. Kiwis are such a type of tree that in the same month (February) one type of kiwi is harvested and another type starts to turn green and bloom. So they must be protected from the cold because at -2 degrees they freeze.
Is there a difference between the fruits you pick and the ones we find in the supermarkets?
Any fruit grown and ripened on the tree is completely different and way better than the ones we often buy in the supermarkets. The ones that ripened in the tree get more sweetness from the sun and more nutrients from the tree. The ones from the supermarket were picked early, they did not have enough time to get all that. So, they will taste different and often will have no aroma. If the supermarket could get the products directly from the producer, then maybe the products could get a day or two more on the tree. Yet, this would be risky for the producer and for the supermarket, meaning what if people do not really buy these fruits when it’s their season? Lots of fruits would be thrown away, and it makes no sense. That is why the fruits are picked a little earlier, even by the producers who sell the fruits directly to the consumer.
The fruits you pick are mostly sold in Italy or are exported?
They probably try to sell as much as possible in Italy, as the documents and delivery procedures are simpler. But we don’t deal with that. The orchard owner just collects the fruit and takes it to the refrigerator. Then, the refrigerator decides where to take them and what to do with the fruits to get an income and share it with the producers according to the contracts they signed.
Usually, the refrigerator owner collects fruits from more than one producer. Depending on the capacity of the refrigerator, he signs contracts with several producers, collects the fruits from all of them, and sells them. I believe that much of the production is still sold here, given that much of the fruits we grow are local and people are used to them. In other countries where these fruits do not grow, people probably consume them less. But here, because the fruits are local, they have a tradition, they are seen and consumed differently.
Have you tried to bring some tree types from Italy?
I could, probably, find these types of trees in Moldova too. The problem is how sure can I be that the tree I buy is what I intended to buy. I bought and planted an apricot in the fall. When I bought it from the market it looked like an apricot, but this spring when I checked its leaves and flowers it looked more like a plum. I’m waiting to see some fruits to see what exactly it is.
What do you recommend to the average consumer? What indicators can he consider when buying organic fruits?
Because we don’t treat the fruit with anything, I don’t know what advice to give to differentiate between treated and untreated fruits. The best are the ones grown and picked from your own trees, obviously.
Yet, I can give some advice from my experience as a consumer. For example, in the case of grapes, to make sure that they are good for consumption they must be washed and kept in water for a few minutes (10-15). In this way, if they were treated with something, the substance will come out in the water. In the case of good apples, when you cut them, in a few minutes they oxidize and must acquire a brown color in the area of contact with the air. In general, all fruits and vegetables must be washed, and the ones with thicker skin can be kept in water a bit before consumption.
In supermarkets you cannot check the fruits, you just have to trust the quality checks and the functioning of the imposed quality standards.
Thank you for sharing your experience with the readers. I wish you a fruitful year!
