The institute for applied ecology was founded in 2002, as a joint effort from a array of agricultural industry, ecology and economic professionals experienced in diverse ecosystems and with the aim of promoting the regeneration of ecosystems.
Areas of Specialty
- Regeneration of soils through an increase in its fertility and water retention capacity.
- Recovery of economic and organic productivity of pasturelands and other forest systems.
- Increase in resilience and productivity of olive groves and vineyards.
- Bioclimatic rural architecture and optimal resource utilization.
- Renewable energies.
- Promotion and support of those producers that choose organic methods, aiming to obtain a fair price for their high quality products.
Regeneration
Market forces are needed to revert the process of ecosystem services reduction, derived from, at the same time, processes such as caotic rain patterns, reduction of soil´s Carbon absortion, biodiversity and soil´s fertility loss.
The regeneration we pretend is the consequence of a combination of new and revisited actions that recover and improve ecological systems which have been degraded and are not any more capable to produce their very necessary services.
Our proposals always take economic sustainability into account.
Objectives
To promote and strengthen those companies and people that choose to generate ecological, social and economic value with the regeneration of natural and / or production ecosystems. This is done through technical, productive and commercial consulting.
The members and collaborators of IDEAA have always been strongly connected to the land in Europe, particularly to areas of Mediterranean farms, pasturelands, olive groves and vineyards. We have also gained experience in Iberoamérica and a large variety of its ecosystems. Our work is specially dedicated to producing an exponential increase in the fertility of the land, and achieving an optimal use of water in semiarid areas.
These aforementioned systems, of vital importance to the world, are currently undergoing an increasing erosion process in large areas, and such conditions can always be improved.
We place special emphasis in the increase of moisture and biodiversity, and the availability of low cost water during the drought season.
We have very effective systems for the organic and economical recuperation of pasturelands undergoing degradation ultimately leading to the death of cork and oak trees.
We also work for the improvement of olive grove lands, and encourage the production and marketing of organic oil.
We help wineries and wine makers regenerate their farming ecosystems, thus improving the quality and complexity of their wines.
In all of these areas, we take climatic change into account. Our main objective is the maximization of natural productivity in unstable conditions.
Our Team
Our team -composed of associates and collaborators- combines experience and innovation, together with extensive knowledge on techniques and proven methods used in European ecosystems.
The core members are:
Ínigo Álvarez de Toledo, MSc.
Álvarez de Toledo worked for Sedgwick (risk management & insurance broker) where ended up in charge of the new Environmental Risk Department in Spain and became a member of the CEO´s Council in London.
In 1995 left the company to study the M.Sc. in Human Ecology at Edinburgh University, Scotland, gaining a grade with a thesis on politics, economy and sustainability in Chile. He represented the University in the creation of the European Society for Ecological Economics.
He then worked for a year in a Chilean foundation, profiting to travel extensively in the region, and building up relations with similar-aimed organizations elsewhere.
Back in Europe, he worked in the Italian countryside and did consultancy work for AECI (Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional) and International Management Business School. In 2002 funds IDEAA, which aims on one hand to influence public and private politics and economics, presenting new strategies centred on sustainability to the insurance sector and political organisations.
Since then it centres its activity on agriculture and cattle and ecosystems, the base of all sustainability and regeneration, specializing in Biodynamics and Regenerative Agriculture.
Álvarez de Toledo designed a course for Boston University named “Ecology and Society”, becoming a lecturer at its Spanish campus for some academic years. He has also introduced for debate the relationship between Ecology and Psychology (2004), Ecology and Religion (2006) and the crisis of the Dehesa in Spain (2008) in the Spanish National Environmental Congress. For the 2016 Congress planned the introduction of debate on the need for Regeneration as the only solution to Global Climate Change and a myriad of agricultural problems. He has published articles in Spanish magazines such as Vida Rural, Agronegocios and Ecohabitar, and has been a member of the jury for the BID Challenge (Argentina, 2011).
Álvarez de Toledo has participated in courses on Regenerative Agriculture (with Darren Doherty in Spain and DEAFAL in Italy) and Biodynamic Agriculture: one year course with the Asociación de Agricultura Biodinámica de España (AABE), on Biodynamic Viticulture with Adriano Zago at Fondazione Le Madri and with Paolo Pistis in Italy.
He is an advisor at BOLW (www.boelw.de) on Regenerative Agriculture, a member of Friends of the Countryside (www.friendsofthecountryside.org) and of Regeneration International (https://regenerationinternational.org/)
Mimosa Fontana
She has studied Law at Università Degli Studi di Milano, with a specialization in Brands. She then worked for 3 years at Elzaburu, the at the time most important Brand Law firm in Spain.
Very interested in Nutrition she worked in Milano with ABA Association (aimed at supporting young people with eating disorders) in its Communication Area and in the promotion of adequate and healthy habits in children´s schools.
Mimosa A. de Toledo has also worked for Salov S.p.A., a major international oil firm in the olive oil sector, at its Communication and Marketing Dept. She is the author of a book, commissioned by Filippo Berio USA, on traditional Italian cooking with organic ingredients from different Italian regions.
Since 2005 finds the best organic olive oil in Spain for Salov, aiming to encourage best practices and fair prices.
She is a founding partner of IDEAA and a member of the Spanish Geographical Association.
Some current collaborations with the olive oil sector.
www.suertealta.es
www.soler-romero.com
www.olipe.com
www.almazarasdelasubbetica.com
www.oleicolasanfrancisco.com
www.salov. com
Christoph Bey, Phd. Research
Dr Bey obtained his PhD in Ecological Economics at Edinburgh University. He is a member of, among other societies, International Society for Ecological Economics, the Centre for Human Ecology and a partner of Thirdwave Ltd (Sustainable Development consultants).
He has worked in and collaborates with various research centres and universities in U.K. , Germay and France. Currently he is a Professor of Strategy and CSR at BeM Bordeaux Management School (accredited AACSB, EQUIS y AMBA).
Among his impressive list of co-publications in scientific journals and books, and of conferences (in the research areas of corporate social responsibility, sustainability reporting, industrial ecology, published in English, French, and German) we can mention “Entrepreneurial motivations for organic wine growing”, “Human systems in terms of natural systems?”,” The metaphor of the steady-state economics as the bedrock of Ecological Economics”, “Public ownership and accountability -the case of Ben & Jerry´s”.
He is a Referee for the following academic journals:
Business Strategy and the Environment,
Sustainable Development,
Journal of Industrial Ecology,
Greener Management International,
Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development,
Journal of Cleaner Production.
Adriano Zago Ing. Agr. Technical coordination
He has a diploma from the Scuola Enologica di Conegliano and a degree in Agricultural Technics and Science (2000) at the Facoltà di Agraria dell’Università di Padova with an experimental thesis on vine physiology.
He specialized in enology and viticulture in Montpellier at the ENSAM ( Scuola Nazionale Superiore di Agronomia) and the INRA, (Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca in Agricoltura), while collaborating regulary with the Istituto Sperimentale di Viticoltura (currently CRA).
His first job as an inside agronomist was at Ca’ Bolani, 550 ha of vineyards (Gruppo Zonin).
In the following years, Adriano Zago attended many courses in Biodinamyc Agriculture
in Italy, India, New Zealand, Australia e France.
As the agronomist at Castello di Rampolla, in Panzano (Chianti), he learned the management and general vision of a biodynamic farm of a certain size (30 ha of vineyard and 30 ha of other crops).
Parallel to the cited experience he has developed consultancies on Biodynamic Agriculture, especially in viticulture and enology.
Adriano has translated and edited the Italian version of the “Manuale Pratico di Agricoltura Biodinamica” (Practical manual on Biodynamic Agriculture) by Pierre Masson, the only manual on Biodynamic Agriculture. He has also translated and edited the Italian version of the “Calendario dei Lavori Agricoli” (Calendar of agriculture´s works) of Pierre Masson, editions 2012 e 2013.
He is a teacher and trainer in Biodynamic farming in various organizations and educational institutions such as Veneto Region, Cooperativa la Primavera, Fondazione Le Madri, Agribio Piemonte and Serbian Biodynamic Association.
Collaborations for research in progress: Padova’s university, Foundation E. Mach-Istituto San Michele all’Adige-CRA in Conegliano, Geisenheim’ University.
Sample of past and present collaborations with the wine sector.
www.aloislageder.eu
www.avignonesi.it
http://ilborro.com
www.elisabettaforadori.com
www.montesecondo.com