European Group of the
IFSA International Farming Systems Association

6th European Symposium on
Farming and Rural Systems Research and Extension
Vila Real, Portugal, 3-8 April, 2004

European Farming and Society in search of a new social contract
Learning to manage change

Welcome .. Background .. Program .. To participate .. To contact .. Useful links

Field Trips

Parque Natural do Alvão

Field trip leaders: Timothy Koehnen and Lívia Madureira (UTAD)
Host institution: Parque Natural do Alvão
The field trip will take place in the Natural Alvão Park which encompasses a high mountain terrrain. The field trip will focus on two visits involving a small scale livestock production system and the management of the common lands by the local community, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Park.
The small scale livestock production will be presented by a young livestock producer and a local township leader. The farming system involves the integration of the traditionally irrigated meadows, the common lands and cultivated fields where manuring plays an essential role for soil improvement. This livestock system protects the local breed called Maronês.
The second case study is associated with the collective management of the common lands, where a community commission determines the use of these high mountain lands with poor soil conditions. The area to be studied is under a agroforestry production system. The lands are pastured by goats, and planted in soft or hard woods where possible. Additional production activities are resin harvesting, mushroom gathering and beekeeping. The community has access to these lands to gather forest litter and brush with approval by the commission. The journey will start at the Natural Park headquaters in Vila Real, and will be introduced by the Director and guided by one of its field technicians.

Terra Quente Transmontana

Fieldtrip leaders: Manuela Ribeiro and Manuel Luís Tibério (UTAD)
Host institutions: Rota do Azeite de Trás-os-Montes, Associação de Caprinicultores da Raça Serrana
The “Terra Quente Transmontana” corresponds to the central area of Trás-os-Montes. It is a territory with warm and dry summers and mild winters, favouring the development of mediterranean crops. The diversity of agricultural systems is quite notorious. Goat and sheep raising, olive, almond and cherries orchards, and horticulture are among the most important activities. The quality of agri-food production is well reflected by the number of local added-value products from the area (DOP, IGP, ETG), such as “Trás-os Montes Olive Oil”, “Terrincho Cheese”, and “Terra Quente Honey”, among many others.
The fieldtrip will include three major moments: a visit to a goat farm, while observing the traditional milking practices, in the company of the local extension agent; a visit to a village, a small rural business and an etnographic museum; and finally a visit to understand some aspects of the traditional farming system and practices related to olive, almond and grape production.
During the day there will be time to discuss a global picture of agriculture in the region, as well as the related institutional setting.

Região Demarcada do Douro

Fieldtrip leaders: Vasco Rebelo and Mário Sérgio Teixeira (UTAD)
Host institutions: Museu do Douro, Associação para o Desenvolvimento da Viticultura Duriense
The field visit will take place in the Douro Demarcated Region, the oldest demarcated and regulated winemaking region in the world, which encompasses a unique representation of a living cultural landscape in constant evolution, recently classified by UNESCO as World Heritage.
In the morning, we will visit a small family farm traditionally specialised in Port Wine production, a sector mainly ruled by large production and trading companies. The journey continues with a visit to an estate owned by one of the largest Port Wine production and trading companies, where visitors will have the opportunity to see different vineyard plantation systems and its implications for labour-use, technology, and landscape. In a recently improved traditional walled vineyard, visitors can see how labour can be reduced and World Heritage agricultural landscape can be preserved. In the modern plantations of this estate, soil mobilisation and herbicide use is kept to a minimum for environmental conservation and improvement of wine quality and safety. After lunch, ADVID (Douro Region Association for Viticulture Development) will discuss the research, training and extension centre, a link between Universities and producers, and an organisation that supports environmental-friendly production (IPM).
After a stroll to aid digestion, visitors will take a train journey to Régua passing close to the River Douro, permitting them to enjoy both the landscape and vineyards and understand how “historical trains” and river cruises have been very important for the Douro region tourism development. At Régua we will visit the Douro Museum, temporarily located in an old wine cellar belonging to the Douro and Port Wine Institute. This museum is designated as both a "Museum of the Territory" and a "Vineyard and Wine Museum". Visitors will see the film "The vineyard cycle", showing the diversity of the Douro Valley landscape and the annual cycle from vine to wine. The "Hanging Gardens" exhibition helps the visitor to understand how nature and life in the Douro region has influenced changes in the landscape.

Welcome .. Background .. Program .. To participate .. To contact .. Useful links

opened at: 2003-01-27
last updated: 2004-05-12
Pedro Ferrão
pferrao@utad.pt