On Saturday 23rd, Rafael Costa and Henrique Mira Godinho travelled to Arcos de Valdevez to take part in the 1st Cachena Breed Day organised by the Cachena Breeders Association.
The project manager had the opportunity to take part as a speaker in the colloquium ‘Challenges and opportunities for the Cachena breed’. In an audience with a strong presence of Cachena breeders, the focus of the presentation ‘LIFE Maronesa Project – Opportunities for replication in the Cachena territory’ was on highlighting some ideas and strategies for applying the project’s extensive model by Cachena breed producers, some of which have been adopted in the Trás-os-Montes region, others which have been transferred outside the region, always taking into account the productive context of the farms and territory and the commercial fabric of the region of the new CLIMA+ producers.
The presentation began with the topic that attracts the most interest among livestock breeders and producers in the Alvão region, the innovative material and technology that the project has brought to the management of extensive production farms, which considerably increases the producer’s labour productivity. He presented the economic model that aims to sustain extensive livestock farming for native mountain breeds in the north of the country, through the promotion of the Clima Mais Positivo ecological brand and he mentioned some of the farmers of other breeds who have already signed up to the brand, such as the Arouquesa and Minhota farmers. Lastly, he talked about the commercial modernisation and enhancement of the activity through the integration of tourist agents in the territory and the fundamental factor of communicating and informing the various types of target public about the benefits of extensive grazing and the consumption of its products, in order to influence their decisions in favour of climate action.
