On the 10th of December, students from the Vila Pouca de Aguiar Professional Cooking/ Baking Technician Course visited the LIFE Maronesa project and got to know the Casal da Bouça farm, project partner. The visits by students from schools in the four municipalities where the project is being implemented are part of the project’s C3 implementation actions, Commercialisation and Market Understanding by consumers and restaurant agents, with a special focus on the younger age groups.
After an introduction to the project by the manager, the students and teachers of the course, accompanied by breeder Tommy Ferreira, had the opportunity to learn how the Maronesa cattle on the Casal da Bouça farm is monitored throughout the year, the cows and calves, the external factors that most of the time lead to forced adaptations in management, which cannot be controlled by the farm or the breeder, but which the extensive models reinforced by new equipment, technology and the great resilience and adaptation of the Maronesa breed manage to overcome and keep the farms productive.
Also invited to take part in the visit was CLIMA+ brand partner, chef João Pires from the Forno de Jales restaurant, who brought an approach and some teachings closer to the students’ professional training. He shared the experiences and knowledge he has gained during his professional and educational career until he reached the present day, where he has the opportunity to create his own project and business, incorporating into his cuisine the seasonal resources of excellent gastronomic quality that nature in the region offers, emphasising the importance of the Maronesa cattle and their breeders in developing a quality product, as well as managing the landscape and territory of the Serra do Alvão.
