Last week, on 27th of October, I attended a workshop by ‘CRIE Montado’, a group of multifunctional farmers from around Montemor in the Alentejo, South Portugal. The group consists of 12 farmers. They are not the average farmer; their estates are large, the 12 jointly manage 7500 ha, and many of them are higly educated. Faced with declining rentability on food production in their farms, they have decided to move into other activities: tourism, recreation, education. Freixo de Meio is one of the initiators, Horta do Ze is another, Anema with Servo are member, as is Herdade dos Fartos e Defesa das Cegonhas. The animal park Monte Selvagem maybe the best known member.
The 12 share a warm heart for the ‘montado’, a unique open forest ecosystem (which was much influenced by man, who tended the cork forests for production). They come together every month, to discuss individual and collective projects, such as an eco-camping, educational activities, and a joint offer for tourist activity ‘trekking montado’.
For the workshop in Évora the CRIE Montado farmers have invited the researchers with whom they have established a collaboration, and Governement officials. We are discussing real cases and how it is a struggle, to link and accomodate the different perspectives and interests of farmers, policy makers and fund-holders. (But while discussing, we are working on better understanding for the other’s perspective.) One of the problems is: which department is responsible? Agriculture is what is binding and under which ‘umbrella’ this falls, but it is also the thing to move away from, into multifunctionality.
The ’subsidy-dependency’ that farmers have developed AND/OR are always suspected of having, needs to be overcome. The lack of rentability of both old and (beginning) new activities is very hard. Also, multifunctionality is inherently hard to do. As an multifunctional entrepreneur you cannot focus or develop monodisciplinary, you need to always spread your attention.
Maria Pia Imperatori and Alfredo Cunhal explain, in Portuguese, the group’s objectives
On the other hand there are the particularities of this particular group, this particular context in the Alentejo. The name of the group refers to an extraordinary ecosystem where humans are part of the interplay: the montado.
Alfredo Cunhal, in English, explaining ‘Montado’:
The group would like to learn as much as they can. Inspiration from abroad could be a help, according to Alfredo (in English):
dear Josien and Alfredo,
I am glad to see that the initiative of the versatile Countryside is going on. As farmer you can sow seeds, than you have to wait and than the plants are coming above. Sometimes you have to wait some time and be patient.
I was happy to read about the Portugese initiative. On our visit to Freixo the Meio it was very inspiring to see how the Montado experience was worked out in a new farm model. I am for myself spelling out the word agri – culture again: culture around the agri. And you can use that word culture als care for soil, for animals, for landscape, for products, for people, for new generations and so on. To work this out in a healthy economic way is to bridge the gap between countryside and cities. Think about these bridges is very inspiring.
May I wish you the best in this new bridging process!
with kind regards, jan huijgen
ps look to the new website of the Eemlandhoeve on which some of these bridges are worked out.