Mountains 2016, the International Conference on Research for Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions, took place in Bragança, Portugal 3–7 October 2016.
The small charming city of Bragança in the northeast of Portugal has been the scene for the Mountains 2016 conference, where scientists, politicians and practitioners discussed and exchanged their knowledge and ideas for sustainable development in mountain regions. One of the field trips guided by Manuel Ângelo Rodrigues, expert for agroecology on rainfed managed orchards, explored the mosaic of small scattered plots on the steep slopes in the sparsely populated region. Olive, chestnut and almond are the most important cash crops, mainly managed by weekend-farmers, as people moved to more urbanized areas. The visited farms were atypical in terms of acreage, but showing traditional cropping practices mixed with new approaches to solve major agro-environmental and market constraints. Water scarcity has a different dimension in Mediterranean regions compared to Alpine biosphere reserves, where the research I presented at the conference is located and farming systems vary strongly. Nevertheless strategies to cope with future challenges in mountainous regions seem to be comparable and focus on diversification, cooperation and high quality product.
Link:
Mountains 2016 Brangança, Portugal: http://cimo.esa.ipb.pt/mountains2016
