The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Rural Development highlighted the strong growth in production and consumers of organic farming in the Azores.
“We are increasingly a region where organic products are produced,” stressed António Ventura, who was present last Friday at the activities carried out by the São Miguel Agricultural Development Service at Quinta de São Gonçalo as part of European Organic Farming Day.
According to the Secretary, “between 2019 and 2023, the area of organic farming increased to 3,370 hectares, while the number of producers increased to 588, which corresponds to a growth of 560% compared to 2019”.
“During this period, more than 50 training sessions have been held on all the islands, involving more than 1,000 participants, including producers and consumers, which means that we are moving towards achieving our goal of making the region known for having a more natural diet,” he said.
The European Day of Organic Farming is celebrated on September 23rd. The region used the occasion to promote the Regional Organic Farming Week, with activities on almost all the islands.
The commemoration began on September 22, with the Faial Agricultural Development Service organizing an Open Day at Quinta Santo Amaro – an organic farming demonstration field with various activities aimed at children and young people.
In Terceira, the date was commemorated with an activity on apple tree bud grafting and another on the propagation and protection of aromatic plants, aimed at active and non-active farmers and at vocational education, developed in partnership with Bio Azorica.
In São Miguel, educational games were prepared to focus on the importance of organic farming, the diversity of fruit and vegetables, and the protection of insects that are beneficial to agriculture, as well as sowing organic vegetables in biodegradable pots, an activity that involved around 45 4th grade students.
For the Santa Cruz and Lajes elementary school preschool classes, the Flores Agricultural Development Service promoted a visit to the entire area adjacent to the service being converted to organic farming and the workshop “The little seed that Wanted to be a Giant.”
For the 1st and 2nd grade classes at these schools, the activity “Bees are our friends” was prepared, with a visit to the beekeeping section to observe the hives and bees in their natural habitat and to the honey factory of the Agricultural Development Service, to learn about the honey cycle.
In São Jorge, the European Day of Organic Farming was celebrated in partnership with the Escola Profissional da Ilha de São Jorge (São Jorge Island Vocational School), with a lecture on “Management of pastures in BEM for the production of meat and/or milk”, aimed at students and teachers from the three Agricultural Production classes.
There was also a field trip to MakeitHappenFarm – Organic Farming Farm for Santa Casa da Misericórdia da Calheta users.
In Santa Maria, the workshop “Do you want to be a beekeeper? The adventure is about to begin!” for several 1st and 2nd grade classes at Vila do Porto Primary School, with a demonstration of honey plants.
Corvo’s Agrarian Development Service visited the apiary of the island’s largest beekeeper, an initiative attended by 10 elementary school children from the Mouzinho da Silveira Primary and Secondary School.
in Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director
Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno.
A gentle reminder that October is our annual Crowdfunding event. We have a goal of 22 thousand dollars to assist with the multitude of projects we have going on, from Oral history collection to producing documentation on the Portuguese-American experience in Central California, from our speaker and conference series to Bruma Publications, from the Cagarro Colloquium to the Alfred Lewis Bilingual Reading Series, from this NOVIDADES news platform to FILAMENTOS, arts, and letters in the Azorean Diaspora, from ADAM (Azores Diaspora Media Alliance) to the implementation of a Diaspora Forum. Please donate. With your help, this community-based grassroots fundraiser can reach our goal of 22 thousand dollars by October 31. Thanks so much. Here is the link. If you prefer to donate with a check, please make the checks to Fresno State Foundation and mail them to Diniz Borges, 1418 Clarete Avenue, Tulare-CA 93274.
Novidades - The Islands and the Diaspora 