Today, March 18th, a seminar on Multifunctionality in Agriculture as part of the eTOMATO project has been carried out with the students of the fourth-year course in the class “Planning and Management of Rural Spaces” belonging to the Degree in Geography and Territorial Management.
In this activity the analysis, debate and discussion on the multifunctional possibilities for agricultural holdings has been developed. Are those capable of generating, jointly, products for the market directly rewarding the farmer, and other goods for the ecosystems services not rewarded through conventional farming activities? These are generally market failures, which are only partially compensated by the institutions through public subsidies. Resolving those not only enhance business opportunities but also the recognition of agricultural services as activities generating values and enhancing landscape, heritage or sustainability.
This activity was prepared by the students and the teacher, Eugenio Cejudo, member of the eTOMATO project, took inspiration by various materials of previous analysis. The first part of the session consisted in the sharing of the principal ideas extracted by the students. His debate has led to a synthesis on the basic aspects that confer uniqueness on conventional and linear production systems. The assessments was made on circular economy; short production / distribution / consumption chains; the need to understand production “spaces” as “places” of life through the perception and feeling of belonging to the territory; the transmission of sustainable knowledge and practices as a formula to keep alive the memory of traditional knowledge and as a means of social awareness; lastly, debate was raised on the opportunities offered by rural tourism as an emerging activity that can complement the income obtained from the agrarian enterprise activities usually performed.
It has been an excellent experience!