"The first in a series of meetings was held at La Constancia Ranch, located in the rural area of General San Martín. These are workshop-style sessions aimed at putting into practice tools and knowledge related to sustainable livestock farming."
The Institute of Popular Culture (INCUPO), along with technicians, producers, and institutions from the region, is promoting a series of knowledge-sharing sessions on agriculture in forested areas, with the participation of stakeholders from Chaco, Santa Fe, Formosa, and Corrientes. These are meetings held at different farms, where practical and theoretical workshops are conducted, featuring demonstrations of various techniques.
During the days of August 23 and 24, the focus was on workshops aimed at preserving the ecosystem services provided by the forest, while optimizing pasture production for livestock. Tato Figueredo, from INCUPO's technical team, explained, "In these sessions, we worked with technologies, techniques, and forest management practices of this nature. Our mission was to bring together both small and large producers, as well as those from organizations and institutions, to establish common ground and channel it into concrete practices."
He further added, "These livestock initiatives complement what we've been working on with the Austria Alliance project and contribute to synergy, with recommendations to the authorities to overcome current limitations."
Anibal Frete, one of the producers who organized and hosted these sessions, mentioned that the idea for the meetings arose from observing the environment surrounding the fields (forest, savannah, and streams). "We noticed that culturally, producers are used to clearing the forest from one end to the other, but lately, with drought and the impact of climate change, alternatives are being sought through regenerative livestock and agriculture. We believe that the forest is crucial, which is why we set the goal of contacting someone like engineer Marcelo Naval, who is giving lectures, and also giving priority to the word of the producers," he concluded.
For the months of October and November, the agenda includes continuing in other provinces with more experiences in forest, grassland, and livestock management.
Environmentally Friendly Production Practices
These meetings are promoted within the framework of the Austria-Argentina Alliance Project, an innovative cooperation coordinated by INCUPO in Argentina and the Austrian organization Welthaus. The project aims to improve the living conditions of family farming and strengthen this sector in its leading role in caring for the environment and climate-friendly production.
During these activities, dialogues will focus on areas such as the environment and climate change, production and transformation, and improving marketing, emphasizing the value of family farmers in a more sustainable new rural context. Recommendations for managing production processes, commercialization, and financing actions in the territories will be shared at the end, strengthening national and international alliances.
The activity is promoted by INCUPO through the "Austria-Argentina Alliance" project, supported by INTA, INAFCI, IAFEP, IIFA, the Ministry of Production of the Province of Chaco, FONTAGRO, the Municipality of General San Martín, Nodo Quebracho OVIS21, the Regenerative Livestock Group, Cambio Rural, the Rural Society of General San Martín, COOPRAF, the EFA Fortaleza Campesina, and the EEA Agrotécnica No. 8.
