At the PrimaFeira, on July 9 Ruralisar hosted a Dão Conversation Café facilitated by Deborah Richmond and Nuno Mateiro. The conversation was focused on questions around regeneration in the Dão watershed. About 25 people, representing various projects, institutions and businesses in the Dão region, participated and shared their experiences and ideas.
As the PrimaFeira was organized in the context of the Eco Rede (Network) do Dão, so was the conversation an activity to bring people and projects from the region together to discuss regional regenerative development and start developing relationships.
Our desire is to continue this work and develop activities together with people and projects doing regenerative work in the Dão river basin. Stay tuned to hear about future activities!
The central question the Dão Conversation Café was:
What does regeneration look like for the Dão river watershed?
Enlarge the image to read the ideas and suggestions that were shared.
Sub-questions that were discussed in groups:
What stories we want to tell about the Dão?
- Build a relationship to the river as a life giving energy.
- New economic models - produce wine that takes in account the health of the river and quality of ecosystems.
- Need respect - what activities? Archeological investigation to understand the wisdom and skills around water management
What sits in our way? (weaknesses and threats to a healthy region)
- Legal difficulties, Mentality, Lack of information, desertification and aging population.
- Intensive agriculture.
- Creating situations where children are teaching parents and each other.
- Creating platforms where adults and children learn together.
- More informal education and learning outside of the classroom.
- Need for resources to boost a network.
- Physical space for a meeting point and promotion and information.
