The winners of the 2022 edition of the VIDA RURAL Awards are already known.
The ceremony took place during the AgroIN, congress on April 28, in a return to a purely face-to-face format. Meet the winners of the seven categories, one of which was voted for by the magazine's readers.
This year's Guardian of Household Biodiversity award went to RuralBit. This special award, which results from a partnership between VIDA RURAL and SPREGA (Portuguese Society of Animal Genetic Resources) was awarded through online voting by readers of the magazine and recognizes and distinguishes activities of conservation, use and promotion of animal genetic resources. The awarded project created, among other initiatives, solutions oriented to the management of small populations, as is the case of most native breeds, for the respective Genealogical Books, Conservation Programs or Animal Genetic Improvement.
Another highlight goes to the recently retired professor José Oliveira Peça, from the University of Évora, who was awarded the Personality Award Armando Sevinate Pinto (which distinguishes personalities who contributed decisively to the defense and development of the sector). The awardee, during his long career of over four decades, gave an important contribution to the development of agricultural mechanization and olive growing. He was also responsible for the research group Agricultural Technology and Energy Efficiency, of the Institute of Mediterranean Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (ICAAM), currently MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development.
People, Companies and Projects that make a difference
In the other categories, the “Farmer who scores” award went to Vítor Araújo, from KiwiGreenSun, the largest producer in the Iberian Peninsula and one of the most important kiwi warehouses in Portugal.
This year's "Agricultural Company that scores" award went to Mendes Gonçalves, a company dedicated to the production of vinegars, sauces and seasonings and owner of brands such as Paladin. Recently, the company joined the Agenda InsectERA consortium, which wants to put the country in the forefront of the insect industry.
In the field of investments, the brand new Duck River Agriculture received the "Investment that Makes a Mark" Award. The project, founded in 2019, wants to enhance the cultivation of almond trees in Portugal and, in this sense, has invested in sustainable practices in Alentejo and Beira Interior.
This year's "Producers' Organization that scores" award went to Cerfundão. This organization of cherry (and other fruits) producers has been working on the valorization of the product along the national chains, with a strong focus on sustainability.
Metbots is the "I&D that marks" of 2022. The INESC TEC project, in partnership with ADVID, is developing robots for metabolomics using artificial intelligence with self-learning in precision agriculture.
Source: Vida Rural, April 22, 2022
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