Nutrimais participates, for the 5th year in a row, in the 24H of agriculture promoted by APH

The 24H of Agriculture Syngenta is an event organized by the Portuguese Association of Horticulture (APH), in partnership with IAAS Portugal – International Association of Students of Agriculture and Related Sciences and the company SFORI.

The 6th edition of the 24H of Agriculture Syngenta brought together around 100 students from 11 Agricultural Sciences teaching institutions in the country, on April 1 and 2, at the Escola Superior Agrária of the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (ESA-IPB), for the greatest training competition ever held in Portugal in this area and, this year, under the theme Regenerative Agriculture.

Students from the Higher Agricultural Schools of the Polytechnic Institutes of Bragança, Viseu and Coimbra, UTAD, the Higher Institute of Agronomy of the University of Lisbon, the University of Algarve, the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto and four professional agricultural schools: Baixo Mondego, Vagos, Fermil (Engº Silva Nunes) and Carvalhais, participated in this edition. 

During 24 consecutive hours, students took 33 field and theoretical tests, working on behavioral skills (time management, teamwork, negotiation and creativity, among others) and technical skills in agricultural management.

The first prize of the competition was won by ESA-IPB, the host school, the 2nd prize for a team of students from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) and the 3rd place for a team of students from the Escola Superior Agrária of the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu (ESA-IPV).

The technical tests were organized around the five pillars of Regenerative Agriculture: Permanent vegetation cover of the soil; Diversification, intercropping and crop rotation; Precise application of factors of production; Minimal soil disturbance and Integration of animals in the agricultural system.

The theme of the competition was introduced with a presentation by Prof. Doctor Carlos Aguiar, from a practical case of Regenerative Agriculture in Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro – the LIFE MARONESA project – whose main objective is to improve the climate resilience of extensive livestock farms of the Maronesa breed and to promote increased carbon retention in soil organic matter.

The organization and sponsors of the competition prepared different tests for students related to their products and services and framed in the pillars of Regenerative Agriculture. help them to identify the most suitable solution for the various vegetative propagation materials that they also had to identify.

Regenerative agriculture is an example of how minimal mobilization has shown results, promoting the maintenance of organic matter in non-permanent crops.