Biocastanea celebrates its tenth edition in 2019, and the county of El Bierzo (León, Spain) will once again be at the heart of the event. Biocastanea aims to promote and revitalise the chestnut sector, raising awareness of the importance of the survival of this species for the whole of Spain, within the framework of the European Union, as a cultural, landscape, environmental and economic element. Furthermore, it provides society and industry with the knowledge gained through research projects.
Activities already published include the X Technical Demonstrations, which aim to increase efforts to inform chestnut growers of the advances and techniques that are applied in current chestnut farming in areas of great tradition. The technical day, which takes place on 16 November, will approach technical questions relating to mechanised chestnut collection, pruning at height using climbing techniques, an exhibition of harvesting machinery, residue crushing, alternatives for managing plagues and diseases, among other themes. A full programme is available for the event, which takes places in the municipality of Corullón.
Apart from the technical demonstrations, one of the central axes of this meeting is the X Bierzo Chestnut Fair, which aims to bring the sector closer to the general public. The fair welcomes various companies related to chestnut farming, from marketing and processing, to service, tasting, machinery and plant production. There will also be stands for entities or official bodies and, of course, the Mesa del Castaño del Bierzo who organise Biocastanea.
The Fair is open to anyone who wants to deepen their knowledge on the chestnut and its products and entry is free of charge. In particular, the fair is aimed at the general public, owners, students, producers, technicians, commercial agents, and related sectors. The Fair is held at the Carracedelo Fairgrounds from 15 – 17 November 2019. The full programme of activities is available here.
Finally, the competition is now open for the X Biocastanea 2019 Photographic Contest, in which professionals and amateurs alike are invited to participate. As in previous editions, the competition is grouped into two themes ‘Chestnut is biodiversity’ and ‘Historical photography’. Contest rules are posted online with details on conditions for participation, prizes and entry deadlines.
