During the meeting of the European Contact Group on Chestnut, held in Ourense (Spain) last 11th and 12th of March 2010, CASTANEA - European Chestnut Network has been joined by some new Spanish and Portuguese members, who contribute to consolidate and enlarge the basis of the Association and its European relevance.

The new professional and producers associations who have joined the network are:

 

 

Si riunisce il Gruppo Europeo di Contatto sulla Castagna. L'incontro si tiene nei giorni 11 e 12 marzo 2010 a Ourense in Galizia. Si tratta del secondo incontro dopo il primo a Barcellona, in cui sono state gettate le basi per un'azione congiunta a favore della valorizzazione della Castanicoltura Europea.

Questo incontro è l'occasione per accreditare CASTANEA ad assumere il ruolo di rete di interesse tra i soggetti europei legati alla castanicoltura, in particolare quelli dei paesi dell'Arco Mediterraneo.

Per CASTANEA NETWORK parteciperanno all'incontro il Presidente Lorenzo Fazzi e il presidente dell'Associazione nazionale "Città del Castagno", Ivo Poli. Faranno parte della delegazione anche i referenti tecnici Giovanni Alessandri e Fosco Ferri.

 

Mr. Lorenzo Fazzi, President of Castanea, has been appointed coordinator of the national consultation table on Chestnut tree, that was held in Rome on 17th and 18th of February 2010 on the initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Food policies - Department for competitive policies for quality and rural economy. This important recognition is the direct consequence of the great effort spent by Mr. Fazzi during these years in the improvement of Chestnut related issues, first as president of the Association for Monte Amiata Chestnut, then as member of the Council of the National Association of Chestnut Towns and, finally, as president of the European Chestnut Network. The consultation table deals with all the relevant aspects concerning production and farming in Chestnut sector: marketing, production, food processing, European policies. The group gathers the representatives of all the Italian regions, professional associations, universities and research institutes, associations and firms of chestnut tree growers.

CASTANEA, European Chestnut Network participated in Castanea 2009: Food, Timber, Biomass & Energy in Europe, the 1st European Congress and the 5th Italian Congress on Chestnut that was held in Cuneo (Italy) from 13th to 16th October 2009. This is a major appointment for the European discussion and sharing of knowledge on Chestnut, both from the scientific and the cultural point of view. Scientists, professionals, technicians, researchers and students take part and present their achievements and works on many different Chestnut-related subjects. The 2009 edition envisaged the following themes:

1. History and landscape;
2. Biology and genetic resources;
3. Culture;
4. Pest and diseases;
5. Harvest, post-harvest;
6. Quality and Processing;
7. Economic and marketing aspects;
8. Biomasses and energy.

The details of the event can be found here: http://www.arboree.unito.it/castanea2009/source/presentation.html