The Workshop- “Wild herbs of Alentejo - Distillation of Essential oils”, which AFINET project attended, took place in Monte da Paz Farm, in Colos, Beja, on the 27th of May.
The AFINET project participated on this event since essential oil distillation is among the several alternative uses of products from silvopastoral systems, as the ones in the Beja area.
Collecting flowers and leaves from wild species (on this case pennyroyal, Gum rockrose, Common rue, fennel, rosemary, thyme and lavender ) that can be found on the understorey and the bushes of agroforestry systems such as Montados can contribute to lessen the fire hazard and increase the farm’s income. The distillation, which is a sustainable process that obtains essential oil and hydrolat, uses a low pressure boiler fed only with locally collected firewood (cork oak, holm oak and others). The distillery also produces traditional soap, and these products that can be used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes are a sustainable alternative use of forest products. 33 people from different backgrounds and an interest in sustainable management attended the workshop.