PremiosTFRuralFIVE AWARDS AND THE RECOGNITION OF THE CAREER IN THE DEFENSE OF THE RURAL.

The Tenerife Rural Foundation, dependent on the Cabildo of Tenerife, presented its annual awards for biodiversity conservation work, the heritage, innovation and rural traditions linked to agricultural activity.

The Tenerife Rural Awards’ Their main objective is to recognize the trajectory of those people or entities that stand out for their contribution to the conservation of agricultural and livestock biodiversity., to the maintenance of traditional agricultural practices of high environmental value, to the recovery and conservation of rural heritage linked to the agricultural activity of Tenerife, to the work of research and dissemination of traditions, and sustainable business innovation in rural areas.

The insular Minister of Agriculture, José Joaquín Bethencourt, assured that it is possible to build the future “without giving up the past”, and recalled that these awards reward the role of those people who contribute to the maintenance of our culture.

The jury agreed to award the Tenerife Rural Award for the Conservation of Biodiversity and Maintenance of Traditional Agricultural Practices to Sotera Ramos and Cirilo Rodríguez, direct protagonists of the maintenance of customs and agricultural work in the town of Las Carboneras, in the Anaga massif.

Today, This couple continues to be a reference for the different crops in the area and in the production of traditional fresh cheese..

The Tenerife Rural Award for the Conservation of Agrarian Heritage and Rural Traditions has been awarded to Laureano Febles, a man from Matanzas linked to the rural world who has worked on numerous initiatives such as the recovery of chestnut cultivation.

President of the Association of Chestnut Harvesters of Acentejo, Febles has contributed to the increase in chestnut production in the area. Also passionate about livestock, It is linked to trawling and livestock fairs and, in this area, has been one of the main promoters of the San Antonio Abad de La Matanza fair.

The Ethnography Classroom of the Manuel de Falla Compulsory Education Center in La Orotava has obtained the Award for Research Work on the Values ​​of the Rural World of Tenerife for its research on outstanding ethnographic elements of the area.

Among the works carried out by the students, the construction of a traditional haystack in the center's facilities stands out., research on the eras, the use of water, mills or traditional trades.

The Award for the Work of Promotion and Dissemination of the Values ​​of the Rural World of Tenerife went to the San Felipe Neri Neighborhood Association of Chirche, in the municipality of Guía de Isora, which has always been a place dedicated to the cultivation of land and grazing.

The respect that the residents of the hamlet feel for their traditions, did that in 1999 a cultural revitalization project will be formed, through a series of workshops linked to the rescue of their heritage and, finally in the year 2000, The San Felipe Neri de Chirche Neighborhood Association is created, whose objective is to preserve and disseminate the life and work of the former inhabitants of the hamlet.

A year later the celebration of the 'I Edition of the Day of the Traditions of Chirche' becomes a reality, in which the farmhouse is moved to the beginning of the 19th century to recover the traditions of the time.

The award for Innovative and Sustainable Business Initiative in Rural Environments, has been granted to the Buenavista del Norte company Teno Activo. nine years ago, a young entrepreneur from the municipality, Ivan Mendez, decided to create some routes and outdoor activities in order to teach how to enjoy this area of ​​the Island in a different way.

The company offers a wide variety of activities related to hiking, observation from the sea or knowledge of flora and fauna.

Also, The jury agreed to grant a special mention to Eduardo Oramas, promoter of the Stick Game School.