2. THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF
FAMILY FARMING
0 The 2014 International Year
of Family Farming
(IYFF) aims to raise the profile
of family farming and
smallholder farming by
focusing world attention on its
significant role in
eradicating hunger and
poverty, providing food
security and nutrition,
improving livelihoods,
managing natural resources,
protecting the environment,
and achieving sustainable
development, in particular in
rural areas.

3. THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF
FAMILY FARMING
0 The goal of the 2014 IYFF
is to reposition family
farming at the centre of
agricultural,
environmental and social
policies in the national
agendas by identifying
gaps and opportunities to
promote a shift towards a
more equal and balanced
development.

4. WHY IS FAMILY FARMING
IMPORTANT?
0 Family and small-scale farming
are inextricably linked to world
food security.
0 Family farming preserves
traditional food products, while
contributing to a balanced diet
and safeguarding the world’s
agro-biodiversity and the
sustainable use of natural
resources.
0 Family farming represents an
opportunity to boost local
economies, especially when
combined with specific policies
aimed at social protection and
well-being of communities.

5. WHAT IS FAMILY FARMING?
0 Family farming includes all
family-based agricultural
activities, and it is linked to
several areas of the rural
development. Family farming
is a means of organizing
agricultural, forestry,
fisheries, pastoral and
aquaculture production
which is managed and
operated by a family and
predominantly reliant on
family labour, including both
women’s and men’s.

6. FORESTS COMMUNITIES

7. ORIGIN
0 A Germanic model of
property (possession occurs
through common use. So
neighbour=owner).
0 It cannot be bequeathed since
it is an indispensable,
indivisible, unimpoundable
and inalienable property.

8. ORIGIN
0 Forests of “sticks and
voices” of Roman origin,
makes a more and more
frequent use of it: depletions,
firewood, stone, crops,
pastures. However, the
surface decreases (de
1.600.000 a 600.000 has).

9. HISTORY
In the nineteenth
century the
neighbourhood Forests
favours and
complements
rudimentary
agricultural production,
which is the main
activity of most of the
Galician population
The triumph of
liberalism prevents the
State from recognizing
neighbourhood forests
as neighbours’ property
and are considered as
“public forest”
belonging to the
State.But in Galiza they
continue to belong to
the neighbours keeping
the characteristic of
communal
neighbourhood forest
During Franco’s
dictatorship, the
mortgage law (1946)
ascribed them to the
local councils. Eucalypti
and pine trees are
planted all over the
forest, which gives rise
to a uniform massive
forestal repopulation
which turns out to be
aggressive and
excluding.
Nowadays
neighbourhood forest
are dealt with by the
forest communities,
which have to comply
with complex rules and
regulations and they
receive very little
suppport from the
Xunta de Galicia, but
economic, social and
ecological prosperity of
Galician is preserved.

10. THE IMPORTANCE OF ITS
PRESERVATION
0 The neighbourhood forests
are a CO² sink produced by
industrial and domestic
activities.
0 It is a key element for
biodiversity preservation,
hydric regulation, struggle
against erosion, O²
production and CO²
reduction.

11. FORESTS IN GALIZA
0 Forest in Galiza take up
2/3 of its territory, a total
of two million hectares, of
which 650,000 is
neighbourhood forest,
about 30%.
0 Forest woodland is
1,600,000 hectares and
out of these
neighbourhood forests
woodland is 520,000.

12. FORESTS EXPLOTATION
Exploitation is based
down two key criteria:
0 Sustainibility: promoting
environmental resources.
0 External recovery.

13. PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
IN THE MARKET
Wood
Fruit
Pasture
Hunting
Quarries
OUT OF MARKET
Oxygen production
Leisure
Ptotection of erosion
Biodiversity preservation
Historical heritage
Landscape
Hydric and soil protection
CO² absorption

14. SUSTAINIBILITY CRITERIA determine
management and make it more
expensive:
0 Provision and care of
springs
0 Protection of
biodiversity
0 Landscape protection
0 Air protection

15. MANAGEMENT MEASURES
0 Planning
0 Lot allocation minutes
0 Forestry related tasks
0 Firefighting measures
0 Forestal certification

16. ENVIRONMENTAL COMPENSATION –
DIRECT AID AGAINST GREENHOUSE
EFFECT
0 Planting native hardwods
0 Diversification of forestal
uses
0 Provision of forestal
menagement measures
0 Bonus taxes for nonprofitable activities
0 Increase in aids for
knowledge and social use
of the forest.
0 Spreading environmental
functions of the forest.

17. A DEMOCRATIC MANAGEMENT
Neighbourhood manages
were managed by the Forest
Community and in order to
belong to this community
certain requirements are
needed:
0 Neighbourhood (open
house with smoke)
0 Application form approved
by the General Assembly
0 Connection with the forest

18. MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATIONS
0 The General Assembly
0 Governing Board

19. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
0 It meets at least twice a
year in an ordinary
session and an
extraordinary session. Is
duties are to approve of
general management of
the forest.

20. GOVERNING BOARD
0 It represents and
manages the community,
puts forward proposals
and initiatives at the
Assembly and enforces
the agreements reached
by the commoners.

21. “The ultimate goal of preservation of
neighbourhood forests is stabilizing
rural population”
BY Ricardo Alarcón, Baltar Morgade and David Muñíz – IES “Luís Seoane”
(Pontevedra)