DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7607520

Mountain and Upland Model

Author: Maria Cruz Porcal Gonzalo

Overview of SAMUTER

The Pyrenean Valleys of Navarre are located in the extreme north-east of Navarre and occupy a frontier position, bordering France to the north, Aragon to the east and other Navarrese regions to the south and west. They form part of the Pyrenean mountain range, more specifically of its western sector and adopt a meridian disposition and, therefore, discordant with respect to the dominant tectonic-structural guidelines in the Pyrenees of general direction WNW-ESE. Listed from west to east are the valleys of Esteríbar, Erro, Arce, Aezkoa, Almiradío de Navascués, Salazar and Roncal, which respectively have been carved out by the rivers Arga, Erro, Urrobi, Irati, Salazar and Esca, all of which are tributaries of the Ebro. They are home to valuable and valued agricultural mountain landscapes with a sub-Atlantic or sub-Alpine aspect in the north and a more sub-Mediterranean aspect in the south, which have traditionally been used for livestock and forestry but which, due to various factors (isolation and difficult accessibility, climatic rigours, etc.), have been strongly affected by abandonment and depopulation. As a result, the population is sparse and the ageing of the population is high, features that are mirrored in the farms, which for years have been facing a serious problem of a lack of generational replacement. In accordance with the climatic transition that exists throughout the area, induced by factors such as the move away from the thermoregulatory effects of the Cantabrian Sea and the changes imposed by altitude – which, in general terms, increases as we approach the Central Pyrenees -, Atlantic grasslands and broadleaves have predominated in the westernmost valleys, while grasslands and conifers have predominated in the easternmost valleys. In turn, dairy cattle and sheep have played a more important role in the former, and sheep and horses in the latter, with agriculture occupying a secondary role in all of them.

The territorialised agri-food system (SAMUTER) chosen as a case study is located in this territorial context of a disadvantaged mountain area, more specifically, in the eastern valleys of Salazar and Roncal, which are the valleys with the highest altitude and snow levels and which maintain the highest degree of extensification in their livestock farming practices. Thus, all its municipalities have been classified as mountain or high mountain (RDP 2014-2020). This SAMUTER is not based on a single food product, but is primarily based on a livestock farming system characterised by extensive or semi-extensive grazing of various species (cattle, sheep and horses) which has been practised since time immemorial and has been renewed since then. As a result, the main products are cheese and other dairy products, lamb, veal and foal meat. In various studies and reports specialising in the subject, the extensive Pyrenean livestock system has been identified as an Agricultural System of High Natural Value (SAVN), as it is considered to have made possible the maintenance of a considerable extension of semi-natural vegetation, more specifically meadows and pastures and, in general terms, of natural habitats and wild species of great value.

At the same time, however, this SAMUTER can be described as a multifunctional agricultural and food system around which, for example, various tourist activities have been developed (visits to livestock farms and the cheese museum, transhumance festival, Cheese Day, ceremony to commemorate the Tribute of the Three Cows, hiking and mountain biking routes along cattle trails and other livestock trails, etc.). This range of leisure activities is also linked to the development of rural tourism and the considerable number of rural houses in these Pyrenean valleys, in addition to other activities such as Nordic skiing. On the other hand, livestock farming is complemented by other agricultural practices that have experienced a considerable decline in recent decades: the cultivation of seed potatoes, which is maintained – almost tokenistically – in the Salazar Valley (and also in the Aezkoa Valley) and forestry, which in these easternmost valleys is mainly centred on Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris).

1. Environmental sustainability

One of the features that characterises these Pyrenean valleys of Navarre is that they have outstanding landscapes of high environmental and cultural value and, in short, heritage, closely linked to agrosystems and to a type of transhumant and transterminant grazing livestock farming. These resilient agrosystems ensure environmental sustainability by helping to ensure adequate conservation of biological diversity and to prevent certain risks (e.g. fire). This means that extensive grazing practices – as long as they do not exceed the carrying capacity – support the maintenance of biodiversity and the efficient use of fodder, water and energy resources, while supporting highly sustainable agri-food systems. Nor should we forget the contribution that sheep in particular make in preventing the “scrubbing” of mountain pastures. In these Pyrenean valleys, low-intensity extensive livestock management has been favoured by two key factors: first, by the ecological potential of the territory and, second, by the property regime. In short, it has benefited from the considerable presence of publicly owned pastures and rangelands.

On the other hand, it is worth noting the good state of conservation of the extensive forest masses that cover its mountainous alignments. The recognition of the environmental values of this territory is endorsed by its extensive presence in the network of Protected Natural Spaces of the Autonomous Community of Navarre and in the Natura 2000 Network, under multiple figures of protection (for example, 3 Integral Reserves, 2 Nature Reserves, 10 Sites of Community Interest and Special Protection Areas and 8 Special Protection Areas for Birds). In some of these places there are highly valuable mountain pastures and meadows (Larrondo-Lakartxela, Roncesvalles-Selva de Irati).

2. Territoriality and agri-environmental policies

Tree formations and, to a lesser extent, grasslands are the main land uses in this territory. As in other mountain agrosystems, the constraints of the physical environment have imposed an altitudinal staggering of land use: the meagre arable land is located on the flatter topography, where the deeper soils have a greater agrological capacity and the gentle slopes facilitate mechanisation, or on certain high plateaus at higher altitudes; pastures and meadows are distributed on the slopes and, above all, on the high mountain passes; while, between these strips, woodlands occupy a large area. It is these mountain pastures and meadows, which dominate the Abodi mountain range and the Puerto Grande de Roncal, for example, that form the territorial basis for extensive sheep, cattle and horse farming and, in turn, for a series of food products with quality certifications. This case study analyses the evolution of the surface area and spatial distribution of pastures in relation to the dynamics of livestock activity in recent years and its derived agri-food products.

At the same time, this SAMUTER is a magnificent redoubt of indigenous livestock breeds which, because of their greater hardiness, are best adapted to the harsh climatic conditions of this mountainous area. The Pyrenean and Betizu cows, the Burguetan horse, the Navarrese Jaca and the Navarrese breed of sheep stand out.

The quality of the product is also linked to the territory through Designations of Origin and other certification marks or labels. For example, the Roncal cheese Protected Designation of Origin has a small production volume (around 400,000 kilos of cheese in 2020) and is based on small livestock farms, which provide the milk, and five cheese-producing companies located in the Roncal valley. After forty years of existence, this Designation of Origin on a modest scale has consolidated its territorial brand in the market with a local product – which must be produced in the valley – but which has achieved regional and national projection.

Moreover, under the various Rural Development Plans (2007-2013 and 2014-2020) this territory has received agri-environmental aid channelled through the CAP, for example, aimed at organic livestock farming, the maintenance and promotion of indigenous breeds (particularly local breeds in danger of abandonment), support for extensive livestock farming, agri-environmental seed potato production and organic farming.

3. Relations between production, processing, marketing and consumption

Within the agricultural sector in the eastern Pyrenean valleys of Navarre, the main source of income comes from meat production, although the production of milk and dairy products, especially sheep’s milk, is also important. In the case of sheep, dairy farms are often linked to the Lacha breed of sheep and meat farms to the Navarra breed. In both production orientations, management generally continues to be linked to grazing, reaching a higher degree of extensification in the latter, although it is also common to practice stabling, especially at certain times of the year. Likewise, some herds continue to transhumance, grazing in summer in the mountain passes and moving to the flat areas of the Ribera de Navarra, particularly to the Bardenas Reales and the corralizas, to spend the winter.

Thus, in the agri-food system of this mountain area, four products linked to livestock farms stand out, most of which have been awarded quality marks and seals of approval: Roncal cheese, protected – as already mentioned – by a Protected Designation of Origin founded in 1981, lamb and veal with quality certificates as Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) and colt meat. In the latter case, it can be seen that some holdings have joined integrated livestock production systems, with horse species that must be of the Burguete or Jaca Navarra breeds.

In addition to these, seed potato production, and to a much lesser extent ware potato production, which expanded greatly in the 1970s and early 1980s, later suffered a sharp decline both in terms of surface area and production, and is still present today as a complementary activity on some farms in the Salazar valley and in the neighbouring Aezkoa valley. In these production areas, high quality certified seed potatoes are closely linked to favourable climatic conditions, mainly due to the altitude. Since 1993, potatoes have also been grown under the organic production system.

This SAMUTER identifies and analyses the complex relationships established between producers, processing industries and agri-food distribution networks, focusing mainly on the Roncal Designation of Origin and the Protected Geographical Indications for lamb and veal.

It also examines the scope for some direct-to-consumer initiatives by some farmers to improve the profitability and economic viability of their farms by controlling the final marketing.

4. Good governance

The actors involved in the governance of this SAMUTER are numerous and their profiles are varied (territorial management organisations, councils and institutions involved with certified quality marks for food products, rural development agencies, livestock farmers’ associations and cooperatives, etc.). In some cases, however, their remit extends beyond the physical limits of the eastern Pyrenean valleys. The difficulty of governance in territories with fragile and ageing demographic structures should also be highlighted.

Among the actors mentioned, the respective General Councils of the Salazar and Roncal valleys stand out for their significant role in the management of the territorial basis of this agrarian-agri-food system. They are communities with a strong historical personality and legal recognition whose functions include regulating the exploitation and enjoyment of the Valley’s commons and, in this context, the use of the pastures. It should be borne in mind that in this territory the use of common land (which, for example, may also be owned by local councils) is key to the survival and management of extensive livestock farms and the conservation of the landscape.

In addition to the territorial management role played by the General Councils, the eleven municipalities that make up the Salazar Valley (Esparza de Salazar / Espartza Zaraitzu, Ezcároz / Ezkaroze, Gallués / Galoze, Güesa / Gorza, Izalzu / Itzaltzu, Jaurrieta, Ochagavía / Otsagabia, Oronz / Orontze, Sarriés / Sartze) and the seven municipalities of the Roncal Valley (Burgui / Burgi, Garde, Isaba / Izaba, Roncal / Erronkari, Urzainqui / Urzainki, Uztárroz / Uztarroze and Vidángoz / Bidankoze).

In turn, the most emblematic product of this SAMUTER, ‘Queso de Roncal’, is supervised by the Regulatory Council of the PDO, whose functions are set out in the relevant regulations (for example, in the Order of 11 March 1991 ratifying the Regulations of the ‘Roncal’ Designation of Origin and its Regulatory Council, in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1107/96 of 12 June 1996, and in the subsequent amendments to these documents). In a broader context, the control and certification of food products is carried out by INTIA (Instituto Navarro de Tecnologías e Infraestructuras Agroalimentarias, S.A.).

On the other hand, the Pyrenean valleys of Navarre are integrated in the Cederna-Garalur Association, a Local Action Group created in 1991 with the aim of promoting the socio-economic development of the Mountains of Navarre using the LEADER methodology. Within the framework of the Pyrenees Plan, which involves public and private actors, the implementation of a food sovereignty project in the Salazar valley has been proposed.

In addition, this case study will explore recent models of territorialised food governance that have emerged in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to promote the sustainability of the local food system, involving all links in the food chain (production, processing, distribution and marketing) up to the consumer. Among them, the Weaving the Pantry project, launched in 2020, stands out.