The province of Palencia and the AGRONATUR project

1
The province of Palencia and the AGRONATUR
project
2
índex

• The Provincial Council of Palencia and its
  responsibilities.
• Our objectives in the area of Rural Promotion and
  Development Department.
• A brief description of the province of Palencia
  its population
• A brief description of the province of Palencia
  its economy
• A brief description of the province of Palencia
  its resources
• The AGRONATUR project and its implementation in
  the province of Palencia
• Activities already undertaken in the AGRONATUR
  project

3
The Provincial Council of Palencia and its
responsabilities

• The Provincial Council of Palencia is an local
  entity of public administration. The Central, at
  a national level, and the Autonomous (Junta de
  Castilla y León) Governments, at a regional
  level, stand above its competences. The town
  councils which make up the territorial area of
  activity of the province of Palencia are depend
  on it.
• The province of Palencia, with a surface area of
  8.052 km2, has 190 municipalities and Town
  Councils along with the capital city.
• The responsabilities of the Provincial Council of
  Palencia , besides supporting the work of the
  small town councils, are aimed at increasing the
  quality of life of the rural population and
  fostering economic activity and employment, as
  key tools for avoiding depopulation in rural
  areas. These competences are partly developed by
  the rural Promotion and Development department.

4
Our objectives in the area of Rural Promotion and
Development Department

• To help the maintenance and the demographic
  recovery of rural areas.
• To favour the profesional training and the work
  integration, fundamentally, of two groups the
  young and women.
• To promote the development of strategic sectors
  with the aim of generating employment in the
  province the food-processing industry tourism
  services to the population renewable energies.
• To increase the economic and productive
  development infrastructures that are crucial in
  the development of private enterprise industrial
  parks company banks.

5
A brief description of the province of Palencia
its population

• 190 municipalities, 173,281 inhabitants, and
  8,052km2.
• 151 municipalities (town councils) have
  populations of less than 500 inhabitants (79)
• Population density
• 82.62 of the territory has a population density
  of less than 15 inhab/km2
• Population distribution
• 40.2 of the population lives in rural areas
• 59.8 lives in urban areas
• Population development
• 161 municipalities decreasing in numbers

6
A brief description of the province of Palencia
its economy
This diagram shows the distribution of employment
as an indicator of the weight of the different
economic sectors
7
A brief description of the province of Palencia
its resources

• The province of Palencia is made up of 4 natural
  regions
• The Mountains of Palencia, located in the North
  of the province, makes up the southern foothills
  of the Cantabrian Mountains. Its traditional
  activities have been farming and mining.
• Nowadays this is the region with the greatest
  tourism development, due to the combination of
  natural mountain landscapes (Natural Park) and
  the rich cultural heritage made up of many
  Romanesque style churches (The Romanesque style
  of Palencia).
• Moorlands and valleys region of transition
  between the northern mountains and the plains of
  Tierra de Campos in the South. On the fertile
  plains of the main rivers (Carrion and Pisuerga)
  irrigated crops are grown which help to feed the
  important livestock herds in this region. This in
  turn provides the area with an important industry
  specialized in producing milk.
• Tierra de Campos occoupying more than half of
  the provincial territory it is a territory with
  few natural resources Tierra de Campos has been
  and still is, the main cereal region of Palencia,
  Castilla y Leon and even Spain wheat and barley
  are its main crops.
• The Cerrato located to the South, next to the
  city of Palencia, and its main routes of
  communication and industrial development areas.
  The capital of the province is located in this
  region.

8
The AGRONATUR project and its implementation in
the province of Palencia

• The AGRONATUR project means to the Provincial
  Council of Palencia, a chance for its
  implementation in a tourist resource with an
  enormous tourist potential the Canal de
  Castilla.
• The Canal de Castilla, is an eighteenth-century
  engineering feat, built to transport the wheat
  produced in the fields of Castile to the port of
  Santander (Northern Spain).
• The Canal de Castilla is 207 kilometres long and
  runs through almost the entire provincial
  territory, from North to South, as far as the
  province of Valladolid.
• It consists of three branches, 49 locks, 61
  bridges, 6 aqueducts, and countless buildings on
  its banks, such as stores, flour mills, or water
  mills.
• Its impressive work of architecture and
  engineering, and its historical value, have led
  it to be catalogued as an Asset of Cultural
  Interest in the category of Historical Artistic
  Monument.
• At present there are many plans and programmes
  being undertaken on the Canal de Castilla to
  develop its tourist potential, in particular
  cultural tourism, environmental tourism and
  outdoor tourist activities.
• In our area, we are developing some of these
  projects A Plan of tourist Excellence, with
  investments in the recovery of locks for
  navigation, buildings, tourist signposting
  creation of equipment, etc..
• A training programme funded by the ESF, with the
  aim of training young people as Tour guides" and
  "Travel Agency Employees."
• Our wish has been to contribute to the AGRONATURa
  project, in the assurance that it will contribute
  to the development of various tourism activities
  that will be promoted such us canoeing, cycling,
  hiking, horseback riding, etc..
• The Agronatura project will give us the
  opportunity to create a new training of
  specialists in "Active Tourism", initially
  linked to the Canal de Castilla, to be then
  transfered to other resources in the province of
  Palencia.

9
Activities already undertaken by the AGRONATUR
Project

• 1.- Activities to raise awareness and
  information a) Spreading information
  activities
• - The first pamphlet of the project has been
  edited and distributed among all potential
  beneficiaries municipalities, business
  associations, centers of tourism initiatives,
  vocational training centres, etc.. - The project
  information has been published on the WEB of the
  Provincial Council of Palencia. - A press
  release has been issued on the objectives and
  actions of the project to the local newspapers
  the Diario Palentino, the Norte de Castilla and
  the Carrion. b) Activities to raise awareness
  
• a data base has been created that includes all
  the potential entities that may benefit from the
  project and who we are contacting in this phase.
• - We have scheduled the celebration of a day for
  the diffusion of the project to the network of
  tourism information of the Canal Castilla. -
  Information about the project together with a
  questionnaire has been sent to the following
  institutions and tourism professionals
• Valladolid University Campus of Palencia Local
  authorities municipalities of the Canal de
  Castilla Tourism companies Agents of Local
  development of the province Local Action Groups
  and development associations Business
  associationsJunior associations Associations of
  rural women Companies in the tourism industry
  located in the Canal de Castilla

10
Project activities developed by the AGRONATUR
Project

• 2. Collaboration Agreements
• We are developing partnerships with -- ACATUR
• -- The association of villages bordering the
  Canal de Castilla -- The association of Castile
  ADEC CANAL -- The School of Tourism -- The ONCE
  Foundation
• 3. MANUAL of Outdoor Tourist Activities Updating
  and translation of the contents of the manual is
  in process
• 4. Questionnaire A database has been created
  with all the institutions that could benefit from
  the project. The questionnaire will be sent to
  them, along with a cover letter and information
  about the project.