• Study the Douro’s terroir as a key factor in producing high‑quality agricultural products.
• Recover and revitalise traditional Douro vegetable gardens through targeted support, dynamisation, and promotion.
• Promote research, technological development, and innovation in Douro horticultural production.
• Diversify the region’s tourism offer by creating a new product centred on the Hortas do Douro.
• Promote and valorise the Douro Oxheart tomato as a product of excellence accessible beyond the gourmet market.
• Encourage and expand the production of Douro Oxheart tomatoes, highlighting their economic importance for diversifying agricultural activity in the region.

Activities

By combining agricultural innovation, territorial branding, and community engagement, the initiative worked to revive forgotten crops, reinforce local identity, and diversify the regional economy, thus safeguarding the authenticity and ecological richness of the Douro’s agricultural landscape. Main activities implemented under the initiative included:

• Editing and publishing the book The Douro Oxheart Tomato – The Other Treasure of the Wine Region. The Oxheart tomato is one of the most appreciated tomato varieties worldwide, and in the Douro region, it reaches a level of excellence in aroma, texture, and flavour unmatched elsewhere in Portugal. Locally, people even distinguish between the oxheart tomato and the Douro oxheart tomato. The book showcases this unique richness across multiple dimensions. With contributions from researchers, it explains why this variety thrives exceptionally well in the Douro, promotes its cultivation, and highlights its importance for the regional ecosystem, the household economy of small farmers and tourism.
• Creating a cultivation guide and a map of farms producing Douro Oxheart tomatoes. Although the Oxheart tomato has long been grown in the Douro, production by small farmers has declined sharply over the past two to three decades. Many farmers expressed renewed interest in receiving technical guidance to address agronomic challenges. The guide provides practical information on seed selection, seedbeds, soil preparation, fertilisation, pest management and other key aspects, enabling farmers to produce healthy, high‑quality crops that can contribute meaningfully to the local economy. The accompanying map identifies farms cultivating the variety, supporting visibility and market access.
• Organising workshops and awareness‑raising events. Two educational workshops were held to promote and valorise the Douro not only as a territory of excellence for wine production but also for other high‑quality products such as the Oxheart tomato. They aimed to strengthen knowledge exchange, encourage best practices and reinforce the value of diversified agricultural production in the region.

• The book 'The Douro Oxheart Tomato – The Other Treasure of the Wine Region' was published in 1 000 copies, with digital editions available in Portuguese and English. It received international recognition, winning Best Fruit Book of the Year (2024) at the prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.
• 3 000 copies of the 'Good Practices Guide for Oxheart Tomatoes' were produced, along with a digital Portuguese edition. The guide provides practical, accessible information to help farmers revitalise Oxheart tomato cultivation.
• 10 000 copies of the 'Map of Douro Estates Producing Oxheart Tomatoes' were published, accompanied by digital versions in Portuguese and English. The map enhances visibility for producers and supports short supply chains and rural tourism.
• The two workshops 'Douro Oxheart Tomatoes – From Seed to Table' each gathered around 80 participants, including farmers, horticulturalists, nursery staff, seed producers, students and other stakeholders.

Key lessons

• The project demonstrated that reviving traditional agricultural practices can meaningfully contribute to modern rural development when combined with innovation, cooperation, and strong territorial branding. A key lesson was the central role of local engagement: the active participation of farmers, municipalities and associations proved essential for reconnecting communities with their horticultural heritage.
• Another important insight was the value of cross‑sector collaboration. Synergies between agriculture, tourism and gastronomy created new economic opportunities and helped diversify a rural economy traditionally dependent on wine production. The project also showed that cultural identity and biodiversity can become powerful drivers of regional competitiveness when translated into marketable products and authentic visitor experiences.
• The implementation process also revealed several challenges. Establishing consistent production standards and ensuring sufficient market volume for niche products such as the Douro Oxheart tomato requires time, coordination and sustained support. Future initiatives could reinforce training, strengthen marketing networks and develop product certification schemes to ensure continuity, quality and scalability.