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Viseu, 20 March 2025 — With the material support of Quinta da Alameda, the launch of the book Cardo Máximo, by biologist and researcher Paulo Barracosa, took place exactly one year ago.

Movecho and Quinta da Alameda supported the editing, production, and printing of the book, underscoring their commitment to applied research, sustainability, and territorial development.

Presented at the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, this cutting-edge publication blends empirical testimony with scientific knowledge, translating ideas and concepts that prioritise a circular bioeconomy grounded in the endogenous resources of the Viseu Dão-Lafões region.

The launch brought together speakers from the business, institutional, and academic spheres, including the University of Coimbra, the University of Catania (Italy), the Secretary of State for Regional Development, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, CEBAL, ESTRELACOOP, Movecho, and Quinta da Alameda.

The book explores the exceptional multifunctionality of the cardoon, presenting this species—specifically Cynara cardunculus, the “cardoon”—as a renewable, organic source of multiple products with applications ranging from cosmetics to agriculture, and from food to ecosystem services.

Designed with support from the iCheese project and made possible by Movecho and Quinta da Alameda (which also underpins the cultivation of this cardoon for applied research in partnership with the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu), the book generates revenue that is channelled into cardoon-related projects, in a model akin to crowdfunding.