Rockrose | From Weed to Crop

Many locals in Mértola, southeast Portugal, view the Cistus rockrose plant as a weed that needs to be periodically cut back. But for farmer-researchers Dr. João Palma and Jo Smith, this symbolic shrub holds great potential not only in the essential oils that is known for but also the under-utilised hydrolate product that can be obtained from it. At the Moinhos de Vento Agroecology Research Centre (MVArc) farm, an AGROMIX pilot site, Palma and Smith are trialing the best methods to harvest and process the rockrose shrub, as well as ways to market its derivative products, which have multiple uses from the cosmetic to the agricultural. The harvesting and processing techniques for the rockrose in combination with agroforestry paves the way for carbon negative farming but the full potential of the rockrose is being held up by challenges in the market and its classification. A major step forward in spreading rockrose agriculture would be to recognise the shrub as a crop the same way as rosemary and thyme recognised. Find out more information about rockrose products at https://myrockrose.com/. -------------------------------- 📔 Chapters: 00:00 My Rockrose 01:16 Local Climate & Traditional Land Use 02:06 MVARC Agroecology Research Centre 02:42 Rockrose and its Potential 04:58 The Process 07:17 Going Carbon Negative 08:22 Distillation Process 09:23 Biomass 10:40 Fresh Perspectives 11:55 Finding Value in Hydrolate 12:33 Looking Ahead -------------------------------- 🔗 Links: AGROMIX Project homepage - https://agromixproject.eu/ MVARC Pilot Site Information - https://agromixproject.eu/in-the-fiel... Linkedin -   / agromix-project   Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/agromixproj... X - https://x.com/agromixproject MVArc MVArc - https://www.mvarc.eu/ My Rockrose - https://myrockrose.com/ -------------------------------- The AGROMIX project promotes the transition towards a resilient and efficient land use in Europe, providing agroecological solutions for farm and land management. The project collaborates with farmers and other relevant actors to find common solutions.