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This article discusses the practices of representing shepherd women in Spain, who have recently become more visible. New representations challenge stereotyped concepts of gender roles and rurality in such a masculinized context as the livestock sector. One of the main arguments of the article is that shepherdesses narratives and visuals connect with the sustainable agro-social development of the economy from an ecofeminist perspective. The authors conducted a close reading of a selection of productions, including short videos and media interventions about shepherdesses. Among the conclusions, they argue that shepherdesses' media productions and interventions put women at the center of local development processes, with particular emphasis on their role and leadership qualities. Their activities promote and maintain a networked sisterhood that activates intersectional approaches in favor of alternative structures to farming and life in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenological observations in olive tree (Olea europaea L.), on the first reproductive phase (budburst) and the winter chilling temperatures required for its onset, were analysed over a 4-year period (1998-2001). Research was carried out on two different cultivars growing in two Mediterranean olive-growing areas: `Ascolana' in central Italy and `Picudo' in southern Spain. The two main objectives of the study were: (1) to evaluate the different amounts of winter chilling, and their relationship with the budburst dates in outdoor olive plantations; and (2) to test the validity in the study areas of two chilling calculation methods, the Aron and the Utah method. Results show that for the Spanish cultivar the average chilling requirement of 997 h was approximately half of that recorded for the Italian cultivar (1848 h). Also, the year-to-year variability in chilling accumulation and the reproductive development date was observed to be higher in the Spanish area than in the Italian one, indicating a more consistent and predictable winter chilling response in the latter. As regards the validity of the methods, the Aron method seems to be more appropriate for use in warmer places, since it yielded better results in the Spanish site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]