ADD - Dão Development Association

ADD - Associação de Desenvolvimento do Dão, is a Non-Profit Private Law Association, of Public Utility, established by Public Deed on April 7, 1994.

The Intervention Zone is made up of the municipalities of Aguiar da Beira, Mangualde, Nelas, Penalva do Castelo and Sátão. These municipalities belong to NUT III – Dão Lafões, located in the Districts of Viseu and Guarda, occupying an area of 886.6 km2, with a resident population of 55,016 inhabitants, distributed across 49 parishes.

The ADD arose from a joint strategic vision for the territory, between Mayors, Technicians and Private entities, aiming to implement a local development plan, in order to overcome a set of local bottlenecks inherent to the desertification of rural areas; weak socioeconomic dynamism, unemployment, exodus of younger people and those with more qualifications, decreased importance and abandonment of activity in the agrarian sector, mischaracterization/devaluation of traditional uses and customs.

Therefore, and taking into account the need to guarantee the sustainability and competitiveness of the territory, it was understood that carrying out a wide range of actions would contribute to achieving its ultimate objective – Improving the Quality of Life and Securing the Population.

To achieve this objective, through community and national financing, initiatives and investments of a productive nature were supported, in the areas of agriculture, industry, commerce, services, tourism, preservation and management of natural resources, as well as of a non-productive nature. within the scope of natural, architectural, archaeological, cultural heritage and the valorization of human resources.