Family farming in Brazil has great potential, representing a sector of relevant social and economic importance for Brazilian society, although it also shows weaknesses. Some strategies such as farming on an ecological basis as well as artisanal products have been considered to support and intermediate the insertion of smallholders in the market. To this end, this project sought to implement the use of ecologically based production systems and encourage non-agricultural activities as a means to promote social inclusion and income generation of family-based milk producers included in the mountainous region known as Mantiqueira Ecological Corridor. Among the 10 municipalities studied, seven are bordered by the Ibitipoca State Park (PEIB) (i.e. Lima Duarte, Bias Fortes, Santa Rita do Ibitipoca, Olaria, Pedro Teixeira, Santana do Garambéu and Ibertioga) and the other three are part of the so-called Mantiqueira II Nucleus (i.e. Carvalhos, Bocaina de Minas and Alagoa), which is part of the Mantiqueira Ecological Corridor. Based on the tourist potential of the region, it was possible to envisage the possibility of integrating rural properties into tourist itineraries and to elaborate a geo-referenced study aimed at identifying potential communities to be the object of tourism planning. In the context of the sustainability of production systems, an ethnoveterinary study of medicinal plants was conducted in which 37 dairy farmers were interviewed in the field, which enabled the immediate collection of exsiccated samples. A third stage was the socialization of knowledge and agro-ecological technologies of pasture-based milk production, with the implementation of Demonstration Units (UD) focusing on silvopastoral systems, agroforestry (ILPF) and agroecological conversion, taking into account scientific and local knowledge. The results point to some possible ways to stimulate the development of tourism as an economic and social alternative in many rural areas, either through family accommodation, food services or guidance. The artisanal cheese produced in the region, besides an important source of income aggregation, represents a potential attraction to be inserted in the local tourist circuits. A cartographic base was created for the region, resulting in the creation of 11 thematic maps based on field georeferencing of seven municipalities, 14 communities, approximately 65 natural and cultural attractions, main tourist services, eight potential points for landscape interpretation, 16 farms and one trail. The ethnoveterinary study showed that the use of medicinal plants in the clinical treatment of cattle remains restricted to persons belonging to more elevated age ranges, and that the passing on of such knowledge to younger generations was not verified. This work proved to be relevant as an indication of the medicinal potential of some plant species that could guarantee, in the near future, a scientific basis for popular knowledge, which is often misrepresented due to a shortage of evidential studies and the oral characteristics of its diffusion over time. The interviewed farmers cited 355 distinct plants for veterinarian use and of these, 55 were collected, identified and registered in the UFJF (Federal University of Juiz de Fora) herbarium with respective voucher number. The extracts obtained from some of these plants were tested "in vitro" with promising results in the control of ticks and antibacterial action. The implementation of agroforestry systems was presented as an option for dairy activity as a way to guarantee the maintenance of ecological processes and the development of a strong economy based on the sustainable use of resources. Field days were carried out in the UD with the participation of all the actors involved in the project. The project counted on the partnership of the following institutions: CEPLANTUR / UFMG (Center for Research-Action in Tourism Planning / Federal University of Minas Gerais); EMATER-MG (Technical Assistance and Rural Extension Corporation of the State of Minas Gerais); UFJF; and IEF (State Forest Institute).