Author(s):
Pinto-Correia, Teresa 
; Gonzalez, Carla
Date: 2013
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10174/10237
Origin: Repositório Científico da Universidade de Évora
Subject(s): Production; Consumption; Transition; Governance
Description
Around all towns in the Alentejo region, the landscape is dominated by an agricultural mosaic,
where small scale farming dominates, composed of olive groves combined with pastures, fruit
orchards, and vegetable gardens, in the most fertile and water abundant soils. This is a totally
different pattern then the large scale landscape of the extensive silvo-pastoral systems in the
latifundia that normally is associated with the region. It is not the most know, but it is the
landscape where people live or see in their everyday life.
These small scale farm units have increasingly lost their importance as production units over
the last decades, even if farming has been maintained by aging local population. In the last
two decades, these parcels became extremely attractive for new comers, who settle in the
rural context as lifestyle farmers, or simply as new residents (permanent or week-end
houses). These new comers have higher economic possibilities, often rebuilding the houses
and investing in the land. They search for a new life quality. Farming and the production of
food have been loosing their importance – but it is increasing again, due to the raising
demand for local and quality food products and the difficult economic situation of many
families. As farming is concerned, new arrangements emerge: the new owners may be able to
keep farming, often with new or reshaped production objectives, markets and models; they
may search for associated older farmers in the area who support them with their knowledge
and with this maintain the traditional farm systems; or they may let others, new comers or
locals, use their land. The mixture of the different trends calls for new management
arrangements, where the traditional cooperation and neighbour relations are reshaped. These
new arrangements are emerging but still need to be strengthened and acknowledged by
authorities and policies, so they can unfold.
