Banca de DEFESA: CLEIDE MARA MARTINS DE OLIVEIRA

THE AGRICULTURAL POLICiIES AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT: a comparison between two sub-regions

 in Portugal

Organic agriculture; Bioregions; Barroso agro-silvo-pastoral system; Portuguese agriculture; Common Agricultural Policy; Alto Tâmega; Tâmega and Sousaustainable rural development

The European Union's Common Agricultural Policy has new rules that guide the reconfiguration of food systems and environmental conservation. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of the new rules of this public policy to promote rural development in two sub-regions of Northern Portugal. It was assumed that over time, rural territories managed by family farming will be able to benefit from the new rules. The methodology was based on the analysis of secondary data organized in the following stages: characterization of the areas under study; bibliographical survey regarding the evolution of Portuguese agriculture and the Common Agricultural Policy, throughout the 20th century to the present; qualitative and quantitative analysis of secondary statistical data, referring to organic agriculture and conventional agriculture in the areas under study; production of tables and graphs; organization, analysis, discussion, results and final considerations. Among the results, the following stand out: the bio-regions initiative as a model of community management that can promote the transformation of rural spaces, projecting new spatial and social practices into the future that encourage dialogue between human beings and nature; the abandonment of agricultural activities by small, less capitalized farmers and the incorporation of these abandoned lands by medium-sized properties; migration of young people from rural areas that end up impacting generational exchange in the countryside; increased female participation in the management of agricultural activities in the areas under study; biological (organic) agriculture represented mainly by permanent pastures; appreciation of traditional agricultural practices. It is concluded that enabling farmers to maintain agroecological systems and convert conventional agroecosystems into sustainable models requires the support of public policies with the transfer of subsidies, which allows a new reality for family farming, promoting rural development in fragile rural territories.

Keywords: Organic agriculture; Bioregions; Barroso agro-silvo-pastoral system; Portuguese agriculture; Common Agricultural Policy; Alto Tâmega; Tâmega and Sousa