Panorama of agroecology in Portugal : Science and socio-political movements

Authors

Luís Duarte

MED – Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE – Institute for Global Change and Sustainability, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2183-877X

José Muñoz-Rojas

MED – Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE – Institute for Global Change and Sustainability, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5331-8344

Octávio Sacramento

CETRAD – Centre for Transdisciplinary Studies for Development, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro. Department of Economics, Sociology and Management (DESG-UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal.

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8533-3653

DOI: https://doi.org/10.60506/uevora.52

Keywords: Agroecology; Sustainable agri-food systems, Social and political movements, Public policy and governance, Multi-sectoral networks

Synopsis

In this report, we seek to outline an overview of the development of agroecology in Portugal, focusing on two of its main dimensions: science and social and political movements. Through this work, we aimed to identify and characterize the main national, regional, and local actors involved in research initiatives and/or social movements dedicated to promoting agroecology and sustainable, local agri-food systems. Once the agroecological sector had been mapped at the level of science and movements, it became possible to highlight several strengths and weaknesses associated with it. From the outset, we must emphasize the limited explicitly agroecological vision present in many initiatives, which still reveal work that is highly conditioned by “projects,” often restricting the continuity of actions and their strategic orientation. It is also evident that initiatives tend to occur in isolation (revealing an apparent lack of cooperation and limited capacity to build critical mass), as well as to give rise to highly sectoral and insufficiently integrated interventions, with a frequent disconnect between the more productive dimension and that of food systems. The integration of these isolated components under a common conceptual umbrella—which, in our view, should be agroecology—has only very recently begun to emerge in Portugal.

We also observed that national public policies have not yet embraced agroecology as a guiding objective, limiting themselves to vague references in the Terra Futura agenda, to a National Plan for Healthy and Sustainable Food (PNAES) that is very modest in its transformative ambitions, and to a Family Farming Statute that clearly falls short of existing needs. Nevertheless, despite this lack of political focus, there is today a diverse range of grassroots initiatives demonstrating a strong capacity to mobilize different actors in projects with a clear agroecological perspective. These initiatives stem not only from science, research, and civil society organizations, but also from the involvement of several municipalities in the transition toward more sustainable and just agri-food systems, revealing significant potential for the development of actions with concrete and impactful results. This “flurry” of initiatives appears to reflect genuine growth in agroecology, also driven by highly favorable public opinion—something to which the set of initiatives aimed at strengthening food literacy, scientific literacy, and related areas has undoubtedly contributed, fostering a broader understanding that goes beyond traditional efforts to promote sustainable agriculture and local food systems.

We hope that this mapping of agroecological initiatives in Portugal may contribute to bringing together the various actors on the ground and to informing political positions properly supported by the relevance of ongoing interventions and by the favorable international context. If there is one recommendation to emerge from this work, it is that the establishment of a strong and active multi-sectoral network is crucial to give voice to the agroecological movement and to implement the mobilization and communication actions that are essential for advancing agroecology and the development of more sustainable, just, and healthy agri-food systems.

Author Biographies

Luís Duarte, MED – Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE – Institute for Global Change and Sustainability, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal

Born in Peniche (Portugal), where he still lives, graduated in Geography and Regional Planning and has a master’s in Urban and Regional Planning. Worked as a teacher and was also engaged with a local development association for more than 10 years, during which he coordinated several regional, national, and transnational projects focused on entrepreneurship promotion and social integration. Currently, he is a Ph.D. candidate in Agribusiness and Sustainability, with a research project focused on local and sustainable agri-food systems and their articulation with local communities and landscape. He is interested in agroecology in practice, movement, and science, and is willing to contribute to innovative governance solutions for social-ecological territorial organization.

José Muñoz-Rojas, MED – Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE – Institute for Global Change and Sustainability, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal

In 2010 completed the PhD in Spatial Planning of Mediterranean Rural Landscapes at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain). Between 2009 and 2015, worked as a Spatial and Land-Use Planner at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland. During that period, acted as a technical and scientific liaison between land-use and landscape research and the territorial policies of the Scottish Government. Since September 2015, is working as a Researcher at the University of Évora (Portugal), where between 2020 and 2022 led the Landscape Dynamics and Management Research Group of the MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development. Currently, he is also an assistant professor of rural geography and landscape ecology at the department of Landscape, Environment and Planning. The main objective of his research is to devise novel approaches to tackle complex social-ecological challenges in Mediterranean and other European rural landscapes and territories. To tackle the challenges raised, he adopts an inter-and trans-disciplinary approach and has developed and implemented numerous methods and techniques, both quantitative and qualitative. Among the former, Jose has worked with Spatial Analysis, Uncertainty and Complexity Modeling, Object-Based Programming, and Landscape and Land Use Modeling. Among the latter, developed Surveys, Interviews, Focus Groups, Participatory Workshops, and Policy Impact Assessments. Last, he is also a member of the editorial board for the indexed journals Landscape Ecology and Discover Sustainability, and part of the executive committee of the International Association of Landscape Ecology-Europe.

Octávio Sacramento, CETRAD – Centre for Transdisciplinary Studies for Development, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro. Department of Economics, Sociology and Management (DESG-UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal.

PhD in Anthropology (ISCTE-IUL), Master’s in Sociology (Universidade do Minho), and Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology (Universidade Nova de Lisboa). He is an Associate Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) and an integrated researcher at the Centre for Transdisciplinary Development Studies (CETRAD-UTAD). Transnational mobility of people (tourism and migration), health, and policies and professional practices in the field of social intervention are among his main research interests.

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Panorâmica da Agroecologia em Portugal - ciência e movimentos sociopolíticos

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February 18, 2026

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