Portugal
AGROFORESTRY in PORTUGAL
Portugal has one of the largest areas of agroforestry cover in Europe, totaling approximately 1.2 million hectares and accounting for about 31.8% of its utilized agricultural land (den Herder et al., 2017).
Agroforestry is deeply rooted in Portuguese agricultural tradition, it´s an integrated practice that has evolved over centuries and continues to play a key role in addressing contemporary challenges related to climate change, rural development, and ecosystem conservation. Among the most representative examples stands the montado, a hallmark of Portugal’s agricultural landscape (GPP, 2022).
The Montado Ecosystem
The montado is a distinctive agro-silvo-pastoral system primarily found in the Alentejo region of southern Portugal. It is dominated by cork oak (Quercus suber) and holm oak (Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia) woodlands, integrated with grasslands and pastoral activities. The montado is a park-like landscape of scattered trees of varying densities and wide canopies spread over a productive herbaceous understory.
This multifunctional system supports livestock production, agriculture, forestry, beekeeping, hunting, and eco-tourism, and simultaneously provides a mosaic of habitats crucial to biodiversity. The European Environment Agency classifies the montado as a High Nature Value (HNV) farming system where agricultural productivity and biodiversity conservation go hand in hand. The montado is deeply tied to rural livelihoods and carries cultural and socio-economic significance throughout Portugal (Carreira et al., 2023).
Beyond the Montado
While montado landscapes are the most iconic example, Portugal hosts a wide diversity of agroforestry systems. These include agroforestry under Pyrenean oak, stone pine, chestnut, olive trees, and a variety of species mixtures. Other common agroforestry landscape features are hedgerows, riparian buffer zones, ecological corridors, and tree strips between arable fields. All of these contribute significantly to soil protection, biodiversity, water regulation, and landscape connectivity (GPP, 2022).
Scale and Types of Systems
Three main types of agroforestry systems can be identified in Portugal (den Herder et al., 2017).
- Arable agroforestry (76,500 ha): includes 36,400 ha of fruit, nut, and olive trees intercropped with arable crops, and 40,100 ha of montado-type systems that combine cereals with pasture.
- Livestock agroforestry (1.1 million ha): includes 122,700 ha of permanent tree crops (fruit, olive, and nuts) with grazing, and 928,500 ha of montado and other woodland pastures.
- Agroforestry with high-value trees (154,200 ha): includes both intercropped (36,400 ha) and grazed (122,700 ha) fruit, olive, and nut systems.
Together, these systems represent some of the largest integrated land-use types in Europe and are of high importance for sustainable land use, climate resilience, and biodiversity in Portugal.
Policy and Institutional Context
Portuguese agroforestry operates within a complex policy framework due to its multifunctional nature. It falls under multiple domains including agricultural policy, forest management, biodiversity conservation, and climate action. The coexistence of agricultural and forestry regulations often leads to coordination challenges, making consistent policy support an ongoing issue.
Numerous associations represent the interests of landowners and farmers engaged in agroforestry, including the União da Floresta Mediterrânica (UNAC), the Associação Florestal de Portugal (FORESTIS), the Associação Portuguesa da Cortiça (APCOR), the Federação Nacional de Produtores Florestais (FENAFLORESTA), and the Associação Portuguesa da Castanha (REFCAST). Multifunctional land-use associations, such as AguiarFloresta, also play an important role in representing integrated management approaches. Research institutions such as the Forest Research Centre (CEF-ISA, University of Lisbon) contribute scientific expertise and innovation for advancing agroforestry knowledge and practice.
The national CAP Strategic Plan (PEPAC) primarily supports traditional silvopastoral agroforestry systems such as the montado, and chestnut or olive orchards with grazing. These are recognized as playing a key role in supporting the Green Deal’s biodiversity targets. PEPAC’s description of silvo‑arable systems appears rather narrow in scope. It emphasizes that Portuguese systems generally rely on natural regeneration and prioritize permanent meadows or pastures in the understory, rather than annual crops. Moreover, it notes that the high tree density requirements effectively prevent the integration of arable cropping. With regards to training and knowledge dissemination, PEPAC supports general training in agriculture and forestry, focusing on climate resilience, sustainable practices, and the digital transition. While agroforestry isn’t explicitly mentioned, environmental objectives and knowledge transfer activities like workshops could indirectly support it. Furthermore, technical support is offered via AKIS, focusing on biodiversity, montado management, and sustainable resource use, which may also benefit agroforestry indirectly.
The Portugal Agroforestry Hub
Coming soon: The Portugal Agroforestry Hub, is being developed as a national online platform to make Portuguese agroforestry more visible, accessible, and connected. The hub is coordinated and hosted by the Dryland Agroforestry Center (https://drylandagroforestry.org/) a Portuguese NGO which serves as Portugal’s national representative within EURAF.
The platform aims to provide an easy entry point for anyone interested in agroforestry in Portugal, from farmers and landowners seeking practical examples, to researchers, advisors, NGOs, and policymakers. Visitors will find:
- An overview of agroforestry systems in the Portuguese context.
- A growing map and directory of agroforestry projects and initiatives across the country.
- Opportunities to connect, collaborate, and share new projects or knowledge.
The Portugal Agroforestry Hub is being developed and maintained on a voluntary and collaborative basis and aims to continually expand as more organizations and individuals contribute. Please contact the Dryland Agroforesty Center if you wish to contribute (https://drylandagroforestry.org/contact/).
References
Carreira E, Serrano J, Lopes de Castro J, Shahidian S, Pereira Agroforestry. 2023. Montado Mediterranean ecosystem (Soil–Pasture–Tree and Animals): A review of monitoring technologies and grazing systems. Appl Sci 13(10): 6242. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13106242
Gabinete de Planeamento, Políticas e Administração Geral. 2020. Sistemas agroflorestais. Available from https://www.gpp.pt/index.php/publicacoes-gpp/cultivar-cadernos-de-analise-e-prospetiva (accessed September 2024).
den Herder M, Moreno G, Mosquera-Losada RM, Palma JHN, Sidiropoulou A, Santiago Freijanes JJ, Crous-Duran J, Paulo JA, Tomé M, Pantera A, Papanastasis VP, Mantzanas K, Pachana P, Papadopoulos A, Plieninger T, Burgess PJ. 2017. Current extent and stratification of agroforestry in the European Union. Agriculture, Ecosystem, Environment 241:121–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2017.03.005