How has agriculture developed in Portugal in recent decades?
Still, during this period, there are different growth models. The production of animals between 1962 and 1982 has increased significantly, with more than 3% growth in these two decades, vegetable production has a very sharp drop.
It was in response to the behavior of the search for food at the time, as meat, milk and eggs to the Portuguese population began to get more access to families in the past.
This greater access to the population of the population has changed food, determining a strong growth in search of animal origin. Then the scenario changed and mainly reversed over the last decade Plant production To grow more than (+3.3%/year) Animal product (+ 1% / again).
In this six decades, the profile of agricultural production in Portugal has changed. In 1992, animal production represented more than 44% of the total agricultural production, which fell to 38% in 2022.
In the last 40 years, what have we produced more and less?
If we see it Vegetable productsThey areIn the last 40 years they have been growing in production, above all, watering is under the rule.
Increased the production of vegetables such as vegetables and vegetables; Beyond the fruits; And olive oil and olives, which rise above average.
Cereals, and wine and grapes have medium growth. It is noteworthy that all of these products are associated with the rising export levels, especially olive oil.
In plant products, potatoes have fallen more than 2% in the last four decades, due to strong competition from countries in the lower town of Europe, that their domestic consumption has been replaced by imports.
Like Animal productsThe growth of the product is verified as a result of strong pressure on white meat consumption.
Shows data from the National Institute of Statistics Poultry meat production In Portugal, it increased an average of 2.5% a year. But still, it is also necessary to increase imports to respond to the use of Portuguese. Bird meat, as well as egg and dairy production, also increased.
In contrast, the meat of livestock in the last four decades has a significant decrease in 4% a year.
This loss is due to the demand for healthy eating habits that advise to reduce the consumption of red meat, as well as less competitiveness in production compared to countries in the middle of Europe and South America.
Will the country only cause agricultural production in the country only due to changes in the use of Portuguese?
There are also other factors that contribute to these changes in agricultural production in Portugal. One is the use of the earth, which is the procedure to use the farm surface.
Over the past decades, there have been no major changes in the angle of the agricultural surface used, but the uses given to it have changed.
On one side, there is a decrease in the surface Occupied with annual and permanent agricultural culturesThat is, the land grown every year. On the other hand, the territory occupies Permanent lawns and pastures.
This evolution is portrayed The trend of abandonmentBecause rapidly grown in irrelevant areas, meadows and lawns.
Data shows that in 60 years, about 40% of people lost in the farm in 60 years, to get a more phenomenon.
This decrease has been the main focus of a huge decrease in areas where cereal occupies. Other cultures over the past decade have gained greater cultivated extent – such as gardens (especially dry fruits) and olive gardens – but have only been replaced with only significant damage to the area occupied by cereal.
As a result of these changes, the main violation of the weight of surfaces with annual and permanent cultivation was: 78% of the surface used in 1962 went to 47% in 2022. In contrast, the weight of lawns and lawns increased from 22% to 53%.
Are there more or less farm explorations?
There are much less farm explorations than the early 1960s. As a result of the disappearance of 52% and mainly small explorations, the lack of scale is less than five hectares, due to the presence of low soil quality and water presence.
On the contrary, big findings have increased. The average size of searches has increased almost three times between 1968 and 2019, one of the most important factors of competitive gain, because the higher the level is more access to more effective technologies.
How did labor emerge in agriculture?
Agricultural labor has fallen 87% since the beginning of the 1960s. In the years after the Portugal European Union (then the European Economic Community) in 1986, this decrease was more visible in the years and then it was low speed.
This has contributed to this So sharp damage This is a decrease in the number of family farm workers, which is much faster than losing salary, which has increased in the last decade.
Descent results, on the one hand, from the disappearance of small searches (whose technologies are based on labor). On the other hand, it is also due to technical evolution, which is very dependent on mechanization and, recently, in some robotization.
It is noteworthy that the evolution of technology in agriculture is not to reduce the number of workers. The highest use of technology and increased investments in agriculture (especially in gardens, machinery and buildings) are looking for fertilizer, seeds, plants and other products such as phytopharmasticles, as well as services such as veterinary care or machine management Intermediate use.
In the last two decades, this evolution is due to the strong growth of olive gardens, gardens and greenhouse cultures, vegetables and red fruit areas.
Is there more or less productive than agriculture now?
In Portugal, the productivity Terra It has a very positive evolution in recent decades.
This tendency is very marginal lands (which has become part of poor permanent pastures and lawns), from receiving new product technology, a lot of potential (improved genetics, more and better water technology and more operations such as olive Harvest).
Also the productivity Work Grown very relevant. There is intensive labor for “disappeared” explorations.
In size and increased quests, very little labor technologies were introduced.
Linearly, The intensity of mechanization led to low labor needs and the largest volumes of product. This trend is similar to confirmed in other countries in South Europe.
Is agriculture becoming more profitable?
Yes, the agricultural sector has increased. The amount of agricultural products in recent decades is more or less stable. But less and less harvested land and less labor.
This means that the additional value of this product has increased significantly, as there is a more positive balance between product sales prices and the acquisition prices of product factors.
This positive evolution adds direct support to agricultural production and income (in the context of normal agricultural policy), then we will improve in the performance of the national agriculture sector, which is more important when it comes to a decrease in the labor of production.
Over the past 40 years, two moments have been highlighted when the show jumped: one of them took place in the European Union in the decade and the other was between 2012 and 2022.
Which products are Portugal mostly dependent on self -reliance and imports?
The indicator we used to assess the level of self -safe or import dependency is the level of approval, which is calculated from the product and consumption of each product, including imports and exports.
If you look at current data related to 2022/23 in plant products WheatA. BarleyOh Corn And and The potato, Portugal has a very small and decreased degree of approval.
That is, the country producing is much less than necessary to respond to domestic use, and more depends on imports. In the case of these products, this trend is caused by a clear decrease in the quantities produced (due to lack of competitiveness in international markets).
In other products such as fresh fruits, citrus and cow, pork or birds, the country has self -negligence between 50 and 100%.
Already Dry fruits, milk, butter, rice and olive oil They have more than 100%degrees of self -intelligence, which means that in these cases the “export country” in the Portugal market.
Portuguese agriculture has faced major challenges over the last decade, the effects of the economic and financial crisis, the interference of the Troika, the covenant during the Kovid -19 epidemic and the recent Ukraine invasion.
Even in this case of a series of crises, agriculture in Portugal has shown great elasticity and good response capacity from a productive, technical and constructive perspective. Despite the challenges, the most convenient sectors and business economic results of recent decades have been achieved.
In Portugal and most developed countries, it has been betrayed on the technical model of the intensity of agriculture based on the replacement of human labor and biological processes.
This model has positive consequences from the economic perspective, but in the management of soil and water and biodiversity and environmental problems in greenhouse air emissions. Therefore, it is a consensus that it is necessary to adopt a design of constant agricultural intensity that allows productivity gains, but it is worth the ecosystems and improves the use of soil and water.
It is in this case that constant product modes are very important, especially in the last and half decade. In the future, public policies may be of decisive importance, so that these different consistent production modes are possible to increase the positive effects.
