Fragmented governance in the rural landscapes of Alentejo (Portugal)

Abstract

The rural landscapes of the Alentejo (Portugal) are undergoing a rapid process of change, with agricultural intensification potentially hampering their values and character. Whilst much of the rural landscapes in the region are still dominated by traditional multi-functional land-use systems, these are gradually becoming less competitive in a context of globalization, financialization and intensification. In such context, innovation is considered as a merely technological challenge, with other forms of innovation remaining largely marginal. The governance framework for land-use change currently in place is highly fragmented and uncoordinated, with an overall vision and strategy for the rural landscapes of the region largely lacking. Under such framework, the most likely future scenarios indicate to an increasing difficulty to tackle pressing challenges including climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation and the protection of cultural attributes, whilst securing the financial sustainability of the rural sector. In response, this paper will discuss an analytical framework useful for identifying the key gaps in the current governance framework, and to envisage alternative options. Such framework includes the following sequential steps: i. Mapping the governance instruments and actors-networks driving rural land-use and landscape change in the Alentejo. ii. Identifying the miss-matches and trade-offs of relevance for the scalar, spatial and institutional coordination of governance instruments and actors, iii. Defining tailored solutions to fulfill these gaps. The paper will focus on the olive grove expansion and the crisis of the Montado, hereby considered as paradigmatic case-studies, We will close-up the paper by discussing how a joint consideration of the the territorial, social and institutional aspects of innovation can help design a novel governance framework more efficient for attaining sustainable regional development and territorial cohesion.