Pedoclimatic and Landscape Conditions of Olive Groves in Portugal and Alentejo.

Abstract

Olive groves in Alentejo have exponentially increased their extent over the past 30 years through irrigation and technological intensification, including also the use of exogenous breeds and cultivars. This has been facilitated by the implementation of the Alqueva irrigation network. This rapid process of change has permitted overcoming many of the bio-physical limitations of the regional soils and climate. Ultimately, the expansion and intensification of olive groves have focused on the areas with most productive agricultural soils and access to water, with traditional cultivars and farming systems restricted to marginal agricultural areas, now frequently in risk of abandonment. Besides their multiple ecological, social and economic impacts, these rapid changes have also marked their scars upon the traditional rural landscapes. Nonetheless, when looked in further detail, the differentiations between intensive and extensive farming systems, and their sustainability impacts, become fuzzier than originally thought. In such a complex context, the novel concept of “sustainable intensification” might open new opportunities to progress towards more realistic solutions for the future.