Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: CLEIDE MARA MARTINS DE OLIVEIRA

THE COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY IN PORTUGAL AND THE CHALLENGES OF SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Portuguese agriculture; common agricultural policy, sustainable rural development

The present work aims to understand how the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union for the period 2021/2027 will contribute to the rural development of Portuguese territories, which aspects will be valued by the government in the elaboration of the Strategic Plan, in particular the support for family farming to prevent desertification of fields, encourage a systemic view of food production and promote the protection and conservation of local biodiversity. In this context, it is assumed that the current chemical-mechanical model associated with agricultural practices is being revised due to the numerous socioeconomic and environmental impacts resulting from this dominant paradigm. In this way, the investigation is divided into three chapters: chapter I was based on the establishment of an analytical framework, having as a starting point the political “Wheat Campaign” of the fascist regime of the Portuguese New State and the evolution of agriculture in Portugal until the current days. In Chapter II (ongoing) the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy for the 2023/2027 period maintains the dynamics initiated in the 2003 reform, of changing the exclusively productivist focus of agriculture, to incorporate other variables such as demands from society in general, associated with the consumption and food production, focusing on the conservation of natural resources and sustainable development. The organization of Portugal's Strategic Plan was based on the country's needs so that they are aligned with the specific objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy. Some aspects of the Strategic Plan that include family farming and rural development will be highlighted. In chapter III (in progress) some innovative experiences that incorporate other perspectives in food production and conservation of natural resources as an alternative proposal to the hegemonic model of intensive agriculture were addressed. The methodological procedures used include a bibliographic survey in the updated literature relevant to the scope of the project, exploratory research in the 2019 Agricultural Census database; The ongoing reform of the Common Agricultural Policy 2021/2027 and the changes in the Agricultural Legislation of the European Union have abundant and diversified bibliographic material that has been consulted on the official websites of the Portuguese Government, as well as the Commission of the Commission and the European Parliament. We have concluded so far that the chemical-mechanical model is confronted with the demands of society in general, in the desire for access to healthier foods produced in a less aggressive way in the natural environment, as well as in the appreciation of rural landscapes and cultures, in the well-being of animals and in more balanced and fair working relationships. Portugal's Strategic Plan presented to the European Commission on July 12, 2022 addresses the different structures, indicators and targets to be achieved during the period of validity of the new Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union. The aim is to evaluate the C and D axes of the Strategic Plan of Portugal associated with the Sustainable Rural Development of the 2nd Pillar of the Common Agricultural