The balance between intensive agriculture and more sustainable agriculture, which protects the environment, was defended this Thursday in Alte, in the municipality of Loulé, by political and technical officials in the region concerned about soil degradation.
“The practices used by intensive agriculture are degrading the soil, but we also cannot demonize this economic activity, which is fundamental,” said the president of the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR), José Apolinário.
Technicians, researchers and also institutional representatives analyzed the current state of land use in low-density territories (sparsely populated) and debated measures that promote their valorization.
For José Apolinário, it is important to share knowledge on this subject in seminars that are of no use unless the impoverishment of soils caused, mainly, by intensive agriculture that uses chemical products that impoverish the land are tackled.
“We have to have technical structures to take action, because, otherwise, we will just continue doing seminars like this”, he warned.
The seminar “Sustainable Land Use in Low Density Regions: Territorial Cohesion” was held in Alte, in the municipality of Loulé, in a partnership between the Cândido Guerreiro Professional School and the University of Algarve (UAlg).
“It’s not because there are no funds”, namely from community funds, assured the president of the Algarve CCDR, insisting that the essential thing is to create “technical structures to take action”.
José Apolinário also cited the problems created by the increase in the construction of irregular houses in agricultural spaces and the consequences for the soil, mainly with the increase in its waterproofing.
“I know we need more space for housing, but we also need more sustainable agriculture,” he said.
Also present at the seminar, the rector of the University of Algarve, Paulo Águas, warned that agriculture, particularly intensive agriculture, which has greater productivity, seeks to respond to the basic needs of populations.
“There is a set of balances here that we have to try to achieve, because, if there is no profitability, we have no jobs”, he stated.
The dean of UAlg recalled that the famous English economist John Keynes said that society has to think about the medium and long term, but if it fails in the short term it will not reach longer terms.
In turn, the mayor of Loulé, Vítor Aleixo, recalled that “soil is an essential resource for humanity”, noting that in his municipality there are examples of soils treated in a sustainable way and others in which, “in the name of the economy, they are devastated and mistreated.”
“The situation [dos solos] It’s bad, it’s serious, and people need to tell the truth. We are all responsible for the situation”, he said.
Vítor Aleixo criticized the fact that he was being “totally liberal, in the name of irresponsible economic principles”.
While liberalism focuses on trust in the market to self-regulate the economy, Keynesianism highlights the need for the government to play an important role in managing economic fluctuations, prioritizing social well-being and macroeconomic stability.
“I am surprised that people are no longer opposed to a certain type of agricultural holdings” that are not very friendly to the soil and the environment, Vitor Aleixo.
For the mayor, society is “taking important steps towards the hasty desertification of the territory”.
The mayor of Londrina also warned about “excessive urbanization”, especially that linked to tourism, and asked to reflect on the issue.
University professor Amílcar Duarte stated that the Algarve has “climate and heat, but the soils are poor”, the best being on the coast which is being “invaded” by housing, with agriculture moving to inland territories with low population density.
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