Portugal

António Sá da Costa, President of APREN, the Portuguese Renewable Energy Association, welcomed ECO123 to the association’s headquarters in Lisbon. Focusing on the state of affairs in Portugal for producing energy from renewable sources and expectations for the future, the conversation was fluid and fascinating, and ranged over a large number of topics. This demonstrated the notable capacity for communication and the passion of the man who regards himself as a “marathon runner” for the benefit of renewable energies in Portugal. What is the current proportion of renewable energy sources in energy production in Portugal? Nowadays, over 50% of our …

The village communities in the Alentejo, all the human biotopes comprising welfare, sharing and mutual responsibility, hospitality, collective memory and togetherness, are not yet a thing of the past. Consumers want to know who produces their food. Young people long for their grandparents’ understanding. In different suburban areas and villages, local people want to be in charge of their own administration. Couples and young families need to have people to talk to, genuine support, community. Perhaps it is the old people who can play a role here. An insight into the Alentejo villages and their quest for resurrection. Re-inventing the …

Bare summer plains, as far as the eye can see. No water, no shade. Only a very occasional tree. Otherwise: emptiness. Tourist agencies attempt to make the Alentejo appealing to visitors with this very clear scenic icon. But it is hard to live and work in such a sparse landscape. Dilapidated farms in the whole district testify to a massive demise in farming. Perhaps nature in the Alentejo dreams a different dream. A dream of dispersed, multi-layer afforestation, of streams, ponds and a diversity of plants and animals, of abundance and fertility. The Greek philosopher Strabo said: “A squirrel could …

Alfredo Cunhal Sendim (49) runs the Herdade do Freixo do Meio farm in Montemor-o-Novo. As a young man he worked on the fishing nets in Ferragudo in the Algarve, and planned to be a fisherman, but it is in the Alentejo that he is now at the helm of his dream to create a paradise on earth. The “montado” agro-system, which he regards as being the planet’s future and salvation. What is the significance of the montado, whose importance you compare to that of the era of the discoveries in the history of Portugal. The montado is a marvellous Portuguese …

By solidarity economy is understood the series of “processes, be it formal or informal, of production, exchange, consumption, distribution, income generation, saving and investments, that combine economics with solidarity, an ecological perspective, cultural diversity, critical reflexion, participatory democracy and local development.” This is the definition that is expressed in the manifesto of the Portuguese Network of Solidarity Economy (RPES)(1), a project that is in full development and which ECO123 will be following closely. According to Júlio Ricardo, director of the Terra Chã Cooperative(2) in Portugal “there are huge numbers of solidarity economy events, but people don’t know about them because …

Interview with the fisherman Zeca Águas (55), from Portimão. ECO123: Nowadays, when you observe the amount of fish in the sea and compare it with a generation ago, do you notice any differences? Zeca Águas: According to my experience of 15 years ago, both in terms of my studies or from what I can see with my eyes, including soundings, we have 75% less fish today. Many species are affected because no one has been concerned about them until today – only now. For the first time, last year, they took the trouble to introduce a closed season. They didn’t …

Interview with Prof. Mojib Latif (61) GEOMAR, Kiel in Germany   ECO123: We produce a magazine in which we always try to bring economics and ecology together. Do you think that can work? Mojib Latif: Yes, I am sure that can work. People talk a lot today about sustainability, an expression that is already very overused. I think the expression should rather be interpreted by the media as future viability. If it is understood in this way, then you can see straight away that economics and ecology are not opposites, rather they can only function together. Unfortunately we are currently …

Since ancient times, salt has played a key role in the lives of human beings. Used primarily as a means of preserving foodstuffs, it acquired vital importance during the Roman Empire, and is the derivation of the word “salary”. This was because it was common practice in Rome for employees of the Empire, such as legionaries, to receive their wages (or salaries) in salt, as payment for their services. The areas where salt was extracted became so important strategically that some of them were walled and settlements were created to defend this asset. The oldest known record of Portuguese salt …

ASAE, the Economic and Food Safety Authority, was set up in 2005 under the Ministry of the Economy and in the nine years since it was set up, until 2014, it had amassed some 175 million euros from inspections, criminal proceedings, seizures and other offences. Since it started, ASAE, the authority specialising in food safety and economic surveillance, has triggered opposing sentiments. Viewed by some as the enemy of traditional businesses and what is known as “home-made” produce, it is recognised by many as a guarantor of food quality, consumer protection and fair competition between economic operators. Its operational policy …

How is one to uphold confidentiality on the one hand and transparency on the other, two such contrasting values in politics that are normally mutually exclusive? In the Brussels of the EU, it can be done. Political life there operates in the same way as in the German fairy-tale of Schilda, a village that once had to be re-built. However, it was only when their houses were finished that the villagers noticed that the architects had forgotten the windows. And so from then on they lived in the dark. But then the village head hit on an idea. They could …