Over the past decades, the Alentejo has witnessed profound transformations in its landscape. These changes, driven by agricultural intensification, new water infrastructures, and renewable energy projects, have reshaped not only the region’s ecological systems but also the perceptions of those who live and work in it. This booklet gathers voices from the Alentejo collected during February 2025 — farmers, officials, and long-time residents who were asked about their memories of the Alentejo, transformations they observed, the factors behind those shifts, and their vision for the future.
Land and Memory: Alentejo in the 20th Century
Throughout the 20th century, the Alentejo landscape was shaped by a profound connection between land and people. Open fields of dry-farmed cereals, traditional olive groves, and the Montado defined a region governed by slow rhythms, rooted in ancestral practices and local knowledge. It was a landscape of vast horizons, where the passing of seasons was inscribed in blooming pastures and the daily labour of the fields.
Yet change was quietly taking place.
During the 60’s mechanization, though gradual, began to alter production methods. Traditional systems revealed signs of strain: depleted soils, low productivity, diminishing economic returns. As opportunities faded, younger generations moved away, and the countryside began to empty.
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By the 1980s, with Portugal’s integration to the EEC, a turning point emerged.
European policies and incentives for agricultural modernisation were set to transform not only farming systems, but the landscape itself – its structure, biodiversity, visual identity, and cultural meaning - challenging the balance between continuity and change.
The years following this entry—remembered by some as the “last quiet decade”—marked the close of an era. A time when land was still worked more by hand than by machine, when time was measured by the growth of crops, and when the landscape reflected centuries-old practices. What followed brought productivity and innovation, but also ecological degradation and homogenisation.
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The 1990’s, the last quiet decade
“I have always associated it [Alentejo] with the Montado system, the fallow fields (with their seasonal blooms), and the cereal fields.” - L., Biologist, Évora
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“In the Baixo Alentejo, I remember the endless horizons with isolated oaks and scattered herds of cattle and sheep. In summer, the fields turned golden; in spring, there were purple and yellow blooms. ; in the winter, everything was green and the watercourses were flowing.” - J., Technical Officer in the Public Administration, Lower Alentejo
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“An agricultural landscape that was less developed, with many agronomic mistakes—like growing cereals on soils unsuitable for them. It was a very outdated agriculture, with little technology, generally poor, and incapable of creating sufficient value either for the country or for farmers.” - G., Agronomist, Beja
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The XXI century: a region in transition
Over the past three decades, policies, infrastructure projects, and economic drivers have reshaped the Alentejo’s rural landscapes. While traditional systems persisted for centuries, developments such as the Alqueva Dam, evolving European agricultural policies, and growing interest/demand in renewable energy have accelerated the pace of change.
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“There’s been a big transformation in the landscape. Since irrigation was introduced, everything changed — now you see large stretches of olive groves and green fields where before there was nothing planted. The land that used to be dry and empty is now covered in crops. It all started with the arrival of irrigation and the switch to new farming practices and crops.” - F., Territorial Engineer, Lower Alentejo
“The Alqueva dam was undoubtedly a major driver of change. The landscape has undergone significant transformations due to the expansion of irrigation perimeters, leading to the spread of super-intensive or intensive monocultures that have completely changed the Alentejo landscape.” - M., Public Administration Officer, Arraiolos
“The traditional olive groves are vanishing. Today you mainly see intensive or super-intensive olive groves, or almond orchards. In many places, olive groves have become super-intensive (hedgerow systems)". - J., Architect, Beja
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“The agricultural landscape has progressed, become better organized, and incorporated both technology and knowledge. There are new crops, innovative crop management methods, and an improved understanding of soil impact. Today’s landscape is more orderly, greener, and there is greater awareness of good agricultural practices.” - G., Agronomist, Beja
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“The decline of the Montado, the homogenization of the landscape through very extensive monocultures, the absence of crop rotation—which changes the perception of the seasons—and the clear, marked loss of both plant and animal diversity.” - L., biologist, Évora
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“There has been a significant increase in greenhouses along the coast—with several contiguous hectares, including areas within the natural park—introducing an entirely new landscape to the region (…)“ - M., Public Administration Officer, Arraiolos
“(…) as well as transforming dunes into large-scale, high-density tourism projects occupying coastal stretches.” - M., Public Administration Officer, Arraiolos
“(…) renewable-energy production areas have emerged, most notably mega photovoltaic park projects” - M., Public Administration Officer, Arraiolos
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“There have been enormous changes. Intensive olive groves have dramatically altered the landscape and even diverted livestock and watercourses. You can see innumerable electricity poles and power lines intersecting the landscape.” - J., Technical officer in Public Administration, Lower Alentejo
When reflecting on what had most influenced the region’s transformation, interviewees highlighted:
“(…) Agricultural-sector policies, widespread availability of inexpensive water—which attracted investment funds—and climate change.” - L., biologist, Évora
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“Access to water in some parts of the Alentejo, but primarily the spread of knowledge and information by associations, higher education institutions, and policy/legislative measures, such as the Common Agricultural Policy.” - G., Agronomist, Beja
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“(…) the exponential rise in power plants, cables, and poles is largely the result of societal changes that consume ever more of this resource.” - J., Public Administration Officer, Lower Alentejo
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How do you envision the Alentejo landscape 20 years from now?
“(…) I foresee a more uniform landscape, one shaped by more intensive, polluting human activities. I would like to believe it could revert to a diversified landscape, distinctive to each region, with fewer “human” interventions causing visual and other impacts” - Joana, Public Administration Officer, Lower Alentejo
“Changing existing uses is costly, and the idea of generating income from these lands has taken hold among property owners. Meanwhile, increased demand for renewable-energy production will have a significant impact on the landscape, especially if there is an intention to export this energy directly or through various services.” - Manuel, Public Administration Officer, Arraiolos
“(…) I hope there is strong generational renewal and better recognition of farmers’ efforts, as well as the ecosystem services and environmental stewardship they provide.” - Gonçalo, Agronomist, Beja
“If current trends continue unchanged, we will see increased loss of diversity, greater susceptibility to desertification, ongoing depopulation, and intensifying climate impacts.” - Lília, Biologist, Évora
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