Young Algarve farmers aim to revolutionize local agriculture
We tend to focus a lot on this website on very tourist related news, whether it’s occupancy rates, various events or interesting sights, but we also like to talk a bit about general life in the Algarve, and today we’ll look at an interesting trend amongst young Algarve farmers which will directly affect the eating experience in the region.
It appear that the new farmers of the region are boosting the Algarve’s agricultural sector in regards to the production of honey, avocado and red fruits.
The director of Regional Agriculture and Fisheries called this trend ‘a revolution’ as well as a decisive factor in the growth of the regional agricultural sector thanks to the up to 500 young farmer that have set up in business in the last seven years.
This new wave of farmers has a plethora of expertise behind it, the farmers come into the field with qualifications in agronomy, engineering, biomedical science, mechanical and electrical engineering, and are working the land as a way of both avoiding unemployment and the economic crisis but also because they have a certain empathy with the environment.
The official added that the boom of young people presenting investment projects under the Rural Development Programme for start-up grants peaked in 2010, and that applications from all over the Algarve came in but the highest came from the Tavira council area, followed by Loule and Silves.
These young and educated farmers are bringing a sense of dynamism to the sector that hasn’t really been seen in a while. Citrus continues to be the most popular crop, followed by red fruits such as raspberries and strawberries, then subtropical fruits – especially avocado, and honey production.
They focus on honey, avocado and red fruit because these are meant for export thanks to the current strong demand.
