Agro forestry systems in the Portuguese mainland. Part I: economy and agro forest regions

Abstract

Agro forestry systems occupy 25% of the agricultural and forestry mainland territory. They integrate, in a territory, some species of trees (holm oak, cork oak, chestnut, pine and carob), with grazing animals under cover, and the fruits production.

Five major areas of agro forestry systems were defined, from productive and economic variables, and applying the multivariate statistics: the Northatlantics, the North transmontano, a transition region, the South-montadoand the Algarve. These regions were characterized by: territorial use, economic and agricultural, from the production function perspective (commodities); the economic dimension of the livestock, carob, pinion, chestnut and cork.

There is a great diversity of the five types of agro forestry areas, arising from climatic factor, and forest species that dominate the landscape. This diversity is strongly marked by the demographic, the regional capacity for wealth creation, the major agricultural and forestry production, the agricultural specialization and the structures of agricultural production.