Promoting sustainability in Mediterranean agriculture: insights from the Portuguese vine and wine sector

Agroecology is an integrated approach that simultaneously applies ecological and social concepts and principles to redesign and manage food and agricultural systems, promoting agroecosystems with the necessary biological, socio-economic, and institutional diversity and alignment to support greater efficiency. The present study aimed at characterising the socio-economic factors that lead farmers to accept and adopt more sustainable practices. Herein, we have addressed technical and economic aspects, in an integrated manner, in order to demonstrate the benefits of sustainable agroecosystems focused on Mediterranean crops. To achieve this, a survey was conducted to map and characterise viticultural practices in Portuguese vineyards, as well as winegrowers’ perception regarding the acceptance and implementation of alternative agricultural practices. The questionnaire also identified some barriers and opportunities for the application and adoption of alternative agricultural practices toward sustainable agriculture, considering technical and socio-economic aspects, vineyard characteristics, agricultural practices, and farmers' educational level. Winegrowers identified climate change adaptation and biodiversity preservation as the most important benefits of implementing alternative practices. Additionally, they demonstrated awareness of the importance of adopting alternative viticultural practices, especially for environmental improvement (biodiversity and natural resources conservation), as well as for increased sustainability of their operations/vineyards and greater profitability (e.g., through wine tourism). It was also possible to perceive that most respondents had a very clear and objective perception of what alternative practices are, even though showing some difficulty in changing habits and work techniques, loss of profitability, and increased production costs. Altogether, our study highlights that Portuguese winegrowers are aware of the importance of agroecological practices, such as sexual confusion, no-till farming, ecological corridors, and the preservation of biodiversity (e.g. insect shelters), reinforcing their position in adopting these approaches for the expansion of agroecology in the context of the ongoing reforms of European Agricultural Policy.