Meet the FABLE Portugal team

The team is led by Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD) and Universidade de Évora (UEVORA). The team’s main areas of interest have been in food agroecosystem sustainability and food security as contributions towards territorial cohesion and wellbeing.

Transforming food and land-use systems in Portugal

Portugal’s food and land systems face interconnected environmental, social, and economic challenges that constrain a sustainability transition. A central issue is land-use polarization: intensive, capital-driven agriculture in fertile and irrigated areas coexists with widespread land abandonment in interior regions. This dynamic accelerates biodiversity loss, soil degradation, desertification risk, and wildfire exposure, while weakening rural livelihoods.

Water scarcity and climate change are critical pressures. Increasing drought frequency, rising temperatures, and irregular rainfall undermine water-intensive production models, particularly in the south, exposing misalignments between agricultural practices and ecological limits. At the same time, farm incomes remain low, farm structures are fragmented, and the farming population is aging, limiting investment, innovation, and generational renewal.

Portugal also shows a structural dependence on food imports, notably cereals, animal feed, and processed foods, while domestic diets are drifting away from Mediterranean patterns toward more resource-intensive consumption. Along the value chain, weak integration between production, processing, distribution, and consumption reduces value capture by farmers and slows the uptake of sustainable practices.

Key levers for change lie in reorienting production systems and governance. Scaling up agroecological and regenerative approaches—such as diversified cropping, agroforestry, and soil restoration—can enhance resilience, biodiversity, and climate mitigation. Water-smart agriculture, combined with basin-level governance and crop choices aligned with water availability, is essential. Strengthening support for smallholders and new entrants, through targeted CAP measures, access to land, and cooperative models, can revitalize rural areas. Finally, territorial food strategies, public procurement, dietary shifts toward plant-rich Mediterranean diets, and food-waste reduction can reconnect land, food, and society while lowering environmental pressures.

Key national objectives and targets

Increase organic farming area to about 19–25 % of agricultural land by 2030 — Portugal has committed to significantly expanding organic agricultural land as part of its national strategy and in alignment with the European Green Deal Farm-to-Fork target for organic farming, enhancing biodiversity, soil health and ecosystem services.

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by ~11 % by 2030 (compared with 2005) — Under the Plano Nacional Integrado Energia e Clima (PNEC 2030), the agricultural sector is expected to contribute to national climate mitigation by lowering emissions through measures like reduced fertilizer use, lower livestock emissions, and diet shifts.

Reduce use and risk of chemical pesticides and nutrient losses by 2030 — Linked to EU Farm-to-Fork and CAP objectives adopted by Portugal, this includes reducing pesticide use and nutrient losses (e.g., nitrogen) and cutting sales of antimicrobials for livestock and aquaculture, contributing to healthier soils, water quality, and biodiversity.

Improve sustainable land and water management — Objectives under Estratégia Portugal 2030 include reducing soil erosion on agricultural lands, enhancing sustainable management practices for forests and agriculture, and lowering pressure on water resources (e.g., water scarcity indicators) to support resilience against climate change and desertification.

Research interests in food and land-use

Land-use pathways under climate and water constraints: Assess alternative land-use scenarios for Portugal that balance food production, biodiversity conservation, wildfire risk reduction, and water availability, particularly under increasing drought and heat stress.

Agroecological transition scenarios: Model the impacts of scaling up agroecological practices (e.g. crop diversification, agroforestry, low-input systems) on yields, greenhouse gas emissions, soil carbon, biodiversity, and farm income compared to intensive monoculture pathways.

Water-smart agriculture and irrigation futures: Explore scenarios combining crop choice, irrigation efficiency, and regional water governance to evaluate trade-offs between agricultural output, water demand, and ecosystem health under different climate projections.

Food self-sufficiency and trade-offs: Analyze options to reduce dependence on imported cereals and animal feed, including dietary shifts, changes in livestock intensity, and land reallocation, while maintaining nutritional adequacy and economic viability.

Dietary change and environmental outcomes: Use FABLE to quantify how shifts toward healthier, plant-rich Mediterranean diets affect land use, emissions, water use, and food imports, linking consumption-side changes with production systems.

Rural viability and land abandonment dynamics: Model how policy interventions (e.g. support for smallholders, young farmers, or cooperatives) influence land abandonment, employment, and landscape management in interior regions.

Policy coherence and target alignment: Test whether current national and EU-aligned targets (climate, biodiversity, agriculture) can be met simultaneously, and identify trade-offs or synergies across sectors within an integrated land–food–energy system.

Policy engagement

The team has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders to inform discussions and decisions around sustainable food and land-use systems in Portugal and abroad. These include:

INIAV-Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária.

ASAE-Autoridade de Segurança Alimentar e Económica.

DGAV-Direção-Geral da Alimentação e Veterinária.

PLANAPP – Centro de Planeamento e de Avaliação de Políticas Públicas.

UNIMED- Mediterranean Universities Union, particularly the Subnetwork on Food & Water.

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Publications

Manuela de Castro, José Baptista, Cristina Matos, António Valente, Ana Briga-Sá, Energy efficiency in winemaking industry: Challenges and opportunities, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 930, 2024, 172383, ISSN 0048-9697 (Elsevier, Q1, IF 8.0)

Cristina Matos, Manuela Castro, José Baptista, António Valente, Ana Briga-Sá, The use of water in wineries: A review, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 951, 2024, 175198, SSN 0048-9697. (Elsevier, Q1, IF 8.0).

Rita Teixeira, Cristina Matos, José Baptista, António Valente and Ana Briga-Sá, Empowering Sustainable Winemaking: The Role of Education in Efficient Water and Energy Management, ESEE 2025, Vila Real, UTAD, June 30-July 4, 2025;

Cristina Matos, Rita Teixeira, José Baptista, António Valente, Ana Briga-Sá, Water and Energy Consumptions in the Wine Production Industry: A Case study in Portugal, CEES2025, Italy, June, 2025.

Machado R, Santos P, Sousa-Neves N, Pirnat J (2024) The Recent Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Grasslands in Slovenia: Contribution to Their Preservation and Management. Rangeland Ecology & Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2024.07.010.

Guiomar N, Godinho S, Rivera M, Pinto-Correia T, Machado R, Czekaj M, Tyran E, Puchała J (2021) Assessing food availability: A novel approach for the quantitative estimation of the contribution of small farms in regional food systems in Europe. Global Food Security 30:100555. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100555.

Machado R, Bayot R, Godinho S, Pirnat J, Santos P, Sousa-Neves N (2020) LDTtool: a toolbox to assess landscape dynamics. Environmental Modelling and Software, 133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2020.104847.

Machado R, Godinho S, Pirnat J, Sousa-Neves N, Santos P (2018) Assessment of landscape composition and configuration via spatial metrics combination: conceptual framework proposal and method improvement. Landscape Research, 43:5, 652-664. https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2017.1336757.

Tataridas, A., & Freitas, H. (2024). The path forward: integrating agroecology into global policy frameworks. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 48(7), 924-933. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2024.2343045.

Tataridas, A., Anastasi, M., Vieites-Álvarez, Y., López-González, D., Campillo-Cora, C., Giusti, A., ... & Freitas, H. (2025). EU-funded research to advance agroecological weed management in Europe, Part I: vision. Open Research Europe, 5, 211. https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.20296.1.

Alves, F., Vidal, D. G., & Freitas, H. (2025). Unveiling the Plurality of Visions for the Ecological Transition in Europe. Futures, 103645. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2025.103645.

Moreira, M., Alves, J., Frazão, L., Gouveia, A. C., & Freitas, H. (2025). A systematic review of Nature’s Contributions to People: impacts on science, policy, and sustainability. Sustainability Science, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-025-01694-8.

Afonso, P., Castro, I., Couto, P., Leal, F., Carnide, V., Rosa, E., Carvalho, M., Root Phenotyping: A Contribution to Understanding Drought Stress Resilience in Grain Legumes, (2025) Agronomy 2025, 15, 798. https:://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15040798.

Guimarães, N., Sousa, J.J., Couto, P., Bento, A., Pádua, L., Combining UAV-Based Multispectral and Thermal Infrared Data with Regression Modeling and SHAP Analysis for Predicting Stomatal Conductance in Almond Orchards, (2024) Remote Sensing, 16(13), art. no. 2467. ISSN: 2072-4292. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16132467.

Guimarães, N., Sousa, J.J., Pádua, L., Bento, A., Couto, P., Remote Sensing Applications in Almond Orchards: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Current Insights, Research Gaps, and Future Prospects, (2024) Applied Sciences, 14(5), art. no. 1749. ISSN: 2076-3417. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14051749.

Guimarães, N., Fraga, H., Sousa, J.J., Pádua, L., Bento, A., Couto, P., Comparative Evaluation of Remote Sensing Platforms for Almond Yield Prediction, (2024) AgriEngineering, 6(1), pp. 240-258. ISSN: 2624-7402. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering6010015.

Guimarães, N., Pádua, L., Sousa, J.J., Bento, A., Couto, P., “Almond cultivar identification using machine learning classifiers applied to UAV-based multispectral data”, (2023) International Journal of Remote Sensing, 44 (5), pp. 1533-1555. ISSN: 1366-5901. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2023.2185913.

Teresa Louro; Carla Simões; Maria João Penetra; Laura Carreira; Paula Midori Castelo; Henrique Luis; Pedro Moreira; Elsa Lamy. "Relationship between Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Saliva Composition". Nutrients 13 4 (2021): 1246-1246. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041246.

Teresa Louro; Carla Simões; Paula Midori Castelo; Fernando Capela e Silva; Henrique Luis; Pedro Moreira; Elsa Lamy. "How Individual Variations in the Perception of Basic Tastes and Astringency Relate with Dietary Intake and Preferences for Fruits and Vegetables". Foods (2021). https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10081961.

Lamy, Elsa; Viegas, Claudia; Rocha, Ada; Lucas, Maria Raquel; Tavares, Sofia; e Silva, Fernando Capela; Guedes, David; et al. "Changes in food behavior during the first lockdown of COVID-19 pandemic: A multi-country study about changes in eating habits, motivations, and food-related behaviors". Food Quality and Preference (2022). https://publons.com/wos-op/publon/54269972/.

Monica Laureati; Annalisa De Boni; Anna Saba; Elsa Lamy; Fabio Minervini; Amélia M. Delgado; Fiorella Sinesio. "Determinants of Consumers’ Acceptance and Adoption of Novel Food in View of More Resilient and Sustainable Food Systems in the EU: A Systematic Literature Review". Foods (2024). https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13101534.

Teresa Louro, Paula M Castelo, Carla Simões, Fernando Capela e Silva, Henrique Luís, Pedro Moreira, Elsa Lamy. Adherence to mediterranean diet and aromatic plants intake are related with gustatory function: A case-study from a Portuguese region. Appetite (2024). https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2024.107581.

Afonso, S., Oliveira, I., Ribeiro, C., Vilela, A., Meyer, A. S., & Gonçalves, B. Exploring the role of biostimulants in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) fruit quality traits. Agriculture, 14(9), 1521 (2024).

Oliveira, I., Marinho, B., Szymanowska, U., Karas, M., & Vilela, A. Chemical and Sensory Properties of Waffles Supplemented with Almond Skins. Molecules, 28, 5674 (2023). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28155674.

Oliveira, I., Meyer, A., Afonso, S., Ribeiro, C., & Gonçalves, B. Morphological, mechanical and antioxidant properties of Portuguese almond cultivars. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 55(2), 467–478 (2018).

Borges, O., Raimundo, F., Coutinho, J., Gonçalves, B., Oliveira, I., Martins, A., & Madeira, M. Carbon fractions as indicators of organic matter dynamics in chestnut orchards under different soil management practices. Agroforestry Systems, 92(2), 301–310 (2018).

Oliveira, I., Afonso, S., Pinto, L., Vieira, S., Vilela, A., & Silva, A. P. Preliminary evaluation of the application of algae-based biostimulants on almond. Plants, 11(22), 3083 (2022).

Lamy, E., Conceição, C., Capela e Silva, F., & Lucas, M. R. Mediterranean Diet as a Healthy, Sustainable, and Secure Food Pattern. In Impacts of Climate Change and Economic and Health Crises on the Agriculture and Food Sectors, 185–205. IGI Global (2022).

Lucas, M., Lamy, E., Conceição, C., & Capela-Silva, F. Alimentação Saudável e Sustentável: o Papel da Dieta Mediterrânica. In Desenvolvimento Sustentável. Verdade e Consequências, 133–166. Lisboa: Editora Documenta (2022).

Neto, S., Ferreira, C., Madureira, L., & Santos, M. Towards sustainable viticulture in the Mediterranean: Insights from a systematic review of agroecological transitions in the Douro region. Approaches to Sustainable Development Goals – Book of Proceedings, 166 (2025).

Nunes, P., Branco, M., Franco, J. C., & Santos, M. Patterns, processes and scales shaping invasive pest species dynamics within agricultural landscapes: Modelling the spread of the African citrus psyllid in European lemon orchards. Agricultural Systems, 226, 104295 (2025).

Menezes, I. C., Santos, M., Bugalho, L., & Pereira, M. G. The effects of tree shade on vineyard microclimate and grape production: A novel approach to sun radiation modelling as a response to climate change. Land, 13(11), 1970 (2024).

Martins, J. A., Marta-Costa, A., Lucas, M. R., & Santos, M. Sustainability in Mountain Viticulture: Insights from a Case Study in the Portuguese Douro Region. Sustainability, 16(5), 2050 (2024).

Santos, M., Mosquera-Losada, M. R., & Gonçalves, B. Can the trees save the crops? Predicting the services provided by traditional and novel agroforests in changing Mediterranean landscapes. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11, 1168247 (2023).

Santos, M., Garcês, C., Ferreira, A., Carvalho, D., Travassos, P., Bastos, R., et al. Side effects of European eco schemes and agri-environment-climate measures on endangered species conservation. Ecological Indicators, 148, 110155 (2023).

Mosquera-Losada, M. R., Santos, M. G. S., Gonçalves, B., et al. Policy challenges for agroforestry implementation in Europe. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 6, 1127601 (2023).

Santos, M., Moreira, H., Cabral, J. A., Gabriel, R., Teixeira, A., Bastos, R., & Aires, A. Contribution of home gardens to sustainable development. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(20), 13715 (2022).

Santos, M., Cajaiba, R. L., Bastos, R., et al. Why do agroforestry systems enhance biodiversity? Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9, 630151 (2022).

Gonçalves, B., Morais, M. C., Pereira, S., Mosquera-Losada, M. R., & Santos, M. Tree–crop ecological and physiological interactions within climate change contexts. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9, 661978 (2021).

Bakış, A. L. P., Macovei, I., Barros, P., Gomes, C., Carvalho, D., Cabral, J. A., & Santos, M. Is biodiversity linked with farm management options in vineyard landscapes? A case study combining ecological indicators within a hybrid modelling framework. Ecological Indicators, 121, 107012 (2021).

Loureiro, T., Serra, L., Pereira, J. E., Martins, Â., & Poeta, P. Economic and Biological Impact of Eradication Measures for Xylella fastidiosa in Northern Portugal. Environments, 12, 372 (2025). https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12100372.

Ribeiro, J., Silva, V., Barros, L., Heleno, S. A., Dapkevicius, M. L. N. E., Reis, F. S., Igrejas, G., & Poeta, P. From Apple Waste to Antimicrobial Solutions: A Review of Phenolics from PGI “Maçã de Alcobaça” and Related Cultivars. Molecules, 30, 3679 (2025). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30183679.

Loureiro, T., Serra, L., Martins, Â., Cortez, I., & Poeta, P. Occurrence of Philaenus spumarius in Xylella fastidiosa demarcated zones of Northern Portugal. Microbiology Research, 16, 145 (2025). https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres16070145.

Araújo, S., Silva, V., Quintelas, M., Martins, Â., Igrejas, G., & Poeta, P. From soil to surface water: exploring Klebsiella’s clonal lineages and antibiotic resistance odyssey in environmental health. BMC Microbiology, 25, 97 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-03798-8.

Sousa, T., Silva, C., Igrejas, G., Hébraud, M., & Poeta, P. The Interactive Dynamics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Global Ecology. Journal of Basic Microbiology, e70004 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/jobm.70004.

Silva, A., Martins, R., Silva, V., Fernandes, F., Carvalho, R., Aires, A., Igrejas, G., Falco, V., Valentão, P., & Poeta, P. Red Grape By-Products from the Demarcated Douro Region: Chemical Analysis, Antioxidant Potential and Antimicrobial Activity against Food-Borne Pathogens. Molecules, 29, 4708 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29194708.

Loureiro, T., Serra, L., Martins, Â., Cortez, I., & Poeta, P. Xylella fastidiosa Dispersion on Vegetal Hosts in Demarcated Zones in the North Region of Portugal. Microbiology Research, 15, 1050–1072 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres15030069.

Silva, V., Ribeiro, J., Teixeira, P., Pinto, P., Vieira-Pinto, M., Poeta, P., Caniça, M., & Igrejas, G. Genetic Complexity of CC5 Staphylococcus aureus Isolates Associated with Sternal Bursitis in Chickens. Pathogens, 13, 519 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13060519.

Loureiro, T., Gonçalves, B., Serra, L., Martins, Â., Cortez, I., & Poeta, P. Histological analysis of Xylella fastidiosa infection in Quercus pyrenaica in Northern Portugal. AIMS Agriculture and Food, 9(2), 607–627 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3934/agrfood.2024033.

Magriplis, E., Kotopoulou, S., Adamberg, S., Burton-Pimentel, K. J., Kitryte-Syrpa, V., Laranjo, M., et al. Fermented Food Consumption Across European Regions: Protocol for the Development and Validation of the Web-Based Fermented Foods Frequency Questionnaire (3FQ). JMIR Research Protocols, 14, e69212 (2025). https://doi.org/10.2196/69212.

Ricardo-Rodrigues, S., Rouxinol, M. I., Agulheiro-Santos, A. C., Potes, M. E., Laranjo, M., & Elias, M. The Antioxidant and Antibacterial Potential of Thyme and Clove Essential Oils for Meat Preservation—An Overview. Applied Biosciences, 3, 87–101 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3390/applbiosci3010006.

Todorovic, S., Akpinar, A., Assunção, R., et al. Health benefits and risks of fermented foods—the PIMENTO initiative. Frontiers in Nutrition, 11, 1458536 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1458536.