MIGRATION, RETURN, AND AGRICULTURAL-DEVELOPMENT IN THE SERRA-DO-ALVAO, NORTHERN PORTUGAL

In practice, migration and return have had a threefold effect on the farming system of the Serra do Alvao, and this article deals with these in turn. First, direct influences are felt in farming families that either have or have had family members working away from the landholding for extended periods. In particular, this outside employment has made available capital, which can be invested in agricultural production. An impact has been felt throughout the farming system as a result of the overall reduction in the agricultural labor force and the consequent increase in wage costs. It is argued that the effect of this has been to undermine the traditional agricultural system, without providing a basis for its restructuring along more productive or efficient lines. Finally, the loss of population has brought about social as well as economic changes, and these too have implications for agricultural production. -from Author