Recent dynamics and trends of Portuguese agriculture: a Biplot analysis

Abstract

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reforms had consequences on European agriculture, leading to changes in the farms’ land uses and orientations. In southern Europe these consequences resulted in specific dynamics. In Portugal, several districts show a decline in agriculture, which is important in order to analyse the past dynamics and to identify future trends. The present paper proposes a methodological approach that combines the use of a multivariate Biplot method with a geographic information system (GIS). This approach was applied to the main land uses and crops’ dynamics in Portugal’s municipalities. Results show that this methodology is able to provide a detailed insight into the main changes in land uses and crops and to identify trends, since it is a very useful tool for policy evaluation and implementation.