MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development from University of Évora is part of the TransforMed consortium The institute focuses its research on the sustainability of agroecosystems within the Mediterranean context and will apply its scientific expertise in the "Enabling Policies for Agroforestry System Adoption" project section, where it serves as leading partner.
One of MED’s major project is the leading of the agro-environmental measure “Montado Management by Results,” a pilot initiative aimed at regenerating the Montado—a silvopastoral system dominated by Quercus suber and Quercus rotundifolia, with understory grazing by cattle or sheep. Spanning over one million hectares in southern Portugal and resembling Spain's Dehesa, this complex system provides vital ecosystem services (ESs), such as carbon storage in soils and biomass, preserving habitats and species, but faces declining due to a long-term soil degradation and tree renewal failure. Target policies are needed to incentivize farmers to reengage in these land use systems and participate to the renewal and development of the ESs produced.
To promote the preservation of Montado system a Results-Based Model (RBM) for agri-environmental schemes (AES) was developed underthe 2023-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). RBM pays farmers for achieving specific environmental results (ERs), like healthy soils or trees regeneration, linked to multiple ESs. The RBM for Montado was co-designed through transdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, farmers, policymakers, and public authorities. This process involved identifying ERs, defining indicators, setting payment levels, and monitoring outcomes. Stakeholders combined scientific and empirical knowledge to foster consensus, innovation, and empowerment.
TransforMed offers a chance to test RBMs beyond European context, tailoring approaches to Med partners countries (Morocco, Tunisia and Turkiye) to recover degraded lands and promote the adoption of AFS. This paradigm shift integrates top-down and bottom-up governance approaches to achieve shared environmental objectives through economic incentives. Building on Montado's experience, TransforMed project seeks to engage stakeholders to develop pragmatic policy guidelines and establish a platform to replace conventional agri-environmental schemes with result-focused models.
tap and then scroll down to the Add to Home Screen command.