Pulse

27 August 2026

Good morning. Today the harvest is under way from Melgaço to Madeira, the Arctic is being measured by a Portuguese hand, and a penguin chick has arrived in Lisbon.

Harvest time

Eight Portuguese farms featured in EU diversification compendium

A new EU CAP Network publication on diversified farm business models includes eight Portuguese initiatives among examples from across Europe. The compendium, produced by the network's Thematic Group on Farm Diversification, showcases how farmers and rural businesses combine production, processing, tourism, innovation and local resource use to boost income and resilience. The Portuguese cases include Bananika, Utopia Space, Olijan, Joseph's Dream, Projeto Egitânia, Quinta da Cortiça, Pepe Aromas and Salivitae, spanning circular economy, land recovery, climate adaptation, organic and regenerative farming, rural tourism and heritage value. The publication aims to help share knowledge among farmers, authorities and rural networks.

Food & Agriculture Read more at Rede Rural ↗

National organic farming meeting set for Coimbra in September 2026

AGROBIO and the Coimbra Agricultural School, with the Minha Terra federation, will hold the National Organic Farming and Production Meeting from 23 to 25 September 2026 in Coimbra. Over three days, producers, researchers, institutions and other sector figures will discuss agricultural policy, rural territories, marketing, innovation and health linked to organic farming. The programme includes scientific presentations, the National Organic Farming Awards, and technical visits to Quinta do Montalto and The Landscape Farm. Attendance is free, with registration open online.

Centro Food & Agriculture Read more at Rede Rural ↗ View project: The Landscape Farm →

Nature & biodiversity

Madeira marks Bat Night with ultrasound listening session

Madeira's Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation, with company Madeira Fauna & Flora, is marking International Bat Night on Saturday with an event at Garajau's Miradouro do Cristo Rei from 9pm. Participants will use specialised equipment to listen to bat ultrasounds inaudible to the human ear and learn about the biology and ecological role of the island's three resident bat species. The initiative aims to counter negative myths about bats and highlight their importance in controlling insect populations, tying into Madeira's participation in the EUROBATS agreement on conserving European bat populations.

Madeira Ecosystems & Biodiversity Read more at JM Madeira ↗

Portuguese scientist joins Arctic expedition on ocean carbon storage

Catarina V. Guerreiro, a researcher at Lisbon's Faculty of Sciences (MARE/ARNET and IDL), is the only Portuguese scientist aboard the international IMAGE expedition studying carbon cycling in the Greenland Sea. Running from Reykjavik to Svalbard between 2 August and 3 September, the mission examines how ocean dynamics and plankton communities affect the biological carbon pump, which moves carbon from surface waters to the deep ocean. Guerreiro focuses on calcifying plankton such as coccolithophores. The team, drawn from Spain, Germany, Denmark, France, the UK and China, hopes the findings will help predict how a rapidly changing Arctic will affect carbon storage and marine ecosystems.

Ecosystems & Biodiversity Read more at Green Savers ↗

Fermentelos lagoon gets €5 million to tackle water hyacinth

The Pateira de Fermentelos, one of the largest natural lagoons in the Iberian Peninsula, is to receive an intervention worth around five million euros. The project will remove approximately 200,000 cubic metres of sediment that has built up in the lagoon, addressing one of the underlying causes of the spread of water hyacinth. The initiative is also intended to support the lagoon's broader environmental recovery.

Centro Ecosystems & Biodiversity Read more at Notícias de Coimbra ↗

Water in question

Viseu mayor demands safety thresholds for ageing Fagilde dam

The government has confirmed that the Fagilde dam, built in 1984 on the River Dão and supplying around 150,000 people in the Viseu region, lacks a spillway capable of handling regulatory flood conditions. A 2022 study identified this as one reason for building a replacement dam, expected between 2028 and 2029. Studies since 2021 have also documented internal sulphate reactions and severe cracking in the concrete, though the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering maintains the structure remains safe. Viseu mayor João Azevedo is demanding the government publish clear thresholds for reduced operation or withdrawal from service.

Centro Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Portugal Resident ↗

Seixal boosts water supply 40% with new borehole

The Seixal municipal council has begun drilling a water borehole in Belverde, the first of seven planned, aiming to increase local supply capacity by around 40%. The 300,000-euro project can deliver 35 litres of water per second and will mainly serve the Amora and Corroios parishes. It follows a recent three-million-euro investment in Belverde's Water Distribution Centre, inaugurated in April, which already supplies areas such as Valadares, Quinta da Queimada and Marisol. Officials say the works aim to modernise the network and improve pressure and reliability for residents.

Lisbon Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at ECO ↗

Águas do Douro e Paiva expands site visits with four more fire brigades

Águas do Douro e Paiva has continued its programme of guided visits to water supply infrastructure for regional fire brigades, this time including Areosa-Rio Tinto, Crestuma, Arouca and Rebordosa. Firefighters toured reservoirs, pumping stations and chlorination facilities to familiarise themselves with the sites and access routes, aiming to enable faster, safer emergency responses. Executive administrator Mariana Ferreira Macedo said prior knowledge of the facilities helps anticipate scenarios and coordinate with emergency crews. The company plans further visits with other fire brigades operating in its service area.

Norte Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Green Savers ↗

Funding & policy

Portugal triples funding for PRR business-research consortia to €3bn

Portugal's Ministry of Economy and Territorial Cohesion announced that funding for the PRR's Agendas Mobilizadoras and Agendas Verdes rose from an initial €930 million to around €3 billion. The boost, following a 2025 reprogramming worth €319 million, supports 51 consortia of companies and research centres working in sustainable mobility, energy, health, aerospace, biotechnology, forestry and construction. Total investment mobilised reached €7.3 billion, with 311 new products, processes and services added to targets. Over 1,200 have already been completed, exceeding the original goal of 959. The programme involves 1,100 entities and has created 11,000 highly qualified jobs.

Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Jornal PT Green ↗

Centro 2030 opens funding call for urban transport

The Centro 2030 programme has launched a funding call to support clean, collective and public urban transport infrastructure in the Centro region of Portugal. The call targets projects that reduce reliance on private vehicles, cut emissions, improve air quality and reduce noise in cities. Eligible applicants are municipalities and their associations linked to structuring urban centres in the region. Applications can be submitted through the Balcão dos Fundos until 18:00 on 30 June 2027.

Centro Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Portugal 2030 ↗

Algarve keeps open €1m call for social facility energy efficiency

The ALGARVE 2030 regional programme has an open funding call, Aviso ALGARVE-2024-55, offering around €1 million to improve energy efficiency in the region's social facilities. Eligible applicants include private social solidarity institutions (IPSS) and public or equivalent owners of such facilities. Supported measures range from energy audits and building envelope insulation to heat pumps, solar systems, smart energy management, water efficiency and installation of solar panels. The call remains open until 30 September 2026. So far three projects, in São Brás de Alportel, Lagos and Lagoa, have been approved, totalling €1,004,985 in ERDF support.

Algarve Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Ambiente Magazine ↗

Portugal launches regional talks ahead of 2026 food security conference

Portugal's food policy office GPP, together with regional coordination commissions and the autonomous regions, is launching a series of regional participatory meetings to feed into a National Conference on Food and Nutritional Security planned for the second half of 2026. The sessions, organised around production, consumption and health, will gather producers, industry, distribution, academia and civil society to discuss local food system challenges. The initiative follows a proposal by Agriculture Minister José Manuel Fernandes at a December 2025 national food security council meeting. The first two events take place in the Algarve on 4 September and in the Centre region on 10 September 2026.

Food & Agriculture Read more at Rede Rural ↗

Energy & mobility

Algarve's giant Amareleja solar plant declared bankrupt

A major solar power plant in the Algarve has gone bankrupt and is now being prepared for sale. The company behind it struggled with lower-than-expected electricity production, falling energy prices and technical problems at the facility. These combined pressures undermined the plant's finances, pushing it towards insolvency. A sale process is now under way to find a new owner for the site.

Algarve Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at The Portugal News ↗

Complaints about electric cars in Portugal nearly triple in two years

The Portal da Queixa recorded 205 complaints about electric cars in Portugal between January and July 2026, up 173% from the 75 registered in the same period of 2024. Most complaints concern after-sales issues: repairs and maintenance account for 40%, and customer service for 32%. BYD Auto and Tesla were the most targeted brands, with 17% and 15% of complaints respectively. Lisbon and Porto together accounted for over half of all cases. Despite the sharp rise in complaints, average consumer satisfaction actually increased slightly compared with 2025.

Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Postal ↗

Waste, well sorted

Portugal collected nearly 1,400 tonnes of unused medicines in 2025

VALORMED's annual report shows Portuguese citizens returned 1,398.9 tonnes of unused medicines and packaging in 2025, up 3.46% year-on-year. Some 94.4% was collected via pharmacies, through a network of 3,294 active collection points. The organisation treated over 1,276 tonnes of waste, recycling more than 335 tonnes of paper and cardboard, 119 tonnes of glass and 25 tonnes of plastic. Improper disposal in VALORMED containers fell over 53%, which the entity attributes to awareness campaigns, while 189 pharmaceutical companies now participate in the packaging management system.

Products, Consumption & Circular Read more at Green Savers ↗

Algar and Vidro+ launch recycling drive for Algarve hospitality sector

Waste management company Algar and the Vidro+ platform have launched an awareness campaign targeting shops, restaurants and hotels in the Algarve to boost glass packaging recycling. The initiative promotes existing services such as door-to-door selective collection for businesses and an assisted transfer system that makes it easier to empty small containers into larger glass bins. Organisers say the HORECA sector generates large volumes of recyclable packaging, especially during the tourist high season, and are urging establishments to adopt correct waste separation practices covering glass, paper/cardboard and plastic/metal.

Algarve Products, Consumption & Circular Read more at A Voz do Algarve ↗

LIPOR to launch three new Nutrimais substrates at AgroSemana

LIPOR will attend AgroSemana 2026, running from 3 to 6 September at Espaço Agros in Póvoa de Varzim, presenting three new organic substrates under its Nutrimais brand: Nutrimais Germinação, Nutrimais Orquídeas and Nutrimais Universal Sem Turfa. The products target specific needs, from seed germination and orchid care to a peat-free universal option for gardening and horticulture. They expand a range already built on circular economy principles for soil fertility. A technical team will be on hand at the fair to explain the products and share sustainable farming practices.

Norte Food & Agriculture Read more at Ambiente Magazine ↗

Close to home

CineEco festival returns to Seia with 87 films

The CineEco International Environmental Film Festival of Serra da Estrela returns to Seia from 9 to 17 October for its 32nd edition. Organisers received 410 entries, including fiction, documentaries and visual art works, from which 86 productions from 34 countries were chosen for the six main competitions. The official selection totals 87 films, with ten Portuguese premieres among them.

Centro Education & Eco-tourism Read more at Notícias de Coimbra ↗

Catholic University freshers to clean Costa da Caparica beach

On 3 September, more than 200 new students from five degree programmes at the Faculty of Human Sciences of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa will join staff in a clean-up of Praia da Mata, Costa da Caparica. The event combines the students' welcome session with an environmental citizenship activity, including a briefing on marine litter, a beach clean-up and waste monitoring, followed by analysis of the collected rubbish. It forms part of the faculty's annual FCH Solidária project and is carried out with the Associação Bandeira Azul as part of its environmental education work.

Lisbon Community & Social Innovation Read more at Ambiente Magazine ↗

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