Perhaps the first act of stewardship is not caring for the land. It is being honest with ourselves.
Before anyone buys or acquires land, there is one question that should be answered without hesitation or illusion: Can I actively steward this land?
The answer requires an honest assessment of our circumstances: our age and physical ability; the time we can realistically devote; our knowledge and experience; our financial resources; our access to help; and our ability to adapt as circumstances change.
Land does not ask for good intentions. It requires consistent care.
A neglected landscape gradually loses resilience. Water infrastructure deteriorates. Vegetation becomes unbalanced. Access disappears. Fuel loads accumulate. Invasive species can spread and opportunities to intervene at the right moment are lost.
Modern machinery can greatly increase our ability to steward land. Tractors, shredders, excavators, irrigation equipment and other technologies reduce physical labour and allow us to manage larger areas, particularly in an increasingly hot and demanding climate. But machinery also requires capital, maintenance, fuel, knowledge and time.
Good stewardship is a balance between ambition and capability.
There is no virtue in owning more land than can responsibly be managed. A smaller property receiving consistent care may contribute far more to the health of the landscape than a much larger property slowly falling into neglect.
The steward does not measure success by the number of hectares owned, but by the quality of care given to every hectare. This is particularly relevant in Monchique, where abandonment and under-management of rural properties have contributed to deteriorating infrastructure, vegetation accumulation and increasing wildfire risk.
Stewardship is not simply ownership. Ownership carries responsibility.
Before asking what the land can provide for us, perhaps we should first ask: Can we provide what the land needs?
“The size of a steward is not measured by the land they own, but by the land they can faithfully care for.”