The decline of small farms in Serra de Monchique cannot be explained by farming practices alone. Food systems changed. When a local food economy disappears, the landscape loses the people who once had an economic reason to maintain it.
Ecological health and economic viability cannot be separated indefinitely. Income pays for fencing, repairs water systems, buys machinery and maintains tracks. Financial resilience makes long-term ecological stewardship possible.
Small farms are unlikely to defeat supermarkets by becoming smaller versions of supermarkets. Their opportunity lies in quality, freshness, traceability and a direct relationship between the person producing and the person eating.