The area sown for silage corn reached a new record in the Azores in 2025, with 14,550 hectares planted. In 2020, it was 12,556.40 hectares, which means an increase of 1,994.42 hectares in five years, according to data from the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food.

“The end of apportionments in the POSEI program and support for the purchase of corn seeds were two measures that created confidence and, as such, promoted the growth of the corn area, which is a local energy source for animal feed,” according to António Ventura. The growth in the area under corn, says the secretary, means that “we are succeeding in our goals of gradually depending less on the outside and depending more on what we produce, which means better security in food availability for cattle.” António Ventura also said that farmers “are gradually joining the biodiverse pasture program, which highlights sustainable agricultural practices and proves that they are at the forefront of environmental concerns.” Legumes, “among other benefits, fix atmospheric nitrogen, provide food energy, and provide food for bees. Furthermore, a biodiverse pasture provides greater animal diversity,“ said the government official.

The Regional Government believes that this ”puts it at the forefront of natural resource and agri-food sustainability in the Azores,“. At the same time,” ensuring consumers have access to natural products and a generational perspective, that is, guaranteeing the future of Azorean agricultural production.” The pasture improvement program, which includes an incentive for biodiverse pastures unprecedented in the country, was created in 2021 by the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food.

In practice, a support scheme is established to provide farmers with grants for the purchase of legume seeds intended for improving pastures as animal feed. “This support aims to promote the existence of pastures with plant diversity, which allows for economic, social, and environmental gains,” according to António Ventura.

In Diário Insular-José Lourenço, director.

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.