LIFE IP AGRILOOP application approved for agroforestry sector
Angra do Heroísmo
Secretaria Regional da Agricultura e Alimentação
The Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food announces that the LIFE IP AGRILOOP application for the implementation of the Roadmap for the Circular Economy in the Agroforestry Sector of the Autonomous Region of the Azores has been approved.
The Regional Secretariat was notified of the approval of the LIFE IP AGRILOOP application for the European LIFE programme, managed by CINEA – the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency.
With a completion period between 2026 and 2035 and an estimated investment of more than 26 million Euros, the project intends to implement the Roadmap for the Circular Economy in the Agroforestry Sector of the Autonomous Region of the Azores.
This is a pioneering strategic plan, developed with input from multiple stakeholders in the agricultural and forestry sectors, regional public administration bodies, and research and innovation (R&D&I) entities.
If the second phase of the assessment is successfully completed, culminating in the signing of the financing agreement, the project will receive approximately €16 million in co-financing from the LIFE programme, which corresponds to 60% of the eligible investment.
The Roadmap provides for the implementation of 67 measures, distributed across six areas of intervention:
• Land and water use and management
• Forestry production
• Agricultural production
• Animal production
• Manufacturing industry
• Cross-cutting interventions
These measures are aligned with the main public policy instruments on the circular economy, namely the EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy (2020) and the Portuguese Action Plan for the Circular Economy (2021-2030).
“This approval represents the European recognition of the Azores’ strategy to make the agroforestry sector more efficient, sustainable and resilient. With LIFE IP AGRILOOP, we intend to enhance endogenous resources and promote circular models to reduce waste and increase the competitiveness of our farmers and forest producers," stressed António Ventura, Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food.
“This is a structural transformation project stemming from a collective effort and the Regional Government’s commitment to align public policies with the major environmental and economic challenges of the present and the future. Circularity is not an option, it is a requirement for the sustainability of our Region,” added the government official.
LIFE IP AGRILOOP is a key initiative in the regional sustainable development policy and could position the Azores as a benchmark territory in the circular economy applied to the primary sector.
