João Almeida, Rural Move, territorial cohesion and the valorisation of the interior, in the podcast O Ar é de Todos #124

Low-density territories present particular challenges due to the difficulty in settling the population and, above all, the labour force. But these challenges, which are often so widely discussed, hide many opportunities. Firstly, it is possible to have a "better balance between personal and professional life and a higher quality of life". This is what researcher João Almeida, co-founder and coordinator of Rural Move, an association that helps rural communities attract human capital to live and invest in the interior, says.

One of the topics of the conversation was demythologising concepts, starting with "interior" and "rural". Not all inland areas are rural and not all coastal areas are densely populated (7:40). Drawing on the personal experience of the moderator, who was born and raised in a low-density coastal village, the conversation moved on to the "slow death" of desertification and the contagion effect on other areas.

In between, we also talked about the asymmetries between the coast and the interior and, above all, territories with high or low population density. After discussing the nuances behind these concepts, João Almeida argues that one of the main reasons for the asymmetries is probably the centralisation of spending in the central state (19:49): Portugal is "one of the most centralised countries in the OECD despite its small size". Furthermore, for every euro spent by the state, 85% is spent at central level, the researcher emphasises.

Listen to the podcast here.