Sign up with email

or

Already a member? Log in.

Trouble logging in?

Not a member? Sign up!

Editor’s Note: This photoessay was created by CB’s Lisbon-based photographer Rodrigo Cabrita. The subject is a year in the working life of João Rafael, an agricultural worker living in Portugal’s interior and struggling to maintain his way of life. In the text below, Rodrigo explains how his project got its start.

I first met João while on assignment for a Portuguese magazine that covers the agricultural sector. It was the harvest time, and he was finishing his day working on the grape harvest. He was splattered with grape juice and tired because of the long day’s work, but agreed to my request to take a picture of him. We ended up talking more, with him telling me about his everyday life, and that’s when I thought his story could make an interesting project. I asked him if I could follow his work life during the next year, and he accepted.

João, 52, has a wife and children but he’s the only one in his family still working the land, providing his services at different times of the year on other peoples’ properties. João at one point took his son to the fields; he tried it for a bit but quickly gave up because it was too hard. The younger generation from the village don’t want to work so hard and earn so little.

His village, Évoramonte, is in the Alentejo region, which is about 175km from Lisbon. The village has 569 inhabitants according to the last official count, which was in 2011. João grew up in the countryside, following in the footsteps of his parents and grandparents. As a teenager, he worked in a local cork factory, at that time a major part of the local economy. At a certain point, he and a group of friends teamed up and began to work together, dividing the year into the five agricultural activities: sheep shearing, cork harvesting, wine making, olive picking and tree pruning.

In recent years, the interior of Portugal has been ignored, forcing people from there to move to urban areas in order to find better opportunities. The closure of schools, post offices, health services and many other factors have led to parts of the interior looking like ghost towns and villages while many urban areas are becoming overcrowded.

To me, João represents dignity, honor, honesty and resilience. He is a sort of last hero, someone who stands firm against all expectations, working the land where he was born and which he does not want to leave.

  • Back to the LandMarch 23, 2018 Back to the Land (0)
    When Buket Ulukut first moved from Istanbul to a rural plot of land in the foothills of […] Posted in Istanbul
  • OtafukuJanuary 15, 2024 Otafuku (0)
    The weather is turning cold and Japan’s convenience stores, or konbini, have hauled out […] Posted in Tokyo
  • La Casa del PavoNovember 24, 2023 La Casa del Pavo (0)
    The bird that holds pride of place at the Thanksgiving table has just as important a […] Posted in Mexico City

Published on May 17, 2018

Related stories

March 23, 2018

Back to the Land: Urban Turks Tackle Rural Life

Istanbul | By Jennifer Hattam
IstanbulWhen Buket Ulukut first moved from Istanbul to a rural plot of land in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey, she was leading a double life. “I’d be taking calls from clients in Europe while out amidst the rows of peppers and eggplants, hoping they didn’t hear the rooster crowing in the…
January 15, 2024

Otafuku: Tokyo Mix and Match

Tokyo | By Fran Kuzui
TokyoThe weather is turning cold and Japan’s convenience stores, or konbini, have hauled out the oden service pans and positioned them next to the cashier counters. For those not familiar with oden, the sight of assorted flotsam and jetsam afloat in a clear broth and the fishy aroma impinging on their space while paying for…
November 24, 2023

La Casa del Pavo: Talk Turkey

Mexico City | By Ben Herrera
Mexico CityThe bird that holds pride of place at the Thanksgiving table has just as important a role south of the border. Turkey has actually been a fundamental part of Mexican cooking for centuries: The Aztecs had domesticated the fowl before they had even laid eyes on a chicken. And while chicken has since overtaken turkey…
Select your currency
USD United States (US) dollar
EUR Euro