Agrarian Structure in a Small Island Region: A Typological and Spatial Analysis of Agricultural Systems in Madeira Island

Madeira’s agricultural sector is characterised by pronounced structural heterogeneity, land fragmentation, and increasing socio-economic and environmental pressures. However, comprehensive typological and spatial analyses remain limited, particularly in small island contexts. This study addresses this gap by providing a typological and spatial analysis of the agrarian structure in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, Portugal, using 2019 Agricultural Census data. An integrated framework combining Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) clustering, and Random Forest validation—representing a novel approach in agrarian typology studies—is employed to identify three agricultural models: Intensive Subtropical Agriculture (24.1% of parishes), characterised by small holdings and high labour intensity; Extensive Traditional Agriculture (64.8%), featuring moderate farm size and diversified cropping; and Pasture-based Agriculture (11.1%), dominated by larger farms and low labour input. The results confirm significant structural trade-offs, including a strong inverse relationship between farm size and labour intensity (r = −0.653) and a negative correlation between specialisation and crop diversity (r = −0.673). Spatially, the models exhibit clear territorial differentiation, with subtropical systems concentrated in southern coastal areas and traditional systems prevailing in northern and interior regions. These findings support the hypothesis of a hybrid agrarian transition. Despite relying on cross-sectional data, the results provide a robust basis for targeted and place-based policy design within the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) framework.