Join an eco-queer farm & wine project restoring land in rural Portugal

Details

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  Description

  Hi and welcome to the Quinta Project! I'm Stephan and I live on a 5.5-hectare farm in the São Mamede Natural Park, where Portugal meets Spain. The Quinta Project is my home, where I combine small-scale farming, natural wine, simple living and a sprinkle of queer community.
  
  The farm is surrounded by cork oak woodland and old agricultural terraces. I grow vegetables, look after a young food forest, make olive oil, tend a small vineyard and slowly restore the land using regenerative farming and permaculture principles.
  Alongside the farm, I also run , a small natural wine bar just across the border in Spain, and I produce natural wines from my own vineyard.
  
  Volunteering here is simple and woven into the everyday life at the Quinta. We share meals, work together in the mornings and enjoy the afternoons at a slower pace (I am often away working). Some people head off hiking, others read under an olive tree, explore the land or simply enjoy the peace and quiet.
  Meals are always vegetarian, often vegan, and mostly cooked together. You'll also be sharing the farm with three friendly dogs, one cat and plenty of wildlife.
  
  The minimum stay is one month. It takes a little while to settle in, learn how things work and become part of life here, so unfortunately, I can't accommodate shorter volunteer stays.
  
  The Quinta is intentionally an LGBTQ+ friendly space. During the warmer months, it is also clothing-optional. Naturism is simply part of everyday life here and never an expectation.
  
  Before confirming any stay, I always arrange a short Zoom or FaceTime call. It's simply a chance for us to meet and make sure we're both a good fit.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Light maintenance

  House & pet sitting
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  Interests

  

  Animals

  

  Hiking
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  People usually come here because they're curious about a different way of living.
  
  Depending on the season, you'll naturally learn about vegetable growing, regenerative farming, dryland agriculture, composting, natural wine, olive growing, food preservation and restoring old landscapes.
  
  You'll also experience everyday life in a rural border region between Portugal and Spain. I occasionally organise ecoqueer gatherings exploring topics such as permaculture, ecosensuality, queer ecology and community building. Volunteers are welcome to join if the timing works.

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  Help

  Working hours are normally around four hours per day, five days a week, usually in the mornings.
  
  These are the planned projects on the farm:
  
  1–8 November 2026
  
  This is Olive Harvest Week, one of my favourite weeks of the year, when friends come together to harvest olives and make olive oil.
  
  November 2026 / January 2027
  
  This winter, the main focus will be on developing a new part of the farm called Promiscua (traditional tereraced land with a mix of olives, vines and vegetables/berries etc). The work includes:
  
  clearing invasive mimosa
  restoring traditional stone terraces
  building simple irrigation systems
  creating new planting areas
  clearing paths
  general land management
  
  
  February /March 2027
  
  pruning olive trees
  repairing and replanting vineyard rows
  planting in Promiscua
  preparing vegetable gardens for the new season
  
  Alongside the seasonal work, there's always the everyday rhythm of the Quinta: cooking, cleaning, looking after the dogs, harvesting vegetables and helping keep the house and gardens running smoothly.
  
  No previous experience is necessary. Curiosity, reliability and enjoying physical outdoor work are much more important.

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  Languages spoken

  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate
  French: Intermediate
  Portuguese: Intermediate

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  Accommodation

  Volunteers stay in one of the guest rooms in the farmhouse. You will have your own room during your stay (one with a toilet/shower en suite).
  
  The house has shared bathrooms, reliable WiFi, and plenty of outdoor space to relax after work. Where possible, meals are provided and shared.

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  What else ...

  The farm is located in the middle of the São Mamede Natural
  Park, close to the ancient city of Marvão, and around 10
  minutes away from the beautiful town of Castelo de Vide and
  Valencia de Alcantara ( just over the Spanish border).
  
  There is a very active community in this area, with plenty of
  activities: yoga, 5 rhythms, guided nature walks and foraging,
  pizza parties, artists- and street festivities and much, much
  more.
  
  There are also many walks, secluded river beaches, lakes and
  waterfalls and plenty of other opportunities to connect to this
  beautiful part of Portugal. There are many prehistoric
  monuments, like cave drawings, monolithic monuments and
  the ruins of the Roman city of Ammaia

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

  Lady

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