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Help regenerate soil and create a productive agroforestry system in Alentejo, Portugal

  • Favourited 278 times
  • Last activity: 17 Mar 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: 1 month or more

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    We´re a couple with 2 kids (17 and 22 years old) living inside the montado (mediterranean oakland) in Alentejo, Portugal.

    We have a permaculture vegetable garden, organic and biodynamic, and we planted, in 2014, a fruit tree orchard in keyline design (7 ha) with several fruit species and varieties: citrus, apples, pears, plums, peaches, apricots, walnuts, almonds, blackberries and blueberries. We make our biodynamic compost, raise and collect some of our seeds. We produce some Portuguese regional vegetable ancient varieties.

    Catarina studied agronomy, specialized in organic farming, and worked in soil science for some years, in the ISA university, in Lisbon.
    Since then, she took time to learn and integrate knowledge from very different sources, in books, papers and courses. Currently she works mainly as a consultant in organic regenerative projects in Portugal, including ours.


    2010 - PDC with Lesley Martin, Portugal.
    2011 - RegenAg - RAW (Regenerative Agriculture Workshop), 3 days, with Darren Doherty (Austrália), in Portugal.
    2014 - Holistic Management, 3 days, with Kirk Gadzia (EUA).in Spain.
    2014 - El ABC de la Agricultura Orgânica + Cromatografia, 4 days, with Jairo Restrepo (Colômbia/Brasil), In Spain.
    2015 - Holistic Management - Holistic Grazing, 3 days, with Owen Hablutzel (EUA) In Spain.
    2017 - Quantum Agriculture - Advanced Course, 5 days, with Hugh Lovel (EUA/ Austrália) in Coolanowle, Ireland.
    2018 - Quantum Agriculture - Biologically Dynamic Soils and Farms, with Hugh Lovel (EUA/Australia), Ireland.
    2019 - Precision Agriculture Plant Nutrition Management - online course from the RegenAg Academy, EUA.

    Carlos studied Anthropology and worked as a journalist in local newspapers.
    He has been a organic farmer since 2006, and biodinamic since 2013, producing vegetables and several fruit especies adapted to the meditarreneam climate. He keeps learning on is everyday work with nature, preparing and applying biofertilizers.

    2014 - El ABC de la Agricultura Orgânica + Cromatografia, 4 days, with Jairo Restrepo in Spain.
    2018 - Sintropic farming, 4 days with Ernst Götsch, Portugal.


    First Steps
    We changed from urban to rural, and have been organic farmers since 2006. We sold our products in an organic market in the Lisbon Region (Oeiras) between 2007 and 2009. In 2009 we made our first Permaculture introduction course and since that time we learned a lot, by making experiencies and observation, by reading and attending to courses in regenerative farming (keyline, holistic management, biofertilizers,...)

    In 2011 we moved to this property in Alentejo, close to Montemor-o-Novo, to start a new project inside a big farm

    , but with total autonomy. We have to main focuses: soil regeneration and to produce good (quality) food).

    This region has very fragile soils, wich have been mistreated for several decades. The result is a very poor, erosionated, soil, compacted by deficient animal management and wrong machinery implements. It has very little fertility now, so, very little production of pasture or cereals, and a hard environment for cork and holm oaks.

    To achieve our objectives, we started by making a vegetable garden near the house, with raised and sunken permaculture beds. This garden, allowed us to sell vegetables to a group of consumers in Lisbon in a CSA program, every Friday during most of the year, for three years. We’re starting just now a new group of consumers in Lisbon to deliver our fresh fruits and vegetables.

    We have planted the orchard in keyline design, a technique developed by P. A. Yeomans in 1950.
    Keyline design (the way we plant trees build roads, locate buildings, etc., on the landscape), along with its implement, the Keyline plow, allows water to infiltrate more and plant roots to develop deeper in the soil. This way, a living soil is created, each year deeper. This design, being unlevelled also allows water to spread and to reach the driest zones on the landscape. It builds soil every year. We are currently planting several trees and bushes, legumes, dynamic accumulators and others for soil building, habitat maintenance and pest management, and for windbreak. We seed legumes and gramineas for soil improvement. We continually applied the required corrective minerals in soil, determined by soil analyses, and rock dusts (lime stone, basalt , phosphorus, and gypsum).

    LIBRARY
    We have plenty of permaculture, keyline, Biodinamic, soil microbiology and holistic management books on our library (mostly in english or spanish) that you can read and discuss, and several films about permaculture and regenerative farming.

    We have also been working as consultants in regenerative farming systems in Portugal, implementing agroforestry projects, and some other farmers producing fruits and vegetables.

    We love to have volunteers that are willing to learn about this subjects, but also welcome people that just want to benefit from working at the peace and calm that we have in this mediterranean oakland. Anyone with good spirit is welcome ;)

    ACCOMODATION
    We have a house for volunteers next to ours. The house is equiped with a bunk bed, a double bed, smal kitchen with a stove for volunteers to cook their onw meals, a living room and a bathroom.

    We live inside the montado (Oakland), 2 km away from any other house.
    We have limited electricitiy power, only from a few solar panels.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    Animal Care
    Farmstay help
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Our volunteers will spend lots of time with us, as a family. We love to spread ou knowledge about permaculture and holistic farming and to discuss and hear about different life experiences...

  • Help

    Help

    Gardening in our vegetable garden. Planting bushes and plants for windbreaks. Mulching in the orchard. Pick fruit. Help with the meals. Repairs at home, electricity... etc. painting the house.
    We like to benefit from our volunteers skils, and we always adapt functions to skils and learning wishes.
    we do not have a web site, but would like to have one.

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    English: Fluent
    Spanish: Fluent
    French: Fluent
    Portuguese: Fluent

    This host offers a language exchange
    This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
    You can contact them directly for more information.

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    ACCOMODATION

    We have a house for volunteers next to ours. The house is equiped with a bunk bed,a double bed, a stove for volunteers to cook their onw meals, and a bathroom. We live inside the montado (oakland). We have limited electricitiy power, only from solar panels, located outside the house. There is no refrigerator in the house, but we have one in the farm near us. We have limited internet acess.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Our project is being built inside a big organic farm in Portugal. We're in an mediterranean oak forest and there is a big artificial lake near by where we can go swiming during summer. We have a small village 4 km away, but big buses go to Montemor-o-Novo, 14 km away.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    This host can provide space for campervans.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    6 hours a day 5 days a week

Host ref number: 565684474532

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