Hello WOOFers,
I am Afonso and for the past years I have been learning and applying the principles of syntropic agriculture to my farm, planting agroforests with vegetables, fruits and timber and other forestry species. I am currently living at the farm that has a few other permanent and temporary guests, namely one lovely dog, three very independent cats and around 30 chickens.
The farm is located in Alentejo, Portugal, a region that has suffered with ecological degradation for many years and that now is facing the pressure of climate change, undergoing a desertification process that is affecting all of southern europe. Through agroforestry we can reverse this process by creating functional agroecosystems that mimic the form and function of the original ecosystems this region once had, leading ecological succession forward towards abundance.
Activities are diverse and dependent on the time of the year, during fall and spring there is lots of prunning and planting, the maintenance of older systems (mulching, weeding, intercropping) and of course there is always time for some creative projects like landscaping, gardening or building. During summer we are mostly focused on caring for the systems and harvesting, also there is always time for a swim in the lake. We take care of the chicken everyday and soon the farm will have a few more animals.
I would love to share all the knowledge that I can regarding agroforestry, syntropy, setting up and running a farm, and of course life in general.
There is a house with bathroom and a small kitchen where you will stay, there is also a bike available for you to explore. We usually have meals together and we eat as much as possible products from the farm.
I practice movement and chi kung, love reading and debating about the books or just ideas in general. I organize a music festival at the farm because that is also one of my passions and I am a curious observer. There are lots of options of stuff to do, the farm is just 3km from the city of Évora, soon to be the European Capital of Culture. There is a big university and lots of student life and also you can always visit other towns and villages in Alentejo. To the east you can visit the Alqueva lake which is absolutely magic and of course you can always take a day to go to the beach on the west coast.
Read more
Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Grain farming
Poultry farming
Forestry
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Seed saving or production
Green Building
Food justice / sovereignty
Methods or systems
Biodynamic agriculture
Fukuoka farming
No-till farming
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Rotational grazing
Host type
Production farm
80
Hectares
|
197.7
Acres
