Regenerative grazing farm in Alentejo

Beja

6 • Updated 30 days ago

Welcome to Monte da Pêra Brava! We are an experimental farm practicing regenerative farming with rotational grazing of our sweet sheep, mischievous goats and our ferociously sweet guard dog Moxy! What makes us experimental? We are learning as we go with our ambitious plan to restore soil health on our land. We believe that we can heal our dry and depleted soils in the semi-arid region of southern Alentejo just by mimicking nature. In our case that's moving the animals to a new paddock with fresh food every day, keeping the soils covered whenever we can, planting a diversity of local plants and trees and doing our best to attract wild animals, insects and encourage the communities of fungi and microbes. What's it like on our farm? We're a close-knit team of passionate farmers that love what we do even when the going gets tough. We know some days are more challenging than others, but being surrounded by the animals, nature and good people make it all worth it. We would love to have like-minded good people come experience our farm through volunteering. The minimum period for volunteering is three weeks and we provide room, board, meals and great company. Want to hear more? Contact us

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Fruit or nut farming

Poultry farming

Cattle farming

Sheep or goat farming

Viticulture

Wild foraging

Seed saving or production

Meat processing

Mechanics / tools / technology

Methods or systems

Holistic management

No-till farming

Permaculture

Regenerative agriculture

Rotational grazing

Host type

Production farm

Former WWOOFer

150 Hectares | 370.7 Acres

Accommodation

2 WWOOFers

Bedroom

Campsite

Children not accepted

Pets accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Vegetarian

Length of stay

3-4 weeks

Over a month

Sara

Member since 2023

Languages spoken: Croatian, English, French, German, Polish

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Response rate: 69% Response time: typically within 3 days

Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Beja

Estação de autocarros de Almodôvar, Castro Verde, Ourique; aeroporto de Faro

My past WWOOFers

François

March 2026 • 68 - Haut-Rhin, France

Jacek

July 2025 • Vila Real, Portugal

Marie-Louise

June 2025 • Sachsen, Germany

Martin

April 2025 • Berlin, Germany

Céline

December 2024 • Liège, Belgium

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Feedback

Daniel

United Kingdom • August 2026

I stayed for 5 weeks in pera brava and it was so fun, I got to know everyone well and they are all great people. I came over looking for some experience for my university course and they were kind enough to let me help and stay. The house was great and the help was very enjoyable from animal care to vegetable gardens and a vineyard. I came here with no real knowledge or experience in farming but this taught me a lot. They are very knowledgeable and great at teaching/ guiding you, I appreciated this experience a lot and it couldn’t have a better group of people!!

François

France • March 2026

What a great adventure in Monte de Perra Brava ! One month flew away very fast. Here we had the opportunity to do very differents tasks ; preparing the paddocks, pruning the olives trees, preparing the vegetable garden, cleaning up the surrounding of the oaks trees, and so on. Herding for the first time was an amazing experience – there's nothing quite like seeing the herd spread around the valley on a misty morning. Julien, Sara and Jacek are a very great team. They're generous with their time, passionate about their jobs and will give you a lot of explanations about what they do here and why they're doing it. We're especialy thanking them for their trust, since they allowed us to work with a lot of autonomy ; it was great to have the opportunity to do so. The accommodation is in a little village with everything you need (some good cheese) in a very joyful and peaceful atmosphere. 15 min from there is a wonderful little café and, and 1h by walk a lovely valley and river. We recommand you to stay there during the winter, the Blooming come very soon in the south of Portugal and everything is very green. To conclude, thanks to the team of Perra Brava for all of those wonderful moments together and good luck in this very nice project around the rehabilitation of the soil and his biodiversity. We're already missing you ! François & Clarisse

Marie-Louise

Germany • June 2025

Staying two weeks at Monte da Pera Brava was the best decision I could have done! I had a first videocall with Sara 3 days before my arrival, so the whole idea was very spontaneous with the only condition to stay minimum 14 days. Since that call, I felt very welcomed and I kept that feeling until my leaving! Josh and Zach, the "bosses" are both very friendly and ambitious. They love their animals and make sure that we're using good material for the farm tasks. Also the growth of Cork oak trees is part of the project. Sara is working on the farm for one year and she's the direct contact person for volunteers. She's very funny, helpful and incredibly nice but she wants the volunteers to work independently to become creative and initiative. I spend very good time with her. Julian is going to have the same job as Sara. I usually worked in the morning from 7 to 10ish and then again in the evening 6 to 8 and I had one day free per week. So 5 hours a day and 6 days a week. Volunteers are meant to cook for themselves, but since I was alone, about 5 times we cooked all together in the mainhouse for dinner. I learned a lot, almost became a dog person (originally I prefer cats) because of Moxy the shepherd dog and the village dogs, and I could assist to two amazing events: sheep shearing and the birth of a lamb, Kira. All in all, I really enjoyed my time, but you should be conscious that this place is quite isolated from city life if you don't have a car. I'd love to come again soon!

Anatol

France • January 2025

I had a fantastic time volunteering on this goat and sheep farm in Portugal. The hospitality from everyone was truly heartwarming, and I was made to feel very welcome. I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to all the farm staff, especially Cristiana. She was incredibly kind and supportive throughout my stay. Cristiana is a highly skilled and knowledgeable professional in animal farming, and I learned so much from her during my time there. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work with her and gain valuable insights into the world of animal agriculture

Céline

Belgium • December 2024

I was allowed to spend a month (November/December) on the farm in winter. My tasks included preparing the food for Moxy (the dog), making fences and moving the animals to another paddock and feeding them. I really enjoyed the work. The work was easy and I was never alone. Cristiana and Leticia are good hosts. Their only wish is that we, the volunteers, are doing well. They also always had an open ear for problems etc. I really enjoyed my time on the farm.

Ksenia

Ukraine • November 2023

Awesome, meaningful place to be! I was honored to contribute to the Monte da Pera Brava's mission for two days in October this year. Cristiana, a dedicated manager caring for the farm, met me there and briefed on everything needed. I was happy to assist her with daily routine work (taking care of animals, moving them around etc.) and learn about farm's mini-projects such as weather station, groundwater storage, planting trees, saving rainwater etc. Owners of the farm have a unique vision for this land; together with Cristiana and other workers, they're working on revitalizing the dry soil and aim to restore once existed ecosystems of the region. The village itself is super small. only 20 people live there, you'll definitely need a car in case you want to move around during the stay. Everyone was extremely welcoming to me as a newcomer! I experienced a heart-melting reception during my short stay and intend to visit again!