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Agroecology: Syntropic Agriculture in Palmela, Portugal 🌱

5.0
(21 reviews)21

The experience

Join us in cultivating, harvesting, and maintaining an agricultural area where we are transforming monoculture into biodiversity using syntropic farming as our core technique, along with other agroecological concepts.

We have been welcoming Erasmus students since 2022 and are now open to volunteers for limited periods!

What you offer

30 hours of help per week

Farming: Plant crops, sow seeds and help in outside tasks.

Gardening: Help grow plants and cultivate gardens

What you get

3 days off per week

Private Room: You will have a bed in a private room. In other words, a room just for you.

Breakfast: You are entitled to a free breakfast, every day of your stay.

Lunch: You are entitled to a free lunch, every day of your stay.

Dinner: You are entitled to a free dinner, every day of your stay.

Free Laundry: You can use our laundry room freely.

Bikes at your disposal: You can use our bikes any time you want.

Use our equipped kitchen: Feel free to use our kitchen and make your own delicious food.

Certificate: Get a certificate of completion after you finish your experience.

Basic Internet Access: Basic speed internet for you to work remotely

Requirements

Intermediate English or Fluent Portuguese

Over 18 years old

Welcomes solo volunteers, couples, and partners of volunteers

Travel insurance

What's not included

Flights, Travel Insurance, Internal Transportation and Visa

Program Details

The volunteer program offers the opportunity to immerse yourself in the daily routine of a regenerative agriculture project for a few weeks. You will have the chance to interact with other volunteers, European agricultural students participating in the Erasmus+ program, and myself, the farmer.

We expect volunteers to have an interest in regenerative agriculture and a willingness to work outdoors with the soil and plants. You need to adapt to the variety of tasks we perform throughout the day and the week, as there is no set routine and task repetition is rare here.

You can expect daily guidance from me on volunteer work, and we will share experiences related to all kinds of agriculture and plants. Additionally, we will discuss what to do on weekends, and we will likely have enriching conversations about political economy, culture, and global geopolitics during lunch.

Activities & Shift

Weekly hours can be organized by the volunteer, with the flexibility to start between 7 AM and 10 AM, according to the planning. There can also be more days off, concentrating work hours into fewer days, allowing for longer weekend trips.

The main activities we undertake are:
🌱 Soil preparation
🌱 Planting
🌱 Pruning
🌱 Weed control
🌱 Harvesting
🌱 Biological pest control
🌱 Biological fertilization
🌱 Greenhouse seeding
🌱 Irrigation system maintenance

Among other tasks connected with the routine and needs in the rural area :)

Rules

To ensure a good relationship with other volunteers, Erasmus students, and myself, we expect the volunteers to:

Help keep common areas clean and organized by doing their part and taking care of their own impact.

Participate in the kitchen rotation during lunch on volunteer days. Each day, one person cooks for everyone. This will expose you to different cuisines and allow you to share your culture and flavors with others.

Use available food resources rationally and without waste – both the food we harvest and the food we purchase and provide for volunteers.

Make an effort to maximize interactions by speaking in English as much as possible and preferring to engage with colleagues during volunteer hours rather than using headphones.

Respect nighttime silence, as there are neighboring families with children and elderly individuals.

It is essential to present travel/health insurance.