Movimento Estrela Viva
Movimento Estrela Viva is a non-partisan, non-profit citizen movement born after the 2017 wildfires, dedicated to protecting and restoring t…
Seed Saving & Exchange
Orchard of Flavours near Tavira and Herdade do Freixo do Meio help keep traditional plant varieties in use. Seed-exchange networks carry that work between growers.
Projects in this focus
Mediterranean Gardening Association Portugal (MGAP)
MGAP is a not-for-profit educational association dedicated to promoting Mediterranean gardening, drought-resilient landscaping and native pl…
Quercus – Associação Nacional de Conservação da Natureza
Quercus is Portugal's largest independent environmental NGO, founded in 1985, dedicated to nature conservation and environmental defence nat…
MONTIS – Associação de Conservação da Natureza
MONTIS is a Portuguese environmental NGO founded in 2014 and headquartered in Vouzela, Viseu, that manages 313 hectares across 38 properties…
Seed saving and exchange in Portugal
Portugal lost most of its regional varieties in two generations, and the ones that survived did so in back gardens rather than in gene banks. Saving seed here is partly conservation and partly the practical business of finding a tomato that copes with August in the Alentejo.
Orchard of Flavours keeps an accredited edible botanical garden near Tavira. Herdade do Freixo do Meio and Quinta Vale do Tourão maintain varieties in production. Al-Bio organises organic growers across the Algarve, and MGAP works on drought-resilient Mediterranean gardening from Olhão.
Exchanges are informal and mostly happen at markets and open days, so turning up matters more than writing. Related focuses: organic farming, local and seasonal produce and habitat restoration; seed swaps appear on our events calendar.