Côa Valley farm blends rewilding with traditional farming

Quinta Vale do Tourão, in Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, is a 38-hectare organic farm run by Telma Lourenço and Xavier Mendo, members of the Rede Côa Selvagem. The couple, who returned from France to take over Telma's family farm, combine crops like almonds, olives and grapes with native, endangered breeds such as churra mondegueira sheep and mirandesa donkeys. Sheep wool is reused as natural geotextile for soil drainage, and sheep milk supplies an artisanal soap line. The farm also hosts workshops and visits, forming part of a wider network of producers working towards shared environmental and social regeneration in the region.