Horta do Pé Descalço

Horta do Pé Descalço is a family-run organic market garden located in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, dedicated to producing nutritious, chemical-free food on a human scale. Farming without tractors, the project relies solely on irrigation as its 'engine', following no-till and no-dig regenerative practices to build healthy soil and minimise its ecological footprint. On just 1,200 square meters, the garden produced over 6.5 tonnes of food in a single year — more than 5 kilos per square meter — across 65 different vegetable varieties, demonstrating the productive potential of small, intensively cultivated plots. The project distributes its harvest through weekly vegetable baskets (cabazes), assembled on Wednesdays, and through direct sales every Saturday at the centuries-old Praça da Fruta market in Caldas da Rainha. This closely mirrors the values of local, seasonal, and short-supply-chain food systems, connecting consumers directly with the people who grow their food. Horta do Pé Descalço is also active in the local sustainability and slow food community, participating in regional events such as the GrowLIFE project's open producer days and educational visits connected to Erasmus+ programmes, where it showcases organic farming practices to students and visitors. The project is associated with biologist Hugo Zina, who has also been linked to local wildlife conservation efforts in the region, reflecting a broader commitment to ecological stewardship beyond food production alone. Through its community presence and transparent, low-impact farming methods, Horta do Pé Descalço embodies a grassroots model of regenerative, family-scale agriculture in western Portugal.