Terra Agora

Fundação Terra Agora takes in donated land and protects it permanently. It is registered in Portugal as a public-interest foundation, with its headquarters in Carril, Tomar. Its founding principle is that land is a living system to be held in trust for future generations, which shifts the relationship with land from ownership to guardianship. Owners who want their property protected in perpetuity donate it to the foundation. Terra Agora then selects Guardians to lead regenerative work on those landscapes. A wider community known as the Grove gives ongoing financial support and solidarity. The foundation itself looks after governance, keeping it transparent and independent, and handles accountability and regular reporting. The model covers a wide range of landowners and land uses: a third-generation family wishing to donate its Alentejo estate while preserving family use of the home for 100 years; rural entrepreneurs forming associations to restore abandoned mountain plots and build new local economies; regenerative farmers who need long-term security on the land before investing deeply in soil health. Idanha-a-Vida, the foundation's flagship project, launched in 2023 and covers 1,600 hectares in the historic municipality of Idanha-a-Velha. It serves as a living laboratory for the guardianship model, and has already delivered measurable returns: 20 jobs created, biodiversity recovery, local markets revived and community involvement on the rise. By 2030, Terra Agora wants to protect 3,000 hectares across four secured ecosystems, train 500 land stewards, launch six pilot business models and build a network of 350 active patrons.