Terra Sintrópica

Terra Sintrópica is a living laboratory of ecological transition located in Mértola, within the Natural Park of the Vale do Guadiana in southern Portugal. The region faces severe climate challenges — exhausted soils, water scarcity, rural abandonment, and accelerating desertification — and Terra Sintrópica was founded in 2018 to respond not by resisting these forces but by regenerating the land and community from within. The organisation works at the intersection of agroecology, community building, local food systems, and interdisciplinary research. Its three core programmes structure this work: CARES (Centre for Agroecology and Regeneration for the Semi-Arid), based at Horta da Malhadinha, is the agroforestry hub where pioneer regenerative practices adapted to semi-arid climates are developed and tested. PREC (Regenerative Process in Progress) is a local food hub offering meals made from local and regenerative produce, connecting producers directly with residents and visitors. A third strand of community education brings ecological knowledge into schools and homes across the municipality. Founded by a diverse group of co-founders with backgrounds in forestry, biology, journalism, nutrition, and syntropic farming, the organisation now employs a team of 14 people working across strategy, operations, communications, project management, and community facilitation. The project draws on syntropic agriculture principles — inspired by Ernst Götsch — to design food forests and agroforestry systems that restore ecosystems while producing food. Terra Sintrópica's vision is to establish Mértola as a model territory demonstrating that ecological regeneration, community resilience, and new regenerative economies can coexist and thrive in a changing climate. It cultivates an intergenerational culture of care for the land, and positions itself as a replicable solution for semi-arid territories worldwide.