The Terra Sintrópica team is made up of professionals committed to the theoretical study, practical experimentation and dissemination of Syntropic Farming. Their diverse backgrounds and experiences enrich the association's mission, which focuses on promoting regenerative practices in semi-arid regions.
He was born in Paraíso, at the foot of S. Domingos, a land of miners, and now lives in the S. Domingos Mine, near Mértola, a land of other miners who take history from the earth. A regular collaborator at the Agroecology Center, he is now a miner of a different kind, one of those who dig the earth for food, for the senses, for the soul, for an unbridled will that has found in syntropy a mine full of connections that can transform the miner who removes or uncovers into a symbiotic partner with history and nature.
Farmer with 14 years' experience in the production of aromatic, vegetable and fruit plants. Co-creator of the project, he is responsible for syntropic production at the Mértola Horta da Malhadinha Agroecology Center. In his practice, he uses techniques from organic farming, biointensive farming, natural farming, biodynamics and syntropic farming. He has completed various technical training courses in the area and has experience as a trainer on various technical courses in agriculture.
Since 2009, he has dedicated himself to the theoretical study, practical experimentation and dissemination of Syntropic Farming. In Mértola, she co-created Terra Sintrópica and developed and implemented the award-winning Hortas-Florestas project, developed in 5 schools in the municipality. In the field of communication, she launched the mini-documentary "Life in Syntropy" during CAP21 in Paris; created and maintained the "Agenda Götsch" portal for 8 years and worked as an environmental consultant on the soap operas "Velho Chico" and "Pantanal". She is co-author of the book "Life in Syntropy - Ernst Götsch's Syntropic Agriculture Explained". She has a PhD in Environmental Sciences from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
He has been involved in Syntropic Farming since 2005. Until 2018 he managed the experimental areas at the Learning Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In Europe, he helped establish pioneering Syntropic Farming experiences in the Mediterranean in Portugal and Spain. Since the fall of 2021, he has been responsible for promoting a syntropic transition on a farm in southern Italy, where former olive groves are suffering from ecological imbalance. He was an environmental consultant on the soap operas "Velho Chico" and "Pantanal". He is co-author of the book "Life in Syntropy - Ernst Götsch's Syntropic Farming Explained". He is the co-creator of Terra Sintrópica and holds a master's degree in Environmental Sciences from UFRJ.
She has a degree in Applied Languages. She has more than 10 years' professional experience in administration and accounting.
She came to Mértola from Lisbon because she believes in the potential of the territory and its regenerative power. Her areas of interest are languages, project management and people, as they are fundamental parts of a system under construction. She is an employee of the Terra Sintrópica Association, where she carries out financial and administrative management.
Entrepreneur, initiator and co-creator of transformational initiatives, she has many years of experience in developing innovative local and international projects. She was Head of Renewable Resources at a Swiss consulting firm, Head of Sustainability at a Swiss private bank and senior sustainable finance consultant for WWF. Since 2014 she has been teaching at the Institute for Banking and Finance at the University of Zurich. In 2017, she co-created Terra Sintrópica. She is a founding member of the Regenerate Forum and is part of the management team of Shareitt, a P2P-App for a more humane, ecological and circular economy.
Born in Lisbon, but with roots in Mértola, she decided eight years ago to follow her heart and move permanently to Mértola, where she had always felt welcomed. Her path crossed with that of the Terra Sintrópica Association, where she met a team that was incredibly welcoming, humane, sensitive and concerned about the future. Because she identifies with the project, she dedicates herself daily to absorbing what she learns about sustainability, agroecology and regeneration at PREC, in order to pass on her learning to those who pass through.
An innovation broker in rural development, she migrated to Mértola with the dream of bringing people, ideas and entities together to develop collective and participatory strategies that seek to find the abundance hidden in apparently scarce environments.
Forestry Engineer, Master in Management and Conservation of Natural Resources and with a Postgraduate Degree in Sustainability Sciences, she participates in various national and international working groups on innovation, agriculture, forests and sustainability. She co-created the Terra Sintrópica Association to promote the idea of Mértola as a Laboratory of the Future for Agroecological Transition in semi-arid territories.
Born in Mértola, he is passionate about the area where he has always lived. Long involved in local projects, including youth, cultural and recreational associations, he has also been a co-creator of Terra Sintrópica since its inception. Easy to talk to, he never misses an opportunity to put the essence of the area and its community into context for visitors.
The activity of Tour Guide serves to enhance the best of what we have in the territory, from history to the natural park, from gastronomy to hiking, this is his territory. The added value for the Association is the articulation between the team and its various projects; responsible for PREC, and for coordinating the volunteer program.
Born and raised in Mértola, he started working from an early age, combining work and canoeing, which allowed him to travel to many places. But his passion for art, drawing, photography and video spoke louder, so he returned to his studies and graduated in Fine Arts and Multimedia.
Videographer by profession, he co-founded and embraced this project, collaborating regularly with Terra Sintrópica, documenting the history and evolution of the entire agroecological transition process underway and simplifying the scientific narrative into a language accessible to any language: the alteration of the landscape and the regeneration of the territory and people, told through images that move and inspire us.
Decrescent landscape architect and researcher into the notion of landscape as a critical device. A matrix uniting perception, materiality and representation.
His professional career includes collaboration with the National Culture Center and the Serralves Foundation on projects to disseminate and promote scientific literacy.
He is currently a collaborator with the Terra Sintrópica Association and coordinator of the Agroecology and Regeneration Center for the Semi-Arid, reflecting on the sustainability of the agri-food system as a matrix for the biophysical and socio-economic regeneration of territories.
