Bringing People into the Territory through Regeneration

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Bolsa de Terras was a professional training program in regenerative agriculture, designed to create favourable conditions for the settlement of residents in Baixo Alentejo and contribute to the ongoing agroecological transition.

Structured in three distinct phases—training, supervision, and autonomous practice—Terra Sintrópica provided long-term, structured support, aimed at developing transversal skills for agricultural activity in the extremely challenging soil and climatic conditions of Mértola.

Bolsa de Terras served as a pilot for a new concept of a living school for regeneration, where technical knowledge was cultivated alongside the values of resilience, collaboration, and connection to the land.

This project inspired another project, Terra de Abrigo, which adapted the same methodology to the professional training of Afghan refugees, who were hosted in Mértola. It will now transition into yet another phase through the ArCO – Academia Rural Colaborativa project—a Baixo Alentejo-wide strategy that scales this training model and seeks to systematically address the challenge of rural depopulation.