CARES
Center for Agroecology and Regeneration for the Semi-Arid
How can we produce food while regenerating ecosystems?
This is the challenge that guides the Center for Agroecology and Regeneration for the Semi-Arid (CARES), the applied research hub of Terra Sintrópica, located in one of the most challenging regions of Portugal.
Through pioneering agroforestry practices adapted to the Mediterranean semi-arid context, CARES works to restore soil vitality, prevent erosion, increase water infiltration and retention, and ensure the efficient use of available water resources. These systems are also designed to produce food continuously, balancing human needs with the needs of the ecosystems that sustain them – a concept we call ‘regeneration by use’.
The technical heart
As a living laboratory and the technical heart of Terra Sintrópica, CARES generates knowledge with strong potential for replication, shared through trainings, immersions, volunteering, and consultancies—contributing with concrete responses to the challenges of climate change.
By integrating an agroecological nursery of resilient species adapted to the Mediterranean context, CARES also acts as a driver of the local agroecological transition, fostering the replication of regenerative systems in territories facing desertification.
Come visit, take part, and regenerate with us..
Join the agroecological transition!