Portugal

ECO123 went to meet some small producers who add value to Algarve gastronomy. Through their work, regional products are turned into culinary specialities that satisfy a wide range of tastes. Fresh Algarve goat’s cheese, honey and medronho brandy are some of these traditional products that are perfect for discovering the flavours of the Algarve. Traditional fresh cheese The Queijaria Martins in Portela da Nave in Salir, which opened in 2009, makes fresh goat’s cheese every day. This small factory, owned by Idálio Martins, distributes its product in Salir, Messines and Loulé. Aged 33, the owner of the cheese factory says …

The problem is “contemporary, healthy nutrition” and it’s to do with farming, harvesting, conservation, transport, preparation, with foods that are too fatty, with too much meat and not enough time. Have I forgotten anything? What about excruciating industrial livestock farming, the use of hormones and antibiotics, genetic manipulation…? There is so much you can do wrong, and there is only one correct way to live healthily. From the outset, ECO123 decided that it would look for solutions to problems. Often, there is a solution right on your doorstep, sometimes even in your own garden and you run the risk of …

Rede Convergir – Centre Part of the “Rede Convergir” (Converge Network), the project “Há Festa no Campo!” (literally: There’s festivity in the countryside) aims to support the local development of Juncal do Campo, Freixial do Campo, Barbaído and Chão da Vã, four small villages in the district of Castelo Branco, by organising activities of a cultural and social nature. Promoted by a group of associations and other organisations and run by the Associação EcoGerminar (1), this project is funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (2), and is planned to last for three years, until 2016. According to Marco Domingues, chair …

Rede Convergir – North Throughout history, rivers have played a key role in the establishment of human communities, from which they drew their sustenance, and for the development of communication networks. The relationship between humans and rivers is an ancient one, and, for millennia, has been balanced and beneficial. However, in the last few centuries, and particularly in recent decades, the negative impact of human activity has become evident in the water courses. The unrestrained and generalised use of the rivers as a system for disposing of waste has contributed to a large extent to the marked degradation of the …

Rede Convergir – South Quinta da Fornalha in Castro Marim is a holistic project that has belonged to the same family for several generations. The current owner, 33-year-old Rosa Dias, took up this project in 2008 as she felt “a certain urgency about preserving the culture and heritage of our ancestral memories.” She adds that the project “is based on the idea of taking a traditional farm, which would be antiquated in terms of the traditional paradigm, and turning it into an economically viable project.” And that is what is happening at present with the Quinta da Fornalha. Apart from …

In a spirit of cooperation and in an integrated and inclusive manner, this association works for sustainability and personal and community development. Its philosophy can be summarised in three simple ideas based on the ethics of permaculture: 1) CARING FOR NATURE Total respect for, and the conservation of, all living things enable holistic cycles to be generated. These sustain the biodiversity that is necessary for the earth to remain balanced and capable of generating the biocapacity that allows for life on earth; 2) CARING FOR PEOPLE It is not possible to care well for people (starting with ourselves) without caring for …

This project is located in the Alto Minho region of this country and is based on the concept of Slow Food. It is trying to counter the trend towards the phenomenon of mass, rapid and standardized production of fast food. Slow food means eating better, and sitting at a table to appreciate a real meal, in peace, in the company of friends; it means making the act of eating into a gratifying experience that gives you pleasure; it is about discovering flavours, appreciating the shapes and colours of fresh foods, and understanding the relationship between what we eat and the …

Human evolution occurs through the comprehension of the phenomena that surround us. Back in the mists of time, the forces of nature were explained as divine acts that punished or rewarded us for our actions. But through the repeated observation of the same phenomena, humans understood that nature functions cyclically and could be used for their benefit. Initially, this was done in an empirical manner, but with the development of tools and technologies, humans came to control and derive the maximum yield from natural resources and renewable energies. One example of this exploitation and development is the increasingly effective use …

What is presumed to have been the last Portuguese lynx was seen at the beginning of the 1990s in the Monchique uplands. It was probably shot by hunters. But the species had already been driven to the verge of extinction. The population of wild rabbits, on which the lynx fed almost exclusively, shrank owing to a viral epidemic and to hunting. The lynx gradually starved. The greatest enemy of the Iberian lynx, however, continues to be human beings and their favourite toy, the car. Against this backdrop, we have become more modest and celebrate the anniversary with humility. Exactly ten …

Ecolã is a micro-business that has been owned by the Clara family in Manteigas for three generations. In “burel” – a Portuguese artisan fabric of local origin made wholly from wool – they found the basis for their success. For years, it was used for shepherd’s coats, for the costumes of the confraternities and religious orders. Despite retaining its original rustic character, this fabric is used today to make new, contemporary items. And over the last 20 years, there has been increasing demand for it abroad. What’s more, it is made using an entirely artisan and ecological process, using no …