\u201cMy parents bought a piece of land and I came to Portugal, now I am working here and I try to pass on this idea that we have had for a long time, of self-sufficiency, local food, shared economy, these things that are very important for me,\u201d says Monique Volkers.<\/p>\n
At present, the couple live from what they get from the land. Cabbages, chard, herbs, strawberries, oranges, lemons, lettuce, beans and potatoes are some of their products.<\/p>\n
The animals they have on their plot, the goats and the hens, help to keep the field clean and fertilise the plot to make it rich in nutrients. \u201cMy animals work for us,\u201d says Monique Volkers.<\/p>\n
![\"products](\"http:\/\/eco123.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/1-300x299.png\")
From vegetables to fruit, the couple are self-sufficient with everything they produce. Cheese, yoghurt and their derived products are made with the milk from their own goats. They get eggs from their hens. The animal droppings work like a natural fertiliser in the soil.<\/p>\n
The couple have been working their land for about four years, and they currently have \u201cabout 100 different species of tree\u201d and are completely sustainable.<\/p>\n
The farming couple\u2019s fruit and vegetables are sold together with other producers who belong to a community. A group with the same ideas and values meet every Friday morning, on one of the stalls in Monchique\u2019s municipal market, with the main aim of demonstrating the importance of small local producers.<\/p>\n
This community\u2019s stall is based on the idea of difference, given the great variety of products on show in small quantities and the fact that they do not use chemical products. Directly from the producer to the consumer.<\/p>\n
According to Monique Volkers, \u201cmy vegetables are on the market but that is not the most important thing, the most important thing is that we have a community, and that we have a place to sell things because we are a small group of producers\u201d.<\/p>\n
![\"terra](\"http:\/\/eco123.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/5-300x299.png\")
The project \u2018Terra do Milho\u2019 recently registered with the network Rede Convergir because, according to Monique, \u201cit\u2019s important that we know about the places that are dedicated to this, that we can see them and cooperate, all the farmers, I don\u2019t know, we can meet, get to know each other and perhaps one day we might have an idea and think that we can put it into practice. I think it\u2019s important to create a movement\u201d; and she ends by saying \u201cwe are all small groups here and there, and maybe one day we will be a bigger group, to change the path people are following.\u201d<\/p>\n
The feedback from this network of similar ideas isn\u2019t very frequent yet, but the similar values make Monique Volkers believe that one day the concept of permaculture will be appreciated.<\/p>\n
\nTel.: (+351) 282 911 936 | 922 096 540
\nWebsite: www.terradomilho.eu<\/a>
\nEmail: terradomilho@gmail.com<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/eco123.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/Daniela.png\")