Discover and learn about ecosystem regeneration
Join us on select Saturday afternoons at a local organic farm to learn about regenerative agriculture and land use, as well as our local ecosystem. You will meet and engage with experts in a variety of fields while spending time outdoors.
Each event starts with a guided farm tour, highlighting a variety of zones and the regenerative activities taking place in each. This is followed by a themed workshop or interactive lecture, with topics varying each time. These sessions offer you the opportunity to gain deeper insights into different concepts and challenges impacting our local area and ecosystem.
Saturdays at the Farm takes place monthly at Quinta Vale da Lama, near Lagos, Portugal.
👉 Participation is free, but pre-registration is required, as we limit capacity at these events.
🌐 This program is presented in both English and Portuguese.
📅 Upcoming dates and topics can be found below.



Why attend?

Spend time in connection with nature

Discover our local ecosystem

Learn about regenerative agriculture

Meet others interested in regeneration
Program Schedule
All activities at Saturdays at the Farm are free of charge. Each session is from 2:30 to 6:00pm. Some sessions may have different times. Please arrive a little before the activity start time. Pre-registration is required.
Regenerative Agriculture
Guided Farm Tour
🕑 2:30 – 4:00pm
🗣️ Facilitator: Hugo Oliveira, Landscape Ecologist and Regenerative Systems Designer
🌱 Learn how regenerative practices are applied at the farm. You’ll visit a variety of areas, such as the fig orchard, syntropic garden, composting facility, fruit orchard, and market garden, to see our work in action!
🌐 Language: English and Portuguese
Workshop or
Interactive Lecture
🕑 4:30 – 6:00pm
💡 Gain knowledge of specific areas of regeneration, issues affecting our ecosystem, or other topics related to our local area and culture. Topics vary by session, so be sure to check the schedule often!
🌐 Language: Portuguese and English
Upcoming Dates and Workshop Topics
Please note that dates and topics are subject to change. Check this page regularly for updates.
15 February 2025
Seasonal, Local, Organic (SLO) Cooking
Join us for a vegetarian cooking and tasting workshop based on seasonal, local and organic (SLO) vegetables from Quinta Vale da Lama. After an overview of the SLO approach to cooking, you will be treated to a demonstration of how you can use some of this season’s fresh produce to create a quick and easy meal at home.
SLO cooking promotes sustainability, supports local farmers, and ensures the food is fresh and nutrient-dense. By choosing SLO food, you are supporting sustainable agriculture and a healthier food system. Want to read more about it before you come to this session? Check out this blog post from our founder.
Maria Quintino will faciliate this session. She is a long time friend and partner of Quinta Vale da Lama, and the owner and operator of Wild Zymu, which focuses on creating healthful, fermented foods. She’s a true alchemist of the kitchen: experimenting with new techniques, perfecting recipes, delivering great products and bringing better health to the world with her knowldge and healthy creations.
29 March 2025
Soil Health Monitoring and Evaluation
Learn how to determine soil health in this interactive session!
Healthy soil is the foundation of ecosystem restoration and regeneration. It supports increased and healthy food production, captures and maintains water, increases biodiversity, and sequesters more carbon. But what do we mean by “healthy soil”, and how can we measure it?
This session will give an overview of the composition of soil and then share some of the ways we can assess and monitor its health over time. You will learn the basics of soil health monitoring and evaluation, including key metrics and ways to collect the data. Then we will go to a few locations around the farm and collect and analyze some samples using several of these techniques. You will get your hands dirty as you engage in data collection as a citizen scientist!
This session will be facilitated by Dr. Elodie da Silva, the Chief Scientist at Mud Valley Institute.
Additional sessions of Saturdays at the Farm will be announced soon.
Subscribe to our email newsletter or follow us on Instagram to be notified about future events when we post them.
Quinta Vale da Lama
Living and Learning Closer to Nature
Quinta Vale da Lama is a 43-hectare farm, featuring an organic market garden, applying regenerative agriculture and ecosystem restoration methodologies to improve soil quality, water availability, biodiversity, and local livelihoods.
It is also an active member of Ecosystem Restoration Communities, a group of 60 global hubs pursuing diverse restoration initiatives rehabilitating degraded lands to create flourishing ecosystems.
Quinta Vale da Lama is located in southwestern Portugal, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the mountains of the western Algarve.
How to Get Here

Click for Google Maps directions
Click for Google Maps directions
Questions? Email us: info@mudvalleyinstitute.org
Register for Saturdays at the Farm
A few details to keep in mind:
- Who: All ages are welcome and you can bring others with you. We limit attendance to 30 people.
- When: Each session is from 2:30pm to 6pm on Saturday.
- Where: We’ll meet at Novas Descobertas Association. Parking is just down the street.
- What to bring: Water, a hat, sturdy shoes, and sunscreen are always a good idea.
Register using the form below.
A regeneration initiative in partnership with Quinta Vale da Lama
Learn about Quinta Vale da Lama here.