Results
As a result of this landscape model and its management, the property sequesters nearly 600 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
The Aldeia Solar Herdade do Freixo do Meio, installed in 2017, provides 50% energy autonomy. The 288 photovoltaic modules, covering approximately 500 square meters, prevent the emission of around 59 tons of CO2.
As a carbon sink, the forested area at Freixo do Meio captures at least one ton of carbon dioxide per hectare.
Water resource management is ensured through ponds, strategic storage tanks, reuse solutions, and water diversion mechanisms to green areas, allowing for groundwater recharge. Recent plantings do not have irrigation systems, and when necessary, in the gardens, drip irrigation solutions are sought for efficiency.
The management of this landscape involves collaborations with various projects, researchers, and entities, resulting in a significant number of publications.
Since 2014, the Montado do Freixo do Meio has been a Learning Center of the Slow Food University of Gastronomic Sciences and frequently collaborates with INIAV, the Catholic University of Porto, the Faculty of Sciences of Lisbon, the University of Évora, and the University of Coimbra.
In September 2019, the Montado do Freixo do Meio was mentioned in the study “Climate change adaptation in the agriculture sector in Europe” (page 79), published by the European Environment Agency, as an example of resilience measures that can be implemented in the context of climate change adaptation.
In April 2022, the Montado do Freixo do Meio was recognized as a Private Protected Landscape of Montado with its own Management Plan, thus becoming part of Portugal’s protected areas network.
Our mission is to build a community around Herdade Freixo do Meio that is democratic, inclusive, transparent, autonomous, and resilient, that achieves a constantly improving relationship with natural resources, and that encourages personal development.
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