The landscape of Freixo do Meio is an illustration of the great diversity in experiencing the project, as well as of the interaction with the natural systems, keeping the focus on what people need, and not only on what can be sold, through a use of resources defined by limits and rules.
As a consequence of the landscape model and its management, the estate offsets 600 tons of carbo dioxide each year.
The Solar Village of Herdade do Freixo do Meio, installed in 2017, allows for 50% of energy autonomy. The 288 photovoltaic modules, in an area of approximately 500 square meters, avoid the emission of around 59 tons of CO2.
While absorbing carbon, the forested area at Freixo do Meio captures at least a ton of CO2 per hectare.
The management of the quality and quantity of water resources is guaranteed by ponds, strategic storage reservoirs, re-utilization solutions and schemes for making water get to green zones, allowing waterbeds to recharge. The most recent crops planted don’t have an irrigation system and when necessary, in gardens, we try to efficiently use dripping irrigation.
The management of this landscape benefits from collaborations with several projects, researchers, and entities, originating a significant number of published papers.
The Herdade do Centro do Meio is a Learning Center of the Gastronomic Slow Food University since 2014, has frequent colaborations with INIAV, the Catholic University at Porto, the Faculty of Sciences from Lisbon, the University of Évora and Coimbra University.
In September 2019, Herdade do Freixo do Meio was referenced on the study «Climate Change Adaptation in the Agriculture Sector in Europe» (page 79), published by the European Environmental Agency, as an example of the resilience measures that can be put in place in the context of adaptation to climate change.
In April 2022, Montado do Freixo do Meio was recognized as a Private Protected Area of Montado with its own Management Plan, thus becoming part of Portugal’s network of protected areas
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.
