Welcome to Quinta do Vale da Lama

Quinta do Vale da Lama is an oasis of sustainable living in the touristic Algarve. We are situated in the small town of Odiaxere, amidst of a protected natural park between Lagos and Portimão, 3km from the beautiful beach of Meia Praia.

The functions and activities of the site are divided into three main areas:

- Permaculture institute where we host courses and workshops about permaculture and sustainability;
- permaculture farm, that supports our aims for maximum food self sufficiency and most holistic way of farming, including food forests, orchards, vineyard, vegetable gardens, donkeys and chickens, aquaponics and other systems designed and managed by permaculture principles; and
- summer camp of the non-profit organisation Projecto Novas Descobertas for educating kids on where their food comes from and how a farm works. There are also many sports activities at PND, especially during the summer, including archery, swimming, hiking and cycling.

Here at Quinta do Vale da Lama we welcome volunteers who want to share their experience, gather knowledge and work seriously in the project we are developing.
From Monday to Friday everyone is involved in six hours of work daily, not including colective house tasks of cooking meals and cleaning which take another extra hour.
We mantain vegetable gardens, nurseries, gardens and other common areas. We take care of our animals and regenerate soil with several types of compost. We process and preserve farm products, bake bread and cook for courses and events. Volunteer work depends on the season and ongoing projects and can be repetitive at times.
Volunteers are accomodated in dormitories (male and female) or tents, according to availability. Meals are vegetarian and cooked in teams of volunteers as part of weekly tasks schedule.We look for experienced volunteers in specific areas that are seriouly respectful of schedules and responsable for keeping our environment clean and healthy.
The food on the farm is mainly vegetarian.
The farm is located about 30 minute walk from the village of Odiaxere with some shops, cafes etc. and the farm has bicycles for moving around more fluently. Beautiful beach of Meia Praia is also just a walking distance away from us. We are a joyful community of approximately ten permanent or long term staff and volunteers, complemented with volunteers and students at the institute, up to 40 people at a time.
If you feel inspired to join us and share the life and work on the farm, we're waiting for your application!