The ecosystem of the Dehesas and Montados show how farms when well managed can strike a balance between biodiversity and sustainable agriculture that benefits the rural economy. Where there is responsible management you’ll discover many insects and seeds, which feed the small mammals and birds. They, in turn, contribute to maintain all the richness of the local ecosystem.

Montado do Freixo do Meio

Pedro and Juan Luis Dominguez Campa

Montado do Freixo do Meio

Pedro and Juan Luis Dominguez Campa

Montado do Freixo do Meio, Producer from Portugal

The tree is the centre of agroforestry which the producers from Montado do Freixo do Meio recommend eating in abundance. Take the cork oak, which requires no water or fertilizer and is well adapted to the ecosystem. The acorns are gluten free and a source of healthy fat made up of oleic acid (Omega 9). The land also produces many mushrooms and mycorrhizal fungi from the rich organic soil. This sustainable landscape produces great quality food whilst being a great example of biodiversity.

“At Montado do Freixo do Meio we favour a mode of production and transformation that protects the environment, animal and plant well-being, and the diversity and quality of food.”

Photo credits for all: © Montado Freixo do Meio

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Pedro and Juan Luis Dominguez Campa, Farmers from Spain

These brothers produce high quality lamb and Iberian pork at the Mundos Nuevos farm in Badajoz.

After realising their soil had lost almost all its fertility they set about regenerating agriculture across 700 hectares in the Dehesa using redileo techniques by herding together sheep and goats at night in a portable enclosed fence so their pastures can recover and soil fertilisation improves.

Pigs and lambs graze in pastures, feeding on acorns and crops grown on the farm. By using their livestock to fertilize the land they avoid unnecessary ploughing and make the best use of rainfall to minimise erosion.

Mushrooms

“We haven’t graded this soil for over 30 years. It is the reason that there are so many mushrooms and mycorrhizal fungi. When we do not mobilize the soil, we create conditions for biological diversity, recovery of pastures, dispersion of microorganisms and formation of organic matter. Black pigs from Alentejo and wild boar help to disperse fungi and bacteria in the soil. They contribute to a more lively soil” – Alfredo Sedim, Montado do Freixo do Meio

More than 130 species of fungi have been inventoried as having ecological and gastronomic value. Many fungi supply nutrients to trees, including the cork oak which in turn performs photosynethesis giving sustenance to the mushrooms.

Acorns

“In our agroforestry the central element is the tree and we should eat more of the trees in order to have abundance. The cork oak, for example, does not need water or fertilizer and for 400 years it has the capacity to produce a lot of food. It is adapted to our ecosystem and we just have to collect the acorns from the ground. This Portuguese fruit has no gluten and offers us a healthy fat made up of oleic acid (Omega 9). It is pure olive oil. ” – Alfredo Sendim, Montado do Freixo do Meio

Acorns are used to feed livestock but they can also be used for bread flour, biscuits and cakes, infusions, spreads, sausages and even hamburgers. They’re rich in protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. High in fibre and gluten free. The sweetest acorns can be eaten directly raw, roasted or boiled.

Olive Oil

Olives are a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet. Environmentally friendly olive groves reduce the use of water and restore dry stone walls to go back to traditional and sustainable olive production. Farmers are working to produce high quality olive oil whilst conserving nature and increasing the presences of birds, bats and microfauna as natural pest controllers.