Case study for the Permaculture Center Vale da Lama (Portugal)

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DATE: February 14th 2014
PROJECT NAME: Quinta do Vale da Lama
LOCATION: Vale da Lama, Odeáxere, Lagos, PORTUGAL
SIZE: 43ha
DATE DESIGNED/PLANNED: all site design not yet complete
DESIGNERS: Walt Ludwick, Nita Barroca, Xana Piteira, Ana Marreiro, André Carvalho, Maria Rute Costa, Patricia Russo Pereira, Sandra Peixoto, Gonçalo Teixeira, Rita Domingues, António

CLIENT/DEVELOPER:
Walt Ludwick & Nita Barroca

MANAGED BY:
A partnership between Vale da Lama -Seviços de Gestão Hoteleira e Turística and
Projecto Novas Descobertas -Not for profit NGO and Public Institution for Social
Solidarity (PND from now on)

CONTACT AND FURTHER INFORMATION:

Walt Ludwick - valedalama [at] gmail [dot] com (valedalama[at]gmail[dot]com)
Nita Barroca - nita [dot] barroca [at] mail [dot] telepac [dot] pt (nita[dot]barroca[at]mail[dot]telepac[dot]pt)
Xana Piteira - registration [at] valedalama [dot] net (registration[at]valedalama[dot]net)
Patricia Russo - patricia [at] valedalama [dot] net (patricia[at]valedalama[dot]net)
André Carvalho - andre [at] valedama [dot] net (andre[at]valedama[dot]net)

Context - Physical/social/historical

Physical: Quinta do Vale da Lama (QVDL from now on) is situated on a ridge
(ironically, since Vale da Lama means mud valley). It is on the rain shadow of the
Monchique mountain range, around 20Km to the north, with its highest hills reaching
1000m high. It’s eastern limit is the Odiáxere River, developing further down into the
Alvor estuary created by three different rivers, all born in Monchique mountains. This
is a very bio-diverse site protected by EU Rede Natura 2000 regulations and it
develops onto the Atlantic Ocean on Portugal’s southern coast, around 1500m south
of the farm.

Social & Historical: The region of the Algarve was part of the arabe culture for more
than 800 years, and most of the policultures, and food production techniques that
persisted during the following centuries until the modern age where introduced
during the arab control of the region. A thousand years ago the “reconquista” (name
of the christian wars for the economic and territorial control of the region) burned
most of the south of the country and almost eliminated all the “policultural systems”
and villages of southern Portugal.

In the beginning of the 20th century the region was a productive landscape and
people would come in the summer from all around to sow, plant, harvest and weed a
variety of cultures. From olive grooves, figs, plums, oranges and almond orchards,
rice cultivation by flooding from the river, etc.

Nowadays the small town of Odiáxere, about 2Km to the northwest developed beside
a National road which due to increasing fees on highways has witnessed an ever
increasing traffic intensity. The population of Odiáxere is composed mainly of people
above 50 yrs old and mainly involved in producing small vegetable gardens for sale
and subsistence for the colder months.

The costal region is highly explored by touristic entrepreneurs, which has developed
a seasonal “job market” for summer tourism. Seasonal unemployment is a serious
problem in the region.

Site Analysis/Description - Place/use

The QVDL site has three main uses/landscape types:

Living Community use
Educational use
Productive use

CLIMATE: QVDL is part of the western Algarve region on southern Portugal with a
warm temperate climate.

RAIN: average 500mm/yr

WATER: two wells, one bore-whole, and an agricultural canal from a dam 20km NW.

SOILS: alkaline (p.H 8.0) heavy clay soils and some sandy soils on the low lands.

SECTORS:

1. POLLUTION sector:

Noise from aquaculture industry at the river estuary;
Noise from the national road passing about 2Km north;
Salination problems due (we think) to the damm higher up in the river, built in the 50’s for agricultural purposes and sea water salination problems;
Public road that passes through the property.

2. WIND sectors:

Very persistent/dominant strong/destructive winds from the Northwest;
Southeast winds that carry moisture throughout the year, although they can be very hot and dry in the summer months;
Fresh and moist/salty sea breeze during the hot days;
Ocasional eastern continental winds, very hot and dry in the Summer, very cold and dry in the Winter.

3. WILDLIFE sector:

A great variety of cereal and bug eating migratory birds coming from Africa in the Spring and in the Autumn from central Europe.
PREDATORS: foxes, ginettes, eagles, falcons.

4. SUN sectors:

summer solstice: rises 30ºNE, sets 30º NW and reaches 78º in altitude angle;
winter solstice: rises 30º SE, sets 30º SW and reaches 30º in altitude angle.

5. TOPOGRAPHICAL sectors (the interference of directional sectors and terrain
features):

frosts in the low lands
floods on the low lands

6. NEIGHBOURS sectors:

Compost maker
Aquaculture neighbours
Small town: Odiáxere

NATURAL DISASTER RISKS:

Fire from the Northwest, created by unmanaged land with abandoned pastures, hot and dry summers and strong NW winds. QVDL is on a ridge oriented SW>NE, fire can move faster up the NW slope.
Tsunami and/or Flood risk: QVDL altitude is from 1m above sea level to 40m above sea level.
Earthquake: There is a tectonic plate failure inside the property
Very strong and destructive winds.

BUILDINGS & INFRASTRUCTURES

Electricity produced by solar panels, sold back to the grid
Natural Gas Tank filled every year
Conventional and Banana Septic Tanks for black waters
Vetiver grey water treatment system
Casa Vale da Lama -Ecoresort: solar passive buiding; can host 50 people
Lama Village: old house and stables rebuilt to accommodate living community + volunteers and interns. can host 25 people.
Agricultural Buildings for seed bank, tools, etc.
Multi-purpose building with wooden floor
3 independent kitchens
Shaded areas for outdoor classes and other activities

For more information contact: Andre Carvalho: tel.: +351 963 014 026; email: andre [at] valedalama [dot] net (andre[at]valedalama[dot]net)

Project Background and History

PND started 20 years ago in 1994 working on the integration of disfavoured children
producing learning and/or empowerment opportunities and/or leadership training for
the youth. QVDL started from PND’s necessity to find a place where it could run activities after the fires at Monchique had destroyed the place where they had their old structures. After a while, they started producing their own food for the courses and/or
activities. They asked Lesley Anne Martin’s support to convert the site into a more sustainable system using permaculture. The design process for the whole site is still undergoing.

Design, Development and Decision-Making Process

Design: an assessment was developed to ensure decisions were appropriate and responded to needs in an ethical way aligned with the vision for the site.
Development: The development has been focused on organisational structures.
Decision-Making Process: The team uses many tools around the central concept of holacracy.

Role of Designers

The designers are member of the living community and/or hired to to focalize design, implementation and maintenance of each of the activity groups and to integrate with each other’s work in sort of a fractal pattern. These activities are:

Governance
Internal and External Communications
Food Production
Food Processing
Educational Activities for all age groups
Joint-action and Networking
Eco-Resort
Living Community

Programme Elements – what was planned/ the site functions (use, users, activity)

The functions planed for QVDL’s site are:

to serve as a didactic and/or pedagogic, demonstration site for
sustainable, regenerative and economically viable farming methods.
to regenerate the landscape and bring back it’s innate diversity.
to host and facilitate participatory learning events to empower people
into taking action for regenerative design.
to host a living community and a group of volunteers and interns.
to host third-party retreats and events.

Maintenance and Management

Short-Term: Taking care for the conditions necessary for a thriving learning community (planning, decision making, integration of activities, healthy food, etc.)
Long-Term: Taking care of the land and generating surplus, involving the local community in the regeneration of livelihoods and the natural systems on which they depend.

User/Use Analysis

Presently QVDL presents people with a volunteer programme,
educational activities related to permaculture and re-skilling, cultural
events, guided tours, farm-shop with vegetables and processed foods.

Project Significance and Impact/Lessons Learned

QVDL and PND work together to empower people to regenerate their
livelihoods in ways that do not cause social or environmental
degradation.

Main Lessons learned:

Start small!
Use edge and value the marginal!
Don’t place elements into the systems when their needs are not yet met!
Use and Potentiate diversity of elements and functions.

What could have been done differently?

focus on how people will do the work and integrate their knowledge
into designing, planning implementation and maintenance of the
system.
bring some “doers” into the design process

Limitations

Legal boundaries:

Can’t build new structures
Eastern half of the farm is protected by Rede Natura 2000 EU laws

Transferable Features and Lessons

Starting on a new piece of land or doing rolling permaculture: Start small, manage well and move on a controlled front.

Future Issues/Plans

We want to produce more food with less work and energy, exchangemore locally, bring more people in and keep on learning and sharing.

Does your project offer opportunities for volunteering or internships?

Yes, you can volunteer for a three month programme, or you can propose an internship at the farm.

Does the project welcome visitors or study tours?

Yes. We design learning experiences for groups.

Can you offer accommodation to visitors or study tours (at the project or locally)?

Yes, either at the eco-resort Casa Vale da Lama, or at the camp-site Campo do Vale

Web Sites/Links

www.valedalama.net

EPT participants feedback on venue

Learnt:

Working with youth and kids
It is good to see a well-resourced project
Algarve has some subtropical climate areas – I saw bananas
How to show the designs for a site in a really beautiful way
Permaculture does not equal a rejection of comfort
The desire by the founders to create an evolving system in which the staff have a sense of ownership – a rich partnership
The land demonstrates that permaculture is happening here. Inspiring examples with forest gartden and other parts of the site demonstrate how goals and objectives can be achieved within permaculture ethics.
A look at an arid/brittle landscape
Functions as a farm/retreat. Lots of smiles and good attitude from the kitchen
Biological diversity of the location
Very interesting integration of permaculture, environment, education (for children) and local community
Good monitoring of energies put into the system (water, person energy)
Good external specialists
Contrast between snow at home and spring in Algarve really sharpened my appreciation of sun, soil, assemblages and water
The poser of biodiversity
Good to see such a well-functioning community
Vision/model well presented through diagrammes, maps and drawings
Satisfied people
Stopping tourist development
Clear vision
Funding levels
Plant diversity
We have to work small and slow and people are different everywhere
Permaculture is not only about work, but also about people and community
Things go smoothly
People love what they are doing
They know why they are here
Good functioning core team
Happy community
Smile, song, children
Openness, commitment from owners
Site: we are in a time of climate change, chaotic urbanization around us. Quite a large site, creating polarities with higher education vs children education
Personal level: better observational skills by seeing a different site
Interaction with the youth educational leaders group. Made me observe ways to interact with youth on educating permaculture and education for sustainability
People and organization
Interaction with the youth group education
Seeing local dance and culture
People care of host = excellent, relaxed, happy, willing, preparing,
Food and drinks are available all day, anticipating needs, comfortable, clean accommodation
Kitchen functions optimal
A lot of water harvesting
A nice design
Still a lot to develop
A lot of volunteers
Harmonic community
Biodiversity and richness of the area
Possibility to see a food forest
Show implemented permaculture not just on paper but also outside (sectors zones and elements)
Very strong group
Very clear design effort
Want to be economically sustainable
People care is very present
Good example for seasonal planting
Diversity of people
Residential working community in real life
Different cultivated ecosystems in the design
PC permaculture on a larger scale

Could Improve:

Design of irrigation systems
Shade\windbrakes
More mulching
Using biochar
Enlarge complete forest garden
Nurture the relationship with the owner of the strip of land in the middle of the site. This is potentially an interesting edge.
I would relocate the vegetable garden in order to avoid excess of water
Vegetable garden closer to the living area
I would not let the plants stay so long on the greenhouse
I would build a compost toilet that is as beautiful and comfortable as the others near the guesthouse
Compost toilets closer to the main centre
An explanation of the water management systems
More organic building design
Campfire/storytelling closer to the main building
Make food production more obvious and closer to the kitchen
Make the residents area more aesthetically pleasing
Look at the feng shui of the place
Tension\edge between “managed” landscape (original purpose of this place) and the “wild”\permaculture landscape
To not use plastics, etc. for ponds
Make natural swimming pool
Some of the elements and practices are fashion and\or event inspired
The water system needs improvement in design
How to include the people on the border?
How to include the ocean in the design?
The use of a platform or watch tower to invite the bird perspective
More animals
Not financially sustainable
More animals
Install greywater system
Improve acoustics in building (soft material)
Install urin-separating toilets
Connect swimming pool to the pond
More in-depth site tour
Explanation of the systems
Compost toilets in zone 1
More ecological buildings
People education in how to use the spaces more effectively