Reforestation Project in Portugal

Our aim is to reforest the 18 hectares of land that we own to serve three purposes:

1. Offset carbon

2. Attract wildlife

3. To sustainably provide food for humans and animals.

Once we have achieved this we hope to raise money to buy further land for reforestation in Portugal.

Click here to donate to our reforestation program

How Can you help?

  • Volunteer with us to take part in our reforestation project this winter.
  • Donate to the program which we will use to buy trees for planting
  • Buy a tree as a gift for someone and we will make a personalised video for you of the planting with a message and google link to where the tree is located
  • Donate trees, knowledge, seeds, fence posts or fencing to us. Contact us for this
  • Start a campaign to raise money for our reforestation program
  • Share any of our blogs, YouTube videos or Facebook posts on reforestation
  • Plant a tree in your garden, a friend’s garden or join a reforestation or tree planting effort in your area

Every time food is grown for us energy is required to grow it in the form of petrol for equipment, chemicals for fertilisers and oil for transport. Every time we buy appliances or clothes, when we wipe our behinds, use a printer, turn on a kettle or open a fridge door we are doing something detrimental to the environment.  The best way we can offset this is to buy trees and plant them. So please offset your carbon and the damage you are creating by contributing to our reforestation program either by volunteering or a financial contribution or by any other means.

As much as reforesting an area is changing the environment and can be seen by environmentalists as bad for the current life there, we believe that we should be reforesting agricultural land to offset carbon and create a habitat for life that once lived in the forest. Each year we will continue to plant a mix of native long-lived trees, faster-growing pioneer trees and trees that will be thinned out as the forest matures to provide sustainable timber and firewood for us and the local community. The forest should also supply food and shelter to animals and provide foraging for humans.

Blog Posts on our Reforestation efforts so far

Planting trees in the summer

Planting trees in the summer is never ideal but sometimes we just need or want to do it. Ideally, we plant trees bare-rooted trees in Automne (or spring for more frost-sensitive trees). However, we have moved big olive trees and planted potted trees in the summer and this week we planted 21 and this is […]

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Buy a tree for a gift

Gift a tree to your loved ones! A birthday, Father’s day, Christmas present or whatever occasion you like. We will do a personalised video of the tree planting for you to share.

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How to Kill Eucalyptus Naturally on Organic farms

Eucalyptus trees are bad for the environment and a fire hazard in Portugal. We have killed many areas of Eucalyptus on our farm and we would like to share with you how we kill eucalyptus trees.

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13 cool new trees

In November 2020 we planted our first 13 trees in our new agroforestry system.  We have prepared this field over the last year with swales, fencing, cover crops and a pond and now they have 13 cool new trees! This field will have a forest planted that will offset carbon, create habitat for wildlife and […]

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Tree Planting and Ally Cropping in our Silvopasture

This year we have had a bit of rain in September so we started our tree planting early. On top of that we further planted into the layers of our silvopasture plantation. Thank you to our Permaculture interns for buying trees and planting them. We planted cherries, nectarines and almonds into space that we had […]

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Life During Lockdown

During the lockdown, we had 5 guests guaranteed with us for 3 months after they were meant to leave and then we enjoyed the farm to ourselves for a while. For those of you that are not following us on social media for our daily updates, here are some photos of all the things we […]

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Silvopasture for Chickens & Sheep

Over the past year, we have planted one field using silvopasture principles. Silvopasture is where you grow trees and shrubs with animals integrated into the system that benefit each other. The idea is to reduce carbon based inputs into the system such as tractors to cut grass and fertiliser for trees whilst getting extra forrage […]

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Photos and updates from 2019

We have had a very busy year on the farm with more than 100 volunteers, many courses and retreats. We have started some new permaculture systems, continued in the food forests and with our reforestation project and the natural building projects. Here is an update on some of our current projects for those not following […]

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Swales and earthworks in action

An 5 min video update on how the earthworks that have been dug on all of our food forest course are doing after heavy rain.

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10 Day Food Forest Courses

In 2020 we will be running 10-day food forest courses at Keela Yoga Farm. The first course will be on 17th March 2020 and you may also join us earlier to take part in the internship. Book now for an early bird discount

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Reforestation Update – November 2019

This year we have started our reforestation efforts a bit earlier so we can plant more and the plants can enjoy the winter rains. 

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Aerial photos and updates Oct 2019

A friend dropped by and took some aerial photos of each area of our farm areas. These are taken at the end of the Summer 2019 when the land is very dry and shows the work we have done on this abandoned land over the past two years.

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Photos of Spring 2019 Food Forest Work

In March and April 2019 we hosted a one month food forest course, where participants learn how to plan, design, implement and maintain a food forest. During this month our food forests where expanded and upgraded the food forests. Please check out what we got up to.

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New permanent beds this winter

We have planted several new permanent beds this winter mostly by students and volunteers participating in this year’s food forest course. A permanent bed is one that requires a lot of extra work up frot, up but shouldn’t need to be tilled, dug or have as much work in the future. It also usually consists […]

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Wild Greens, foraging workshop portugal

Want to know what the medicinal properties are for weeds on your farm? Herbalist and forager Raquel Perdigão is coming to Keela Yoga Farm from ‘Awakened Life Project’ on the 9th and 10th April 2019 to teach us how to forage for wild greens, the medicinal properties of herbs and how to use them. Please join […]

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Harvesting Olives and Making Olive Oil

For the first time, we have Extra Virgin Organic Olive oil picked directly from our farm. It was a lot of work and we had a lot of help but in the end, we have almost a years supply of olive oil for the farm.

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Autumn 2018 reforestation efforts

We plan to reforest 18 hectares of land to offset carbon and attract wildlife. This winter with the help of volunteers, friends, neighbors and donations we have planted a forest in more than one hectare of it. Read on for a full update.

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Food Forest for Chickens – October 2018 Design and Planting

During our Automne 2018 food forest course, we designed and planted a food forest for Chickens. This is a food forest with perennial plants and trees that chickens can fodder for fruit, berries, leaves and insects. However, without plants chickens will quickly destroy through overeating or scratching. Leaving the rest for us to harvest.

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Photos from Octobers Food Forest Course

Check out some of the photos of the students in action during October’s food forest course. The students from this course designed and planted a new food forest for Chickens and Humans to enjoy near our new community building.

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Photos from March Food Forest Course

In March 2018 we held our second month long Food Forest course. The group of eight spent one month learning about trees, soils and food forests whilst researching their own trees and creating designs for a food forest. They then planted a new food forest in an old olive grove in one of our terraces.

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Photos from the food forest course

During November 2017 we held our first Food Forest course at Keela Yoga Farm. This month long course was designed to give the students the full experience of how to design and set up a food forest on an off-grid farm. Take a look at what we got up to, and read on to learn more about […]

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Food Forest Course Portugal March 2018

Join us at Keela Yoga Farm in March, 2018 or October 2018 for our month-long Food forest courses in Portugal. Click here for our latest courses Learn everything you need to know about starting your very own food forest and off grid farm while experiencing community living on a new permaculture project. Enjoy daily yoga and meditation practice amongst […]

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Starting a food forest in portugal

With 46 acers of land, multiple fields, daily yoga classes, a community to run and a huge permaculture project, starting a food forest can be very overwhelming. We decided to fence off a smaller area which had three old burnt down pear trees, named it the pear food forest and made it our focus for […]

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