AGRICULTURE
In 2021, I stumbled upon a magnificent piece of land that had been neglected for decades: a 20-hectare abandoned olive grove in Portugal that was more jungle than farm. You could not distinguish one tree from the other, the land was so overgrown that the road had vanished and I had to leave my car at the gate and trek 150 meters through the brush just to reach the house.
Over the following years, and with the help of many people, I cleared and rehabilitated the land as well as the buildings, and began bringing the ancient and overgrown olive grove back into cultivation. This also marked my transition from a city person to a farmer, and it taught me the perverse economics of traditional agriculture: the hidden costs of protecting nature in an economic system that devalues it. I wrote about it here & here:
The process of rehabilitating this land was, in many ways, a process of removing old barriers. Out of the quietness of this work, the old has fallen away so the new can emerge. I have named this place Labirinto Eclético—an "Eclectic Labyrinth"—to honor the complex, winding path life can take and the wonderful hidden corners and spaces on this property.
The Estate has become not only a place where I live, but also a place from which—together with others—we have been experimenting with new economic models for agriculture (see links below), offering artist residencies, and hosting retreats where you can disconnect from the internet and reconnect with yourself.
