Subsistence Farming: An Ancestral and Sustainable Practice
Subsistence farming, whether homemade or artisanal, is an ancestral, spontaneous, natural, sustainable, and healthy reality.
Over the years, this type of farming has replaced intensive, mass-produced, genetically modified, profitable, and chemical-dependent agriculture in more rural and poorer areas. Today, with the challenges of climate change and a growing awareness of the need for a "return" to natural, sustainable, and healthy practices, incentives, projects, and organized movements for natural cultivation and sustainable production – often labelled as Bio – are increasing worldwide, not only in rural areas but also in major cities. Within the geographical perimeter of the Herdade da Comporta, amidst the vast green rice fields and the whitewashed houses of its seven villages, there are strips of small gardens and backyards where local communities practice subsistence farming.
From the beginning of its history, Herdade da Comporta provided land and encouraged subsistence farming for its workers and their families. Over time, and with the company's evolution, some of these lands designated for gardens were reorganized and leased, while many others remained available to the local populations, who are now former workers of the estate and their descendants. Since 2011, the Fundação da Herdade da Comporta has been developing educational projects in the schools of Comporta and Carvalhal, focusing on the natural and landscape heritage of Herdade da Comporta, with the general goals of raising awareness about environmental preservation and citizenship. Topics covered include the villages, rice, dunes, the sea, and the river.
The Carvalhal and Comporta Gardens: A Four-Year Educational Project
The gardens of Carvalhal and Comporta will be our theme for the Educational Project over the next four academic years, starting in 2023/24 and concluding in 2026/27.
"To educate is to sow with wisdom and to reap with patience" (Augusto Cury).
The cultivation of school gardens is a valuable educational tool. The hands-on experience with soil preparation, discovering the myriad forms of life that exist there, the wonder at seeds sprouting as if by magic, and the daily care – watering, transplanting, weeding – until nature rewards us with the transformation of tiny seeds into lush and colourful vegetables and greens.
The garden allows children to engage more directly with aspects of nature, encouraging active learning and better ecological awareness. This way, children develop their cognitive skills and the competencies needed for practising responsible and conscious citizenship, considering not only the consequences of their current environmental actions but also what can be improved to protect the environment.
Activities related to soil use, such as handling the earth, planting, weeding, pruning, and watering, not only provide excellent physical exercise but also represent a healthy and creative way of learning.
The cultivation cycles are natural, from sowing (from already produced plants) to composting, including transplanting, with necessary watering and homemade fertilization. Seasonal foods are grown and harvested, with patience and respect for the timeline, and followed by the seasons. There is concern about climate challenges, as well as water issues.
By creating a garden at the school, we are developing a series of new learning experiences and values in ourselves and the children. We will take on a collective task and learn to work in a group with people who have different tastes and skills.
We want children to learn to listen, make decisions, socialize, and follow instructions. The activities carried out in the school garden should follow a fully active and participatory methodology. The work can be organized both globally and individually, adapting activities to each child's interests, motivating them, and giving coherence and globality to their learning.
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