Hi, I’m Hans (57), originally from the Netherlands and living in rural southern Portugal with my Brazilian wife, Sunamita, for almost 5 years now.

We moved here after a long-distance relationship during Covid and initially planned to run retreats and coaching from our farm. Once we settled in the Alentejo, however, we became deeply aware of the region’s challenges: depopulation, ageing communities, soil degradation and increasing desertification due to climate change and agricultural practices.

The Alentejo is vast, calm and rich in nature—but also vulnerable. As land productivity declines, economic and social perspectives shrink, pushing young people away. To put things in perspective: the province is a big as the country Belgium, and almost 94% of our region is currently threatened by desertification!

What started as a lifestyle move became a mission. Together, Sunamita and I now have turned our 9 hectare property into a Living Lab, and focus on contributing to the ecological, social and economic revitalisation of the region, working with education, partnerships and local communities to explore regenerative ways forward.