Internship on the farm

Live and learn on a
regenerative organic farm

A residential farm internship near Lagos, Portugal, where you will learn about regenerative farming and gain valuable hands-on experience in a communal environment.

The next program begins on May 5, 2025.

Applications closed on February 15, 2025.

A 6-month residential farm internship

Program Overview

Quinta Vale da Lama offers this internship to support and create the next generation of organic and regenerative farmers, giving you critical learning and work experience as you begin your journey in food growing and farm operations.

Our combination of structured training, daily work experience, individual study, and group activities allows the intern to develop both a theoretical and practical understanding of their area of study. This internship is also about living together on the farm, which allows for personal and communal growth and friendship.

Organic Market Garden + Holistic Farm Care

A Comprehensive Farm Internship

The farm internship at Quinta Vale da Lama combines two themes to maximize your learning and training. All interns receive instruction and gain experience in both areas, coming away with comprehensive knowledge and skills to set the stage for future success.

All interns also receive a full Permaculture Design Course (PDC) over the term of the internship, to inform practical work on the ground.

Organic Market Gardening

This aspect of the internship focuses on small-scale organic growing. You will learn how to plan your garden layout, make plant choices, prepare beds, plant and harvest a variety of crops, and prepare for and manage harvesting using our established organic market garden. You will also learn how to sell in and manage markets.

Learning outcomes

— Garden designs, planning and layout,
— Tools, resources and other considerations,
— Propagating healthy seedlings,
— Bed preparation,
— Soil fertility and management,
— Harvesting, washing and preparing produce,
— Proper use of Bio Effectors,
— Irrigation strategies,
— Plant monitoring,
— Strategies for establishing and leveraging markets for your produce,
— How to grow and interact with markets, from direct supply of our restaurant to farmers’ markets and other suppliers.

* Please be advised that learning outcomes are dependent on what is needed on the farm. Quinta Vale da Lama will do its best to accommodate your learning desires, however, these learning outcomes are ultimately defined by the work which is needed to be done on the farm.

Holistic Farm
Care

Using our farm as an example, you will learn how various Permaculture and ecosystem regeneration systems interact with each other, such as agro-silvopastoral system, alley cropping, and food forests. You will also work with numerous types of compost and natural fertiliser systems.

Learning outcomes

 General animal care of chickens and donkeys
— Compost
— Food scrap management
— Vermiculture
— Humanure and dry compost toilets
— Animal compost
— Fertilizers and micro-organisms
— Planting nitrogen fixers
— Landscaping
— Food forest management and harvest
— Vineyard management
— General farm maintenance

*Please be advised that learning outcomes are dependent on what is needed on the farm. Quinta Vale da Lama will do its best to accommodate your learning desires, however, these learning outcomes are ultimately defined by the work which is needed to be done on the farm.

A busy but fulfilling experience

Workload and Schedule

Please be aware that we expect a lot from our interns. You will be an integral part of our team and we expect you to participate in the schedule with full commitment. We have had great success with interns who are mature, motivated, and able to work both individually and as part of a team.

You will be expected to participate an average of six hours each weekday (30 hours a week). This includes time spent working on the farm with your mentor and other farm staff, as well as flexible time focused on self-learning and project work.

There are also evening and occasional Saturday group activities. Sunday is always a day off.

Continuous Learning

This internship is much more than just time spent in the field

Besides gaining valuable hands on skills at Quinta Vale da Lama, you will also engage in ongoing learning through three other components.

Individual Study

Individual Study is any self-guided exercise or learning you undertake throughout the internship. You will investigate subjects related to your area of work and interests to further your development, and also support your project.

Group Activities

Group activities may include Permaculture lessons, holocracy training, educational afternoon activities, or movie nights, to name a few, and they take place throughout the internship. All interns are expected to attend these activities.

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Projects

You will be expected to develop and implement a project before leaving the farm. This is a chance for you to integrate both your practical training and theoretical learning into a useful project for the farm. This project is designed and implemented by you, with your mentor’s support. It is an opportunity for you to leave a mark on the farm while creating an important addition to your personal portfolio. You will spend time working on your project during the last three months of the internship.

We offer shared accommodation and 3 vegetarian meals a day

Living on the farm

Interns live in Lama Village, the residential area of our farm where other members of our farm team also live. This eclectic community allows the opportunity to experience a wonderful sense of shared being, friendship, and support throughout the program. You will stay in one of our shared dormitories. Each dormitory is spacious and includes a shared bathroom. The dormitories can accommodate up to six participants from our various volunteer and internship programs. You will also have access to kitchen and laundry facilities.

As the interns are a group, there is some communal organization required. For example, interns share cooking responsibilities and a cooking schedule, and during the week are expected to have meals together. Each intern is also expected to participate in a cleaning schedule of common areas and be responsible for their personal living space. Bringing interns to live together presents challenges and growth opportunities for both the farm and the interns, and so we expect you to have a keen attitude to communal living.

All food provided during the 6-month farm intership at Quinta Vale da Lama is vegetarian. We do our best to use as much organic produce as possible, sourcing from our onsite organic market garden whenever we can.

Questions about accommodations or meals? Email us at info@valedalama.net.

Please note that pets are not allowed to be or stay with you during the internship.

 

An organic farm near Lagos, Portugal

Living and Learning Closer to Nature

Our 43-hectare farm in southwestern Portugal has a lot going on. From growing organic food, to regenerating soils, nourishing the community, and educating people about ecosystem restoration, there is something happening all year-round!

We are also an active member of Ecosystem Restoration Communities, a group of 60 global hubs pursuing diverse restoration initiatives rehabilitating degraded lands to create flourishing ecosystems. We share our regeneration work and knowledge freely with others locally and globally.

Quinta Vale da Lama is located in southwestern Portugal, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the mountains of the western Algarve.

Our Address: Quinta Vale da Lama, EM534, CP 325-N 8600-258 Odiáxere Lagos, PORTUGAL

GPS: 37°08’26.3″N 8°37’57.7″W

 

Testimonials

What other interns have said

Quinta Vale da Lama has played an enormous role in my life. As my first agricultural experience, it gave me a fantastic baseline to build future knowledge and experience in organic market gardening. It also gave me so many amazing friends and memories during those 6 months!
My time on the farm learning about regenerative agriculture and permaculture through passionate teachers was truly inspiring… I had time to develop a three-month permaculture design project, allowing me to put into practice everything I learned. Make sure you can embrace this experience to its fullest, you will not regret it!

EMMA

My experience in Vale da Lama was so enriching. I made my internship in the agroforestry area. Vale da Lama has a large variety of places to explore and I had the possibility to learn how to manage different explorations. From chickens and sheep’s to manually chop and drop, passing by natural treatments and soil amendments. I am very grateful for allowing us participate into almost every course that takes place in their space and also doing a PDC specially for us, it really demonstrate their interest in teaching us and preparing us to work with permaculture. Finally, but not least, im very grateful of the group experience we had, it’s a great opportunity to know people related to your ideals, share knowledge and feelings and learn to live in community. I did really good friends in VdL.

ALEJANDRO

I’ve learned many valuable new things, and absolutely loved taking care of the animals. Ricks is an inspiring mentor and knows a lot about soil regeneration. Gained knowledge here that I’ll take with me during all my further travels and volunteeringplaces. After finishing the internship I’ve returned twice, because you’re not just building on your knowledge, you’re also creating a new family.

MELISSA

I just knew that I am interested in permaculture and want to learn more about it and the people who are involved with it. There was no better place to be (that I know) to do that. While there are definitely duties and responsibilities, interns were given room to play and get to know to not only to their specific work but the dimensions of the natural world: sun, wind, water, different plants and their characteristics… It was at first overwhelming to have all those interesting activities, people, books, workshops around you but you get used to the luxury. I wasn’t looking for a functional farm and there are probably better places to go if that’s what you’re looking for. Through an inspiring environment I was introduced to new concepts and took further steps in deep ecology, being nature and natural food preparation.

ONUR

I came to do my internship in the context of Kalø a Danish organic farming school. I arrived later in the intern group because I had tried another farm before that didn’t suit my learning and human necessities. The warmth of the group, the care of the working team and especially Lesly, who makes sure the small community we build has interns get its hommy needs fulfilled, made me integrate the experience easily. One of the biggest quality I would attribute to this internship is the balance between the farm work, the permaculture teachings, and the design projects we can develop through the course. It make the lessons being integrated pretty fast. Also sharing with the other interns that are learning different aspects of the farm work gave me a good holistic view.It was also interesting to experiment some details of the structure at the farm, decision processes ect… The detailed I enjoyed from being an intern of the market garden was to take part of the all part process, from planning to selling at the market. Making connections with the outside community. Of course as every human system, it can get sometime tricky, to live and work together. But it is a big learning journey. Well, I guess It has been a significant experience to me, I made very strong friendships who made me come back to Portugal and chose it has a homeland.

MELINA

I applied for the internship with a specific goal of learning Permaculture as I had the plan of starting a project on Education in Nature and building a Permaculture farm. The 6 months I lived on the farm were life-changing. I learned a lot from the best teachers, my mentor really cared about our learning experience and meeting the educational experience. I thought that having the PDC over the 6 months combined with the work on the farm 5 days a week makes the experience super immersive and, for me, it felt like deeping in knowledge without much effort. The sights are beautiful, people are kind and inclusive. Overall, it was an amazing experience that shaped my way of thinking in many ways and gave me the tolls to implement my project. A big big thankyou!

CATARINA

This Internship Program allowed me a total immersion and a very concrete experience in Permaculture. Unlike short courses, here we follow the cycles of Nature, in its own rhythms, we gradually integrate the learning -AND we do it together, in community. I arrived with specific interests and I learned a lot in daily sharing with all the little bees of this great family we have become 🙂
I deepened the themes that motivated me, I woke up to new areas, I greatly expanded my network – which today is an important base across the work I develop. I collected seeds for new Projects, one of them being Activism for Natural Burial.
I am very grateful for the time spent in Vale da Lama, which for me is Home!

RITA

 Watch Kevin’s testimonial video

Application Process

Only detailed, complete applications with thorough answers will be reviewed. Be sure you have prepared and compiled all of the additional supporting documentation.

A complete application for the internship on the farm consists of the following:

CV or Resume

Your document should be saved as “last name_first name initial_CV” in .pdf, .doc, .jpg or .png format (Example: Smith_J_CV.pdf). File size must not exceed 5MB.

Essay questions

Please answer the following questions thoughtfully; we expect responses of between 250-500 words per question.

  1.  What motivates you to participate in the Vale da Lama Internship? Why is now the right time for you to become an intern?
  2. What do you hope to accomplish in your time with Vale da Lama? Please comment on your goals in regards to work, study and communal living on the farm as well as your personal development goals.
  3. The internship experience can be challenging. Vale da Lama seeks interns able to handle the experience both through their independence to take initiative when lacking support as well as being able to strongly contribute to a team. Explain with concrete examples how you are ready for this experience and what qualities and strengths you possess to help advance the internship program of Vale da Lama.
  4. What is one of your weaknesses and how do you try to overcome it?
  5. What is your favorite quote and why is it meaningful to you?

Your document should be saved as “last name_first name initial_Essays” in .pdf, .doc, .jpg or .png format (Example: Smith_J_Essays.pdf). File size must not exceed 5MB.

Submit application form

We recommend submitting the application form only after you have prepared and compiled all of the additional supporting documentation.

The Internship team will then review your application to determine whether you will be invited to an interview.

All interviews will be conducted online or by phone, unless the candidate is currently located near the farm.

Please note: a €100 administration fee will be collected upon acceptance to the program. No payment is due at the time of application.

Applications are closed

The next program begins on May 5, 2025.

Applications closed on February 15, 2025.

Internship on the Farm

Live and learn on a regenerative organic farm

6-month residential internship on the farm

 

This internship is provided by Quinta Vale da Lama, with the support of Mud Valley Institute and Novas Descobertas Association

 

         

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