Regenerar 2026

Regenerar 2026: Thriving Soil and Culture across Generations

Location of activities and scope

Golegã, Portugal, Local

Strand 3 – Deploy innovative, creative and participatory methodologies for engaging citizens in soil protection and preservations

 

Executive Summary

The project Regenerar 2026 aims to engage citizens in soil protection and regeneration in Golegã and surrounding region, in the core of Portugal. Created to raise soil literacy, foster behavioural change and strengthen community ties around Soil, the project will promote innovative school regenerative market gardens, a university ambassadors’ program, a community network of regenerative farmers, a Guide with evidence-based practices, and a free e-learning platform with courses on soil protection and regeneration; engaging several generations, from schoolchildren to elderly farmers, from the local to the wider community. A central event in April 2026 will bring together science, art, and community action, offering hands-on experiences, participatory opportunities and cultural performances. Expected outcomes include increased soil awareness and literacy, stronger networks of practice, production of accessible resources, and long-term community engagement in soil care and regeneration.

Motivation Statement

For us, at Fundação Mendes Gonçalves, soil is a living foundation that sustains life, nourishes people, and connects ecosystems and communities. It is more than a resource: it is memory, culture, the heritage of those who came before us and the legacy we commit to future generations. Soil embodies resilience, biodiversity, and regeneration, reminding us of the deep purpose that guides our work: care. Care for people, care for nature, and care for the possibilities of tomorrow. To protect and regenerate soil is to nurture healthier food systems, stronger communities, and a more sustainable planet. It is one of the main pillars of the Foundation and its mission: Nurturing Futures, Regenerating Legacies.

Sub-project objectives

The main objective of Regenerar 2026 is to increase soil literacy and awareness by engaging citizens of all ages in creative, participatory, and hands-on experiences. Through school regenerative market gardens, youth-led living labs, a farmer network, and community events, we aim to make soil visible, relatable, and celebrated. We hope to achieve a shift in how soil is perceived and cared for: from an invisible resource to a living system that sustains food, health, and culture. By combining traditional knowledge with scientific evidence, the project promotes behavioural change in schools, farms, and households, while empowering young people as ambassadors of soil regeneration.

Challenges and how they will be addressed

– Low resources and ambition of the project: the project has envisioned a large number of activities to be carried out within a period of six months. However, the project will be able to address this issue in the sense that it will be co-designed and co-implemented with the local stakeholders, and in this way, the burden will not fall on the main project team.
– Interest and availability of the farmer: there is a risk that the farmers may not have the interest and availability to participate in the network of the regenerative farmers. However, the project will be able to address this issue in the sense that it will partner with a local and regional cooperative of producers and farmers, and in this way, it will be able to leverage the trust relations and communication channels with them.
– Engagement of elderly local knowledge holders: some elderly persons, particularly those who practice local agriculture on a small scale, may at first appear reluctant to take part in the activities of the project or share their knowledge with new people. However, the issue will be addressed through the collaboration of the project with other local actors, such as local associations, local cultural groups, and the local authorities, who have good relations with the elderly. Therefore, the activities of the project will take place in familiar environments.

Expected outcomes

Greater community awareness and engagement, stronger intergenerational connections, behavioural shifts towards regenerative practices, and new partnerships linking schools, universities, farmers, and civil society.

Meet the Project Team

Fundação Mendes Gonçalves (FMG)

Fundação Mendes Gonçalves is a Foundation based in the small rural village of Golegã, in centre region of Portugal, with the mission “Nurturing Futures, Regenerating Legacies”.

Our main three pillars of intervention are:
• Educate: caring, through quality education, ensuring that all children have equitable opportunities to grow, learn and flourish;
• Nurture: caring, through healthy nutrition and food security, enabling all individuals to adopt healthy lifestyles and experience well-being;
• Regenerate: caring, through the regeneration of soils and biodiversity, so that the planet and communities have a better future.

The Foundation has a team experienced in community engagement, project management, communication, public policy and impact assessment, complemented by a network of consultants and by its governing bodies: Board of Directors, Executive Board, Board of Trustees and Financial Auditor, who, together bring technical, scientific and strategic expertise and enable the Foundation to strengthen its capacity for intervention.

Contact – Quaiela Costa

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Fundação Mendes Gonçalves (FMG)