The Portuguese association Terra Sintrópica has earned a Recognition Award at the FAO Global Conference for Actions on One Health in Agrifood Systems. This accolade is awarded to initiatives and exceptional innovations that advance the One Health approach pursued by the UN organization in relation to agrifood systems. The Zurich-based social entrepreneur Katharina Serafimova is the co-founder and board member of Terra Sintrópica. An environmental scientist, Serafimova has also served as a lecturer at the Department of Finance of the University of Zurich since 2014.
The FAO Global Conference for One Health took place September 21-23, 2026 in the Italian capital Rome. The One Health approach of the UN organization is based on the premise that the health of humans, animals, plants and the environment is closely interconnected. As such, the approach seeks to foster interdisciplinary collaboration. In this way, Terra Sintrópica, a center for pioneering agroforestry in semi-arid regions based in the Portuguese town of Mértola, sees itself as a real-world laboratory for the ecological transition. It is a place where interdisciplinary knowledge, social innovation and a regenerative economics meet.
The question addressed by Terra Sintrópica’s 14 permanent employees through its CARES research center is: How can we produce food in the Alentejo, one of Portugal’s driest regions located in the southeast of the country, at the same time as regenerating the local ecosystem? To achieve this, CARES, among other activites, operates a nursery for resilient Mediterranean plants, which it regards as a “germ cell for the future of local regeneration. We test how healthy cycles can be established even under the threat of desertification”. By employing agroforestry methods adapted to the Mediterranean climate, Terra Sintrópica develops methods to revitalize the soil, protect it against erosion and use water efficiently.
For the association, it is important to operate as an initiative driven consistently by the community focused on fighting the increasing desertification of Southern Europe. “Change will not come about through top-down concepts, but rather on the basis of a broad cultural paradigm shift in our society”, as Katharina Serafimova explains. “We shape these processes right from the outset in collaboration with the local population, schools and farmers through shared learning, local educational work and a proactive approach to tackling challenges as equals”.
Serafimova follows the same integrated approach in her role as the managing director of Lebendiger Boden-See Schweiz, a non-profit organization based in Berlingen in the Swiss canton of Thurgau whose mission is centered on ensuring healthy soils and vibrant local communities that act in regenerative and future-oriented ways in the Lake Constance region. By cultivating awareness, sharing knowledge, and building connections, the organization helps to inspire and support initiatives that bring to life a thriving, healthy and diverse cultural landscape. ce/mm