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Regenerative Pasture in Dairy Goat Farming (Beira Baixa)

Context & Location​

  • Beira Baixa region, mainland Portugal
  • Mediterranean climate, water stress risk
  • Dairy goat production

Objectives​

  • Demonstrate the benefits of biodiverse, year-round pasture coverage
  • Measure soil health improvements under regenerative pasture systems

Problem Description​

Mediterranean dryland systems suffer from erosion, nutrient loss, and declining soil fertility. Conventional annual pastures leave soils exposed and biologically inactive for part of the year, reducing resilience and productivity.

Proposed Approach / Pilot Logic​

A 4 ha plot was implemented with:

  • Annual, biodiverse pasture mixtures
  • Continuous soil coverage

Monitoring focused on linking regenerative pasture management to measurable improvements in soil health and microbiome function.

Data & Measurements​

  • Soil physical–chemical parameters
  • Soil microbiome diversity and metabolic activity
  • Pathogen presence

Key Findings (Preliminary)​

  • Optimal soil conditions compared to other farms
  • Higher microbial metabolic activity
  • Lower pathogen presence
  • Improved nutrient cycling with reduced external inputs

Expected / Observed Value​

  • Demonstrates regenerative practices as a low-input, high-resilience strategy
  • Supports farmer adoption by showing soil improvement without productivity loss
  • Potential model for scalable regenerative pasture systems in dry regions

Why this pilot matters​

It shows that regenerative pasture systems can outperform conventional systems in soil health under water-limited Mediterranean conditions, with reduced dependency on synthetic inputs.