Andrew Zionts Abrams has been living in the countryside near Vejer de la Frontera in Cadiz since 2010. His background in fine arts, industrial design, and later yoga led him to discover a passion for permaculture, a regenerative habitat design system inspired by the observation of nature. He has been implementing a rainwater retention and reforestation design on his farm since 2014, sharing the work, excitement and his knowledge with volunteers and friends.

Over the last four years Andrew has expanded the project to protect a piece of land that has six hectares of native forest on the western slope of Vejer. Known as “Catalina” in homage to a 15th century vejeriega woman landowner, the project is based on restoring the functionality of the ecosystem, albeit on a small scale. The work is shared with a small permanent community and visiting volunteers. Through the infiltration of rainwater, soil improvement and reforestation, it is hoped that springs that have disappeared may return in our lifetime.

Almenara is our outreach project, serving as a beacon to raise the alarm about the current eco-social crisis and to creatively co-imagine and co-create regenerative futures for the whole community of life. The two main collaborators are Jorge Gallardo (Párpado) and Joanna Crowson (Casa Gaia).