Algarve FabFarm

Algarve Fabfarm is a mix of low and high tech. We started it on an old long forgotten farm, and we are really building everything from scratch. I started building the infrastructure of the farm in the late 2016, from roads, lake (rainwater collection), renovating a ruin, build the lab machines to setting up a solar grid. We are mostly off the grid.

We are in the western Algarve, Portugal in a secluded farmland, 20 minutes from beautiful surf beaches.

The lab already has many 3D printers, laser cutter a big and small CNC mill and many more power and hand tools.

Our Farm Lab besides the usual fab lab equipment will have around rooms for guests and a few more rooms for sponsored residents and staff. We will serve farmers or just anybody; artists, inventors, surfers, hackers…

The idea is to farm with help of tech, or to tech with help of the farm :-).

We are creating a space were thinkers, makers & farmers can learn, create and share technology to improve everyone’s lives. So come and volunteer with us to help make this dream come true!

We are a family of 5 with two girls and a boy. We have friendly dogs, cats, pig, happy chickens, all living in harmony!

Lucio is the most connected to the maker movement in this familly. Indeed, Lucio, Brazilian, Law Graduate and MBA in Business, ex executive, turned around his life, sold his house and bought a sailboat, crossed the Atlantic twice and lived for a WHOLE year with his family aboard, sailing around the coast of Brazil and Caribbean Islands. Loves Inventing, sailing, practicing Kung Fu and cooking. While he was living in Shanghai he joined the Shanghai Hackerspace (XinCheJian) and he built the first working DIY 3D printer of the space from scratch.

After that experience he decided to make his life hobby and passion into his full day activity. He then designed and fabricated his own 3D printers, creating different models with different capabilities including a portable 3D Printer. He founded the first Fab Lab in China “XinFab This is a link. His present goal is to build a Fab Lab in a farm. Located in the south coast of Portugal and to have an accessible place for anyone wanting to invent, prototype, change, make!

So we need help in so many areas right now that you would surely fit in in what you already like to do. And if you want to explore new areas you will be welcome.

The 5 of us stay all year long in the farm. Indeed, it is the place where we live.

Also, Fabfarm attract local citizens from neighbouring villages and cities around.

We shouldn’t miss to mention our lovely community of animals. We have friendly dogs, cats, 1 pig , a douzen of happy chickens, all living in harmony!

Sun power provid us electricity (finally). Water from the grid doesn’t exist so we filter it.

The long-term business model is not-defined for Fabfarm yet.

The project started with personal investment - buying the 22 hectares of land and some facilities (countainers to store equipment and materials). Now, the makers in residency contribute to the growing of this project.

Lucio is fully, and his wife part-time dedicated to the development of the farm. In 2020 Lucio passed his Fab Academy diploma. Now, he can become an instructor and provide course to teach digital fabrication. It gives them some new perspectives.

Regarding food and energy, they strongly try to be as much as possible auto-sufficient. In most of the projects, they rely on donation in materials that helps with renovation.