Scaling regeneration: from Uruguay to Portugal via Paraguay

Our founders, Francisco Roque de Pinho and Joaquin Labella, CFA, started The Land Group in 2016 to turn around underperforming and often distressed farmland properties. From the outset, our aim was to improve agricultural operations by restoring, not depleting, natural capital. "Cultivating sustainable growth" soon became our motto.

When we started in Uruguay, we focused on immediate operational improvements: replacing underperforming tenants, restructuring lease agreements, strengthening guarantees, ensuring compliance with soil management plans, and investing in critical infrastructure.

But we soon hit a ceiling and had to move beyond these early fixes. With our clients' unwavering support, we took over the day-to-day operations of our largest farm in Uruguay, Villa Lucero, with 9,000 hectares, where we built a livestock operation from scratch. Over time, we developed a deeper understanding of the land, trialled new approaches, and adapted our livestock system to restore fertility while improving productivity and long-term value. These practices gradually took root, evolving into the scalable regenerative grazing model we now apply across all our farms in Uruguay.

From Uruguay, we expanded into Paraguay, where we encountered markedly different conditions: a more variable climate, weaker logistics, and a less predictable legal environment. In response, we developed tailored strategies, particularly around water systems and animal health, while maintaining a clear focus on regenerative outcomes.

We are now expanding operations to Portugal, a country with many agronomic and climatic similarities to Uruguay. This marks the next phase of our work.

These three photographs mark the evolution of our approach from Uruguay to Portugal via Paraguay.

Together, we cultivate sustainable growth.

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