In 2007, Francisco visited Mondragon, the successful network of cooperatives in the Basque region of Spain. The visit served as practical experience of the effectiveness of community-lead economic development. Eventually, he became involved with the Ananda Valley eco-village, the Prout Research Institute of Portugal (PRIP), and co-founded Bioeco, the Association of Biological Agriculture and Agro-ecology.
Francisco has been a collaborator and presenter for conferences on “Economic Democracy” and “Systems Change and Sustainability”. He is the organizer of study circles for activists throughout Portugal (Lisbon, Covilha, Fundao, and Porto) as well as Economic Democracy in Action Encounters. He is also participating in the research to develop a Block-Level Planning strategy for the Cova da Beira region.