Yacarantã Brazil: The Democratization of an Agriculture in Favor of People and Nature

The Yacarantã Collective in Rio Manso, Brazil, promotes syntropic agriculture to restore biodiversity and ensure food sovereignty. After an initial phase of training for affluent visitors, the collective pivoted to support local rural communities devastated by a 2019 mining dam collapse. This resulted in the creation of the 'Margaridas' women's group, which manages a 2,000-square-meter community agroforestry system with over 400 seedlings and 30 types of vegetables.

• The Yacarantã Collective promotes syntropic agriculture, also known as biodiverse agroforestry systems, as a method of food production that mimics natural ecosystems to restore biodiversity and produce food in harmony with nature. This approach allows for the simultaneous cultivation of native trees, fruit trees, and abundant crops in a single space.
• Between 2016 and 2018, the Yacarantã Farm conducted an initial phase of outreach, offering over 20 different courses to more than 300 people on topics including agroforestry, food preparation, and food longevity. However, these participants were primarily individuals with better financial means, and the collective initially struggled to connect with local communities.
• Following a 2019 mining dam collapse in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte, which contaminated soil and water and destroyed crops for over 400 socioeconomically impacted families, the Yacarantã Collective expanded its efforts to support rural communities. This led to a partnership with the Rural School to provide practical and theoretical education on sustainable agriculture, regenerative economy, and solidarity economy.
• The collective's efforts led to the formation of 'Margaridas', a women-led group focused on achieving food sovereignty. They established a community-based agroforestry system covering over 2,000 square meters, featuring more than 400 seedlings of native and fruit tree species and over 30 types of vegetables and greens.

APA

Global Resilience Partnership (2023). Yacarantã Brazil: The Democratization of an Agriculture in Favor of People and Nature. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/yacaranta-brazil-the-democratization-of-an-agriculture-in-favor-of-people-and-nature/

Chicago

Global Resilience Partnership. Yacarantã Brazil: The Democratization of an Agriculture in Favor of People and Nature. 2023. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/yacaranta-brazil-the-democratization-of-an-agriculture-in-favor-of-people-and-nature/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Resilience Partnership |title=Yacarantã Brazil: The Democratization of an Agriculture in Favor of People and Nature |date=11 August 2023 |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/yacaranta-brazil-the-democratization-of-an-agriculture-in-favor-of-people-and-nature/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalresiliencepartnership2023yacarant, author = {{Global Resilience Partnership}}, title = {{Yacarantã Brazil: The Democratization of an Agriculture in Favor of People and Nature}}, institution = {Global Resilience Partnership}, year = {2023}, month = aug, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/yacaranta-brazil-the-democratization-of-an-agriculture-in-favor-of-people-and-nature/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }