Faces of Restoration Patrick Assumpção: Using Agroforestry to Restore Paraíba Valley to Glory

This case study describes Patrick Assumpão's efforts to restore the Paraíba Valley in Brazil through agroforestry at Fazenda Nova Coruputuba. By combining native hardwoods like guanandi with food crops and unconventional food plants (PANCs), Assumpão aims to recover soil fertility and create sustainable markets. A 2018 ROAM study supports these efforts, suggesting that landscape restoration in the region could boost agricultural GDP by 32% and reduce soil erosion by 19%.

• Patrick Assumpção is implementing agroforestry at Fazenda Nova Coruputuba, a 200-hectare farm in Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo, to restore degraded land and build a rural economy. He aims for 40,000 hectares of forest to be restored in the Paraíba Valley.
• The Paraíba Valley suffered significant land degradation due to centuries of unsustainable livestock farming and agriculture, which drained soil nutrients and caused erosion that silted rivers and blocked freshwater springs serving over 2 million people.
• A 2018 study using the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM) indicated that restoring identified areas in the Paraíba Valley could increase the region's agriculture and livestock GDP share by 32% and reduce soil erosion by 19%.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Faces of Restoration Patrick Assumpção: Using Agroforestry to Restore Paraíba Valley to Glory. https://www.wri.org/faces-restoration/patrick-restorative-agriculture-brazil

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Faces of Restoration Patrick Assumpção: Using Agroforestry to Restore Paraíba Valley to Glory. n.d. https://www.wri.org/faces-restoration/patrick-restorative-agriculture-brazil.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Faces of Restoration Patrick Assumpção: Using Agroforestry to Restore Paraíba Valley to Glory |url=https://www.wri.org/faces-restoration/patrick-restorative-agriculture-brazil |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendfaces, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Faces of Restoration Patrick Assumpção: Using Agroforestry to Restore Paraíba Valley to Glory}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/faces-restoration/patrick-restorative-agriculture-brazil}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }