Just over a year ago, farmer Pedro Avellino decided to bet on a new model of agriculture by joining the Terra Doce program. He already had an idea in mind about changes to the property, but lacked the incentive. “When I heard about the program, I liked it. I already had an idea in my head, but I still lacked the incentive. I liked the program and decided to join too. And I’m really enjoying it,” she says.
Pedro highlights diversity as one of the first visible gains. The return of biodiversity, the appearance of animals and the variety of crops planted have become a reality on his property. “It’s something that brings a lot, it brings a lot of diversity of things that we saw in the past and that I’m now seeing again – biodiversity coming back, animals, a lot… And production too, right?” he says.
The system in place provides for the main production of cocoa and rubber trees, but other crops are already growing strongly. “We already have sweet potatoes, lots of bananas as you can see from the plants, and also peppers and native trees too, right? Everything mixed together,” explains Pedro. For him, the taste of agroforestry production is incomparable: “For those who like to see organic production, there’s no doubt about it – it’s very tasty. The taste of organic produce is completely different, without that industrial flavor that city people are so used to.”
One year and five months into the program, Pedro is already seeing concrete results. “All I have to say is how pleased I am to see things already happening – even with the little I’ve done. Now you can see the change happening here, in a very satisfactory way,” he shares.
Despite the effort required, Pedro says it’s worth it: “Is it hard work? Yes – and not a little. But the satisfaction we get from seeing everything come to life is what matters most.”