Agroecology and sustainability are vital factors in ensuring local development. Here we do not neglect the necessary questions that focus on the protection of our land and food sources. At Fazenda dos Cordeiros, our main agro-ecological activities are within our:

• Syntropic Garden
• Orchid Garden
• Conilon Coffee Agroforestry
• Juçara palm trees
• The Atlantic Forest seedling garden

Here we use modern technologies for the production of organic food and sustainable energy. Through our syntropic productions we use organic waste alongside efficient management and planning to make our farm sustainable, and advantageous. Through our syntropic farming we produce and generate food for consumption but also to feed our small animals.

We use plant waste and residues in a strategically managed and directed way to produce compost, provide organic fertilizer for agriculture, and to contribute to our model of self-sustainability. Here at our Syntropic Garden we were inspired by Ernst Götsch’s philosophies and practices of sustainable farming.

The Sintropic Garden:

Ayrton Violento owner of FDC says “we measure productivity” through the use of physical units, trying to verify, above all, the energy efficiency of each production process in a way that “the economic profitability of the production system is guaranteed through a reduced consumption of non-renewable resources”.

“Sustainability” can be defined as “the ability of production systems to maintain their productivity levels over time when they are subject to pressure and disruption”. Thus, a system can be considered sustainable when it is endowed with abundant internal workings that return to the path of development before the " distorting" element takes effect.

The Sintropic Garden at Fazenda dos Cordeiros has characteristics that make it socially fair, economically viable, and ecologically sustainable. Fazenda dos Cordeiros believes that Agroecology can help us obtain sustainable rural development while achieving our long-term goals. Our goals include: maintaining natural resources and agricultural production; minimizing impacts on the environment; adjusting economic gain in terms of viability and efficiency; satisfying human needs and responding to the social needs of our rural community and its families.

Fazenda dos Cordeiros is connected with defenders of environmentalism who propose changes in the contents of the professional training curriculum in Agroecology. Suggesting techniques and new methods of research are vital instruments in building a new developmental model. We provide academic knowledge while making our initiatives viable, expanding upon the training materials of our field.

Orchids nursery

At Fazenda dos Cordeiros we aim to give back to our planet. We preserve and plant while not removing or taking anything away from our Mother Nature. We let natures’ natural course flow without the presence of major impacts and harm normally caused by man. Here, you can observe, photograph, and reflect.

Our nursery has hundreds of orchids, a flower that is considered the most beautiful in the world. Its colors, shapes and aromas are unmistakable. At Fazenda dos Cordeiros you will learn that there are necessary practices for planting orchids in nature and that we should never collect native plants.The first Orchids here were acquired from Mr. Elias, an orchid collector from Silva Jardim, who very kindly sold us the first rare species of this precious flower, which we cultivate with great care until today. We also have a wonderful partnership with the lovely Marta and Enrique de São José do Vale do Rio Preto. Through their partnership we have Cattleyas orchids and their hybrids, which are the result of induced crossings. These beautiful flowers are appreciated and admired by all who get the chance to visit us. 

Everyone and anyone can find surprises and magic in the midst of the greenery of the Atlantic Forest where we live. Simply by walking and remaining present, imagine what we can find in nature!

Coffee Agroforest:

Fazenda dos Cordeiros is a producer of Conilon coffee: the coffee of the Baixadas, or flatlands. Our organic coffee production also makes use of agroforestry management systems, like all productions here at our farm. Our process combines the cultivation of coffee with different species of the Atlantic Forest. It is centered around biodiversity, stratification, and use of resources from the Agroforest itself.

Our coffee production process is also used as a tool for teaching in our Farmer’s Apprentice project, and for tourists who visit the farm. Our visitors can participate in coffee roasting and purchase our coffee beans or grounds! 

Our Agroforest combines coffee with pineapple, annatto, banana and ingá, which helps to store nitrogen in the soil and generate organic matter (green manure). There are many benefits to this type of production including: improvement of soil quality, a greater diversity of insects, birds, and flowers, and the consequential preservation of biodiversity. 

Juçara palmtree:

At Fazenda dos Cordeiros, in addition to the Golden Lion Tamarin, we protect other treasured species within our Atlantic Forest. Such as the Juçara palm tree (euterpe-edulis). This species plays a fundamental role in preserving the biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest and other endangered species as well (Golden Lion Tamarin, for example).The Juçara palm tree gives us the delicious heart of palm, but unfortunately this extraction leads to the death of the tree. 

However, there is an alternative way to use this species that is not harmful to the plant, and is beneficial for all. This alternative is extracting açaí from the tree! The process of extracting açaí from the plant does not lead to the death of the tree, unlike the extraction of the heart of palm. “Juçaí” (açaí ice cream from the juçara tree) is even richer in antioxidants than the traditional açaí from Pará, which is mainly consumed throughout Brazil and exported to other countries. 

Making local farmers and producers believe in the economic and environmental potential of Palmeira Juçara is a challenge we are currently facing, but dedicated to!

The Atlantic Forest Seedling Garden:

Another extremely important activity that takes place at Fazenda dos Cordeiros is the production of seedlings from the Atlantic Forest at Nursery A². Here we produce 100,000 seedlings of 130 different species, some of which we offer for sale. Our clients are companies that promote the reforestation of deforested areas, especially for the preservation of our rich biome.

Seedlings from our nursery are used in our Agroforestry productions and conservation projects, including our “green corridor” which was created in partnership with the Golden Lion Tamarin Association. Our green corridor is protected land which connects two forests with one another, and enables the reproduction of the species