Geraldo Cândido da Silva, known as Dadin, lives with his wife Cida and their two children as farmers in the mountainous region of Zona da Mata, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The diversity of species on their farm not only benefits the environment but also contributes significantly to the family’s income.
Dadin played a key role in the creation of the farmers’ union of his municipality, and since 1985 he has been working together with the Centre of Alternative Technologies, an NGO that develops projects in partnership with farmers in the region.
Dadin’s objective is to work together with nature. In their farm of around 12 hectares, he lets some native trees grow spontaneously, both around the house and in his agroforestry system.
He also planted fruit trees alongside the coffee and bananas, such as avocado, papaya, graviola (Anona muricata) and jaca (Articarpus integrifolia), increasing the complexity of the system.
The diversity of species on his farm not only benefits the environment but also contributes significantly to the family’s income. Using no pesticides and almost no fertilizers, they produce so much fruit that is not possible to harvest everything. This is not a problem, as all that’s left can help feed the soil and the local wildlife that comes to their farm. “It is a mutual relationship!” Dadin and Cida also raise pigs and grow a great variety of vegetables that are sold to the local primary and secondary school at a fair price, through a programme run by the national government. Both of them stress that their farm is about more than just production.
Visitors can see the beauty of the landscapes, the care they put into the environment, and very importantly: they see that it is not only the plants that are healthy, but also the soil, the water and the people who are part of this agro-ecosystem.
Text: Heitor Mancini Teixeira
