Rooted in the land: How agroforestry is shaping the future of farming

In the rolling farmland of Rio Verde, Brazil, families have been working the soil for generations. It’s beautiful, but it’s also tough. The weather is changing, and farmers are constantly searching for ways to keep their land productive without wearing it out. For Maria Vitória Vasconcelos and her husband Daniel, the answer has been to rethink how farming connects with nature and to lean on a partnership that gives them the support to explore new approaches to agriculture.

Returning to the family farm

After graduating from college almost ten years ago, Maria returned home to help her father on the family farm. She had grown up hearing his wisdom and studied agriculture at school, but her dream was to build on her family legacy. “I was always really interested in how agriculture can work together with nature,” she says. “Coming to work with my dad opened the door for me to start thinking about a sustainable production system.”

At the time, the family farm — 2,500 hectares of corn, soybeans, coffee and pigs — was struggling with the same challenges many others in the area were facing: tired soil and unpredictable yields.

What it means to ‘farm like a forest’

Maria and Daniel began to practice agroforestry — which, simply put, means farming like a forest. Instead of growing one big crop across a huge field, they mix in trees, shrubs and other plants, so everything works together. “In the forest, nothing is coming from the outside and life is growing there,” Maria explains. “We look at this and see how we can optimize the process and how all the plants can work together to create the product that we want.”

Maria and Daniel then began working with Milhão, one of the world’s largest processors of sustainably sourced corn and a key supplier to PepsiCo in Brazil. Milhão works with farmers like Maria to help implement regenerative agricultural practices including donating native tree and shrub seedlings to the farm to build biodiversity.

Maria and Daniel continue to experiment with regenerative practices like crop rotations, organic fertilizers and less reliance on tilling (the breaking up of soil before planting). On their farm, corn and soybeans now grow alongside rows of trees, and coffee plants are tucked into the design as well. Pigs are part of the system, too, moving through certain areas to help with irrigation and fertilizing the soil as they go. Even fungi play a role, naturally keeping pests at bay in place of harsher pesticides. “The idea behind everything here is to be as independent as possible, planting crops in combination with trees, mimicking the natural forest system,” Daniel says.

The farm’s composting system makes sure that the soil is ready for crops, as well: mixing wood chips from the eucalyptus plantation, which reduces the need for chemical fertilizer. The results? Healthier soil, stronger plants and a farm that’s less dependent on chemicals.

Inspiring others

Maria and Daniel’s story shows that this approach to farming can be productive, sustainable and deeply connected to the land, all at the same time. As Marlon Prado, commercial director at Milhão Ingredients puts it: “This entire project with Maria, together with PepsiCo, guarantees the end consumer will always have high-quality products with sustainable ingredients that also benefit the environment.”

Training and technical support is important to help share practices across the region: “Milhão has supported Maria through the Reg.IA Consortium, the first regenerative agriculture consortium in Latin America. Its goal is to encourage farmers to Agroforestry practices, combined with the use of compost, help increase biodiversity on the farm and enhance soil health. This helps implement regenerative practices that add value to their grain production,” Marlon says.

The couple’s regenerative efforts are now part of a much larger movement as PepsiCo has set a global goal of scaling the adoption of regenerative agriculture, restorative or protective practices across 10 million acres of land by 2030. Farms like Maria’s are proof of how it can work in practice.

Building a legacy

For all the changes on the farm, Maria always circles back to family. “It’s a really big privilege to continue with my father’s legacy,” she says. “If I can just make it a little better place, I hope my daughter can be happy living this way, learning that we are part of nature, not separate from it.”

She believes the secret is staying close to the land and adjusting as needed. “For me that’s everything: to be able to listen and feel what nature has to tell us,” she says.

Maria and Daniel’s farm is a glimpse of what’s possible. By blending traditional knowledge, modern support and a willingness to let nature lead, they are building resilience not just for themselves but for future generations. “It makes me proud to know our products are reaching all around the world to provide good food for tomorrow,” Maria says.