Fazenda São Francisco

About this land node

Overview

Project Vision

To become a model regenerative organism where agriculture, tourism, research, and culture integrate harmoniously within the Atlantic Forest, demonstrating that soil, water, flora, fauna, and people can evolve together toward a thriving, biodiverse, and economically viable future.

Project Purpose

To demonstrate that productive agriculture and environmental regeneration can coexist by applying process-based agriculture and syntropic agroforestry principles that increase local biodiversity while maintaining productive cacao, acai, and tropical fruit systems within the Atlantic Forest biome.

Project Title

Fazenda São Francisco

Ecoregional Location

Dense submontane ombrophilous forest on laterite soils, transitioning from coastal lowlands to forested hills (100-300m elevation). The landscape is defined by the Tijuipinho River watershed, cabruca shade-grown cacao canopy connected to Serra do Conduru State Park, and one of the world's highest recorded tree diversity zones (456 species per hectare). Flagship species include the maned three-toed sloth and golden-headed lion tamarin. Part of the Central Atlantic Forest Ecological Corridor.

Local Location

Costa do Cacau

Political Location

Serra Grande, Uruçuca, Bahia, Brazil

Ecology & biodiversity

Flora & Fauna

Flora includes native Atlantic Forest species such as inga, jequitiba, jatoba, embauba, aroeira, and guapuruvu providing canopy for cacao cultivation. Cultivated species include cacao (Parazinho and Maranhao varieties), acai, jackfruit, cupuacu, banana, coconut, citrus, cassava, pineapple, and corn. Fauna includes 175+ bird species documented in the Serra do Conduru area, native stingless bees, primates (golden-headed lion tamarin, golden-bellied capuchin), ocelot, cougar, and at least 45 endemic amphibian species.

Keystone species

Golden-headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas), maned three-toed sloth (Bradypus torquatus, flagship species of the Bahia Coastal Forests ecoregion), golden-bellied capuchin (Sapajus xanthosternos), red-billed curassow (Crax blumenbachii), native stingless bees (maintained and conserved on the farm), and native canopy trees such as jequitiba and jatoba that support forest structure and connectivity.

Biodiversity context

The farm sits adjacent to Serra do Conduru State Park, where botanists from the New York Botanical Gardens recorded 456 different plant species in a single hectare, a world record for tree diversity. The southern Bahia Atlantic Forest is recognized as one of the richest regions in the world for biodiversity, containing around 20% of the world's flora. It is part of the Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves UNESCO World Heritage Site area and the Central Atlantic Forest Ecological Corridor. About 48% of plant species at Serra Grande are endemic to the Atlantic Forest biome.

Ecological corridors

The farm sits within the Central Atlantic Forest Ecological Corridor, established in 2002, which connects forest remnants from southern Bahia to northern Espirito Santo. The cabruca cacao system on the property functions as a biological corridor linking Serra do Conduru State Park forest fragments to coastal ecosystems. This connectivity is critical for the movement of primates, birds, and other arboreal fauna between isolated forest patches.

Natural boundaries

The farm is bounded by the Serra do Conduru mountain range to the west and the Atlantic coastline to the east. Natural boundaries include the Tijuipinho River watershed and surrounding Atlantic Forest remnants that connect to Serra do Conduru State Park. The property sits within the buffer zone of the park, with forest coverage extending into the coastal hills.

Ecosystem unity

The property forms part of a continuous Atlantic Forest landscape that links Serra do Conduru State Park with coastal restinga and mangrove ecosystems. The cabruca cacao system under native canopy effectively extends the functional forest corridor, maintaining canopy connectivity for arboreal fauna and migratory birds between upland forest and coastal zones.

Climate & water

Climate Zones

Super-humid tropical climate (Koppen Af), characterized by warm temperatures year-round with no distinct dry season. The region is influenced by maritime tropical air masses and orographic rainfall from the Serra do Conduru range.

Rainfall patterns

Rainfall is distributed throughout the year with no predictable dry season, though occasional rainless periods of 1-3 months can occur between December and March. April is the wettest month (approximately 152 mm) and September the driest (approximately 81 mm). Humidity ranges from 80% in January to 87% in July.

Average Rainfall

Approximately 1,400-2,000 mm per year. Nearby measuring stations record 1,948 mm/year (Ilheus) and 1,832 mm/year (Uruçuca).

Temperature Extremes

Temperatures rarely fall below 18C (64F) or exceed 33C (91F). Occasional cooler periods occur during austral winter months (June-August) with nighttime lows around 18C.

Average Temperature

Average annual temperature of 23C (73F). Monthly averages range from approximately 21C in July to 26C in February.

Watershed

Located within the Eastern Hydrographic Basin of Bahia. The farm contains springs and streams that feed into the Tijuipinho River system, which flows eastward to the Atlantic Ocean. Multiple springs and small waterfalls are present on the property.

Aquifers & groundwater

Groundwater is accessed through natural springs on the property. The area benefits from high rainfall infiltration through forested slopes, recharging shallow aquifers. The farm actively works on recovering and protecting water sources (nascentes) as part of its conservation efforts.

Nearby water bodies

The property contains multiple springs (nascentes) and waterfalls. The Tijuipinho River flows nearby. The Atlantic Ocean coastline is within a few kilometers to the east, with the Praia de Pe de Serra and other beaches accessible from Serra Grande. The Rio de Contas lies to the north of the broader region.

Land & terrain

Elevation & slope

The farm spans a landscape ranging from coastal lowlands near sea level up into the foothills of the Serra do Conduru range. The terrain includes gently rolling hills and steeper forested slopes with elevations reaching approximately 100-300 meters in the surrounding serra. The varied topography creates microclimates favorable to diverse agroforestry plantings.

Landforms

The landscape consists of coastal Atlantic Forest hills and valleys formed by the Serra do Conduru mountain range, a series of low coastal mountains that rise abruptly from a narrow coastal plain. The topography includes flat valley floors used for agriculture, rolling hillsides with cacao cabruca, and steeper forested uplands with springs and waterfalls.

Soil Types

Laterite soils locally classified as Colonia concrecionario variety, equivalent to typic gibbsiorthox. Strongly acidic, with a high percentage of gravel-sized aggregates. In cabruca and agroforestry areas, continuous leaf litter deposition and root activity have improved organic matter content and soil structure over time.

Soil health

Soil health is actively improved through agroforestry management. The cabruca system maintains continuous canopy cover that protects soil from erosion and builds organic matter. Syntropic agroforestry areas use biomass cycling, mulching, selective pruning, and manual weeding to stimulate soil regeneration. Native soil is naturally acidic and low in fertility, but agroecological practices are steadily improving nutrient cycling and microbial activity.

Erosion risk

Moderate to high erosion risk on steeper slopes, especially where forest cover has been historically removed. The laterite soils with gravel aggregates are susceptible to water erosion during heavy rain events. The farm mitigates this through permanent canopy cover in cabruca areas, agroforestry ground cover, and preservation of riparian forest along streams and springs.

Natural resources

Cacao (primary cash crop, specialty and fine-flavor varieties), acai, tropical fruits (jackfruit, cupuacu, coconut, citrus, caja), cassava, native timber (sustainably harvested and reclaimed), honey from native stingless bees, forest products (pulps, freeze-dried products), fresh water from springs, and rich biodiversity supporting pollination and ecosystem services.

Renewable resource potential

High potential for solar energy given tropical latitude and consistent sunshine. Biomass energy from agroforestry pruning and processing residues. Water resources from multiple springs support small-scale hydroelectric potential. The consistent rainfall and warm temperatures provide excellent conditions for year-round biomass production through syntropic agroforestry systems.

People & history

Land Acknowledgements

This land lies within the ancestral territory of the Tupinamba people, who have inhabited the Atlantic coastal forests of southern Bahia since long before Portuguese colonization. The Tupinamba de Olivenca, recognized by the Brazilian government in 2002, maintain communities extending from the coast near Olivenca to Serra do Padeiro, approximately 40 km south of the farm. Their ongoing land demarcation and cultural revitalization movement (retomada) is a defining feature of the region's social landscape.

Traditional ecological knowledge

The Tupinamba people hold deep traditional ecological knowledge related to Atlantic Forest management, including cultivation of cassava and other crops using shifting agriculture techniques, forest resource management, and medicinal plant knowledge. The broader southern Bahia cacao region also carries generations of traditional knowledge about cabruca cultivation, a shade-grown cacao system that effectively mimics and preserves native forest structure, developed through Afro-Brazilian and caboclo farming traditions.

Human Cultures

The region is shaped by Afro-Brazilian, indigenous Tupinamba, and rural caboclo cultures. Traditional cacao farming communities (cabruca culture) have deep roots in southern Bahia, blending Portuguese colonial agricultural heritage with African and indigenous knowledge. Local communities maintain traditions of artisanal food production, fishing, and forest-based livelihoods.

Cultural landscapes

The southern Bahia cacao landscape is a globally significant cultural landscape where traditional cabruca farming has maintained forest cover while producing cacao for over 250 years. This human-modified forest system is recognized as one of the most effective forms of shade agriculture for biodiversity conservation. The coastal region also carries the cultural legacy of the cacao boom (19th-20th century), Afro-Brazilian quilombola communities, fishing villages, and the more recent emergence of ecotourism and regenerative agriculture movements.

Recent land history

The region experienced intensive cacao monoculture expansion in the 19th and early 20th centuries, followed by the devastating witches broom fungus (Crinipellis perniciosa) epidemic in the 1980s-1990s that collapsed the regional cacao economy. This crisis led to widespread land abandonment and deforestation. In response, Serra do Conduru State Park was created in 1997, and the BA-001 highway connecting Ilheus to Itacare was inaugurated in 1998, opening the region to ecotourism. Fazenda Sao Francisco has since transitioned toward regenerative agroforestry and syntropic agriculture, recovering degraded areas and diversifying production beyond cacao.

Regenerative practice

Regenerative Focus

Syntropic Agroforestry / Permaculture, Native / Local Ecosystems On Land, Regenerative Agriculture & Soil Health, Education, Regenerative Tourism, Heritage Species & Seed Sovereignty, Research & Participatory Science, Community Regeneration & Resilience Building

Regenerative Methodologies

Syntropic agroforestry (agriculture of processes) following Ernst Gotsch principles, traditional cabruca shade-grown cacao cultivation, selective manual management (pruning, desbrota, selective hand-weeding for natural regeneration), biomass cycling and mulching, native stingless bee conservation and nesting programs, controlled cacao fermentation and drying for specialty chocolate, water source recovery, and ecological corridor maintenance through canopy connectivity.

Environmental objectives

Restore and conserve Atlantic Forest biodiversity through syntropic agroforestry and traditional cabruca systems. Recover degraded lands and water sources. Increase native bee populations. Maintain ecological connectivity with Serra do Conduru State Park. Produce high-quality cacao and tropical fruits while regenerating soil health and forest structure.

Community objectives

Strengthen local community through education, agroforestry training, volunteer and internship programs, and regenerative tourism experiences. Support traditional cacao farming culture. Provide economic opportunities through value-added products (bean-to-bar chocolate, forest products) and experiential tourism.

Community engagement

Agroforestry immersion courses led by experienced educators (e.g., Jua Pereira), native bee conservation workshops, birdwatching experiences, cacao immersion tours (Passeio do Cacau), ecological lodging hosting visitors and researchers, internship and volunteer programs, partnerships with Instituto Nova Era and Mayra-Hu, and event hosting for regenerative agriculture education.

Economic Model

Diversified regenerative enterprise model combining cacao production (specialty bean sales and bean-to-bar chocolate), agroforestry product sales (acai, tropical fruits, pulps, freeze-dried products), sustainable timber extraction and reclaimed wood, ecological tourism and experiential hospitality (lodging, guided tours, birdwatching), educational course fees, and exploration of ecosystem service tokenization for regenerative economy models.

Impact

Expressed Impact

Fazenda Sao Francisco demonstrates that regenerative agroforestry within the Atlantic Forest can produce high-quality cacao and diverse tropical products while actively restoring biodiversity, soil health, and water systems. The farm functions as a living laboratory and educational hub, connecting people to the land through immersive experiences in one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. By integrating production, conservation, tourism, research, and culture, the farm models a holistic approach to regenerative land stewardship in the southern Bahia cacao landscape.

Key impact metrics

340 hectares total farm area. 52 hectares of cabruca agroforestry. 6+ hectares of intensive syntropic agroforestry. Number of native tree species maintained under cabruca canopy. Number of bird species observed (175+ in surrounding area). Native bee colony count. Volume of specialty cacao produced. Number of course and workshop participants. Water source recovery progress. Area of degraded land restored through agroforestry.

Visiting & links

Nearest urban centres

Serra Grande village is approximately 40 km north of Ilheus (population ~160,000) and 35 km south of Itacare (population ~30,000). The farm is accessible via the BA-001 coastal highway. The nearest airport is Ilheus/Jorge Amado Airport (IOS). Salvador, the state capital, is approximately 350 km to the north.

Website

https://www.fazendasaofranciscobahia.com/

Social media

https://www.instagram.com/fazendasaofranciscobahia/

Visit Link

https://www.fazendasaofranciscobahia.com/c%C3%B3pia-birdwatching

Connections

Shared practice