Farmers and members of a cooperative in Valle del Ribeira, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, are developing a farming technique that uses less water and no agro-chemicals, and is based on planting trees. The project of the Association of Agro-Forestry Farmers of Barra do Turvo and Cooperafloresta centers on planting trees amidst the crops.

“The shade from the trees preserves soil moisture, reducing the need for irrigation, while their roots provide necessary nutrients, making agro-chemicals unnecessary,” Cooperafloresta president Pedro Oliveira de Souza told Tierramérica.

With the sponsorship of state-run oil giant Petrobras, the project aims to spread this knowledge to farmers in the area and across the country through seminars that demonstrate the practices in the fields where they can be used.