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Dalva Cristiana recovered the Estância Recanto dos Sonhos, diversified family farming, and structured an agroindustry to serve schools in Tangará da Serra. In just 4 hectares, the producer combined food, tourism, and sustainability until winning the Sebrae Woman Business Award in the rural producer category in 2025 in the field.
Family farming transformed a degraded area of just 4 hectares into a diversified business in the municipality of Tangará da Serra, about 240 kilometers from Cuiabá, in Mato Grosso. Led by Dalva Cristiana do Nascimento, the Estância Recanto dos Sonhos brings together food production, agroindustry, rural tourism, and pedagogical activities.
The journey was presented by the Sebrae News Agency of Mato Grosso on March 31, 2026. According to Sebrae/MT, the work started in 2022 led Dalva Cristiana to win, in 2025, the Sebrae Woman Business Award in the rural producer category.
Degraded area required planning before production
When Dalva Cristiana arrived at the property, the land was degraded and needed to be recovered before sustaining the project imagined by the family. The producer stated that planning was decisive to reorganize the space and prepare it both for cultivation and for receiving visitors.
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The transformation did not start with increasing the area, but with defining how to better utilize the 4 hectares available. This process included decisions about production, infrastructure, diversification, and integration between the different activities developed on the property.
The source does not specify which techniques were applied in soil recovery nor provides analyses of the previous and subsequent environmental condition. The described result is the transition from a degraded area to a productive property prepared for new activities.
Family farming gained diversity in 4 hectares
The production of Estância Recanto dos Sonhos includes fruits, vegetables, cassava, and annatto. The property also maintains the raising of chickens and fish, forming a set of activities that reduces dependence on just one product.
In family farming, this diversification can distribute risks among different crops and sources of income. If one crop faces climate, market, or productivity issues, other activities can help maintain the property’s operation.
Sebrae/MT does not detail the volume produced, the area allocated to each crop, or the revenue obtained from the food. Therefore, it is not possible to measure which product represents the largest share of Dalva Cristiana’s income.
Agroindustry increased the utilization of food
The property has an agroindustry dedicated to processing what is produced in the garden and orchards. This structure allows part of the production to be transformed before commercialization, expanding the possibilities for food utilization.
The processed products are intended for supplying schools in the municipality of Tangará da Serra. The agroindustry brought rural production closer to an institutional market, creating a commercial outlet for food cultivated within the small property.
The source does not inform which items are processed, the volume supplied to schools, the frequency of deliveries, or the contractual model used. It also does not detail when the structure began operating.
Estância began receiving students and visitors
In addition to agricultural production, Estância Recanto dos Sonhos began receiving students from schools and universities. The location is presented as a living laboratory, where visitors can learn about the organization of a small diversified property.
The visit allows observing how family farming, food processing, sustainability, and tourism can operate within the same space. The property ceased to be just a productive area and started sharing knowledge with those who arrive at the location.
According to the publication, the estância also attracts visitors from other regions and even from abroad. The source, however, does not inform how many people have participated in the activities or which institutions organized the visits.
Rural tourism created new experiences on the property
The routine of the estância includes monthly events, such as “Lunch in the Countryside” and “Circle of Conversation”. These activities aim to value rural culture, coexistence, and the food produced on-site.
Tourism offers an additional source of income and increases contact between consumers and producers. Visitors to the property find not only food but an experience connected to rural life and the production process.
Dalva intends to increase the number of service days per month and consolidate experiential tourism. The expansion still depends on improvements in infrastructure and the capacity to balance visitors, production, agroindustry, and management.
Award recognized the journey started in 2022
The Sebrae Business Woman Award recognized Dalva Cristiana as the winner in the rural producer category in 2025. The award took place three years after the start of the property recovery and diversification project.
The recognition highlighted that an area of just 4 hectares can sustain a rural enterprise with different areas of operation. The achievement also placed the producer’s story among the examples of female entrepreneurship promoted by Sebrae.
The source does not provide the number of competitors, the complete evaluation criteria, or the award stages. The confirmed fact is that Dalva was the winner in the category for rural producers.
Sebrae Business Woman Award gave visibility to the model
Winning the Sebrae Business Woman Award increased the visibility of Estância Recanto dos Sonhos and its model based on the integration of agriculture, tourism, and food processing.
The award does not mean that the business challenges have disappeared. Dalva Cristiana states that entrepreneurship in agriculture requires daily persistence, especially to achieve goals, manage different activities, and keep the property running.
The Sebrae Business Woman Award appears, therefore, as recognition of a developing journey, and not as the endpoint of the project.
Technical support helped professionalize management
Dalva highlighted the support from Sebrae/MT in administrative organization and goal setting. The training helped transform practical knowledge and the connection with the land into more structured management.
Financial planning, activity control, and goal setting are important when the same property combines family farming, tourism, events, and agribusiness. Without organization, diversification can increase complexity instead of improving results.
The source does not specify which courses were taken or how long the producer received support. Nevertheless, it attributes an important role to technical support in the professionalization of the enterprise.
Access to credit still limits new investments
Even after the recognition, Dalva Cristiana points to access to credit as one of the main obstacles to expanding the business. The difficulty prevents larger investments in infrastructure and expansion.
The problem is not limited to Estância Recanto dos Sonhos. According to data released by Sebrae/MT, 75% of female entrepreneurs in the state still face difficulties in obtaining financing.
Without adequate credit, viable projects may grow more slowly or remain below their capacity. In the case of the property, extending service days and consolidating tourism depend on a structure compatible with increased public demand.
Female entrepreneurship grew in Mato Grosso
Sebrae/MT reported that female entrepreneurship grew by 20% in the state, reaching 244 thousand women business owners. The pursuit of financial independence appears among the main motivations for this group.
The trajectory of Dalva Cristiana is part of this movement in a sector historically associated with male presence. Her work combines fieldwork, management, customer service, and commercial articulation.
The presented data covers different economic sectors, not just family farming. Even so, they help contextualize the increase in female participation in the management of companies and rural properties.
Can a small property thrive with integration?
The Estância Recanto dos Sonhos shows that the size of the land alone does not determine the potential of an enterprise. On 4 hectares, Dalva brought together crops, animal husbandry, agro-industry, tourism, and educational activities.
The model requires planning, continuous work, and access to markets capable of absorbing the production. Family farming thrived because the property began to combine different sources of income within the same space.
Do you believe that more small properties could grow with agro-industry, rural tourism, and supplying schools? Tell us in the comments which of these strategies would have the greatest potential to strengthen family farming in your region.
