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Recovery of a forgotten property in the interior of Rio de Janeiro involved complete reconstruction, change in the herd, and adoption of agroecological practices. In an experience documented in 2017, Fazenda Alliança produced organic buffalo milk, cultivated food, restored coffee plantations, and welcomed visitors.
Completely abandoned when acquired by architect Josefina Durini, a farm in the interior of Rio de Janeiro gained a new productive structure after work that involved soil recovery, reconstruction of facilities, and reorganization of rural activities.
Located in Barra do Piraí, Fazenda Alliança underwent interventions in fences, headquarters, milking, and spaces for animals before reaching about 200 liters of organic buffalo milk daily, as recorded in 2017.
Besides the physical recovery of the property, the project was structured to implement an agroecological system capable of combining animal husbandry, plant cultivation, conservation of natural resources, and certified production, according to a report published by the National Society of Agriculture on March 1, 2017.
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Abandoned farm required reconstruction of rural structure
Upon taking over the area, Josefina found a property whose structure needed to be practically redone, a situation that led the initial work to focus on improving and remineralizing the soil, installing fences, and restoring the headquarters.
Subsequently, the farm received a milking parlor, sheepfolds, and other spaces necessary for the productive routine, allowing livestock activity to be implemented within the model planned to recover the area and once again leverage its economic potential.
Before the arrival of the buffaloes, dairy farming began with Jersey cows, known for producing milk with high levels of fat and protein, but the animals did not adapt well to the organic system adopted on the property.
According to the account published by the National Society of Agriculture at that time, the conditions found in Barra do Piraí and the characteristics of the management led the producer to seek a more suitable alternative to the agroecological proposal developed since the beginning of the recovery.
Exchange of cows for buffaloes redefined production
Faced with the difficulties observed with the Jersey cows, Josefina gradually began acquiring buffaloes, realizing during the process that these animals responded better to the farm’s conditions and showed greater compatibility with the chosen production system for the property.
At the time depicted by the 2017 report, buffalo milk was the main commercial product of Fazenda Alliança, which maintained between 150 and 200 animals and recorded an approximate production of 200 liters of organic milk per day.
Obtained through two milkings performed daily at that time, the volume was sent to a dairy in the region, where the milk served as raw material for derivatives sold in supermarkets and restaurants in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
At that stage of the project, the property that had been found without operational structure already integrated a broader commercial chain, bringing organic products to establishments located beyond the limits of the municipality of Barra do Piraí.
Organic management began with soil recovery
To meet the criteria of the adopted organic system, interventions reached different stages of production, from soil treatment and cultivation of the food offered to the herd to the daily management of the buffaloes kept on the property.
Among the practices presented in the report were green fertilization and the application of vermicompost produced within the farm itself, resources used to improve soil conditions without abandoning the principles defined for the agroecological project.
Also cultivated on the property during that period, sugarcane, grass, corn, and sorghum were part of the feed intended for the animals, a strategy that reduced dependence on purchasing feed and increased control over the ingredients used in the herd’s nutrition.
By producing a significant portion of the food consumed by the buffaloes, Fazenda Alliança brought nutritional management closer to the requirements of the organic system and maintained greater integration between the agricultural and livestock activities developed in the rural area.
Lakes and shaded areas integrated into management
In addition to the food produced on the farm, the management described by the source considered the natural characteristics of the buffaloes, which found shaded areas, water for consumption, and lakes where they could bathe during periods of higher temperatures.
These spaces catered to the behavior of a species that uses water and mud to help regulate body temperature, making the structure available on the property an important part of the animals’ adaptation to the implemented production system.
According to Josefina, informed to the National Society of Agriculture in 2017, the farm’s routine used homeopathic treatments and did not employ hormones or antibiotics, practices associated with the decisions made to preserve the organic positioning of the production at that time.
Inserted into a broader set of requirements, these measures encompassed soil care, the feed provided to animals, management conditions, and the procedures adopted in obtaining milk intended for commercialization.
Organic certification differentiated buffalo milk
At the time of the report, Fazenda Alliança had certification granted by Ecocert, an organization responsible for evaluating organic production systems and verifying if the practices adopted met the necessary criteria to market foods with this identification.
In a statement published in 2017, Josefina stated that the property was then the only one certified for organic buffalo milk production in the state of Rio de Janeiro and one of the few dedicated to the activity in Brazil.
As this condition was presented in a specific journalistic record of that year, the information describes the scenario existing at the time of publication and does not represent, by itself, a permanent classification of the Brazilian organic milk market.
More than a statement made by the producer herself, the seal required monitoring of the practices applied to the soil, feeding, animal management, and the production of foods that were later directed to the consumer market.
For consumers of that period, the certification served as a reference for origin and production method, while the farm used this recognition to differentiate the milk and its derivatives within a segment still little known in the country.
Gardens, orchards, and coffee plantations diversified the property
Although buffalo milk occupied the center of the commercial activity documented in 2017, Fazenda Alliança also maintained organic gardens and orchards for sale, as well as sheep, pigs, and poultry used for internal supply.
Another productive front emerged with the recovery of an existing coffee plantation in the area, which had been abandoned and began receiving attention along with the planting of new Arabica coffee seedlings on the property.
By resuming this cultivation, the farm incorporated into the project an activity historically linked to the Coffee Valley, a region where Barra do Piraí is located and which preserves buildings, landscapes, and references associated with the development of coffee in Rio de Janeiro.
Vegetables, fruits, milk, coffee, and smaller livestock occupied different areas of the farm, forming a system where part of the production met internal consumption and another portion was directed to the market.
Rural tourism brought visitors closer to production
Incorporated into the project as another economic activity, rural tourism allowed visitors to experience the agroecological routine of Fazenda Alliança and have contact with meals prepared from ingredients grown or produced on the property.
Favored by its location in a region marked by the heritage of old coffee farms, the experience combined buffalo breeding, milk production, vegetable gardens, orchards, gastronomy, and historical elements linked to the rural space.
Instead of being limited to observing the animals, the visit brought the public closer to the stages involved in food production and created a direct connection between the ingredients served, the management employed, and the place of obtaining the raw material.
In the scenario documented by the National Society of Agriculture in 2017, Fazenda Alliança had transformed from an area without operational structure to a property with recovered soil, rebuilt facilities, adapted herd, organic certification, and different economic activities.
Could you imagine that the recovery of a completely abandoned farm could involve replacing cows with buffaloes and give rise to a property with organic milk, coffee, vegetable gardens, orchards, and rural tourism?
