In the community of Laranjeira, located in the municipality of Taperoá, in Bahia, Basílio Santos, age 38, represents a success story. The farmer is celebrating reaching his biggest goal: building a home for his family. “This has always been my dream,” he said.

A four-year member of the Presidente Tancredo Neves Rural Producers’ Cooperative (COOPATAN), an institution associated with the Bahia Southern Lowlands Environmental Protection Area Mosaic Integrated and Sustainable Development Program (PDIS), supported by the Odebrecht Foundation, Santos explained that he
was able to gather the necessary resources by planting manioc root. “We planted more and the productivity just kept increasing,” he said. “I used part of the money earned delivering the roots for the new home.”

While he was building his home, the farmer found a solution for the lack of electricity at the site: “Before beginning the construction work, I purchased a solar energy panel.” Santos also explained that he has new plans to expand the property. “I want to buy another piece of land and leave it to my five children and also start a savings account to guarantee our future,” he said.