Maria Oliveira

Brazilian agroecology pioneer restoring Amazon biodiversity through community farming

Maria Oliveira (b. 1972) is the founder of Floresta Viva, a Brazilian NGO that has reforested 120,000 hectares of Amazon rainforest through agroecological farming since 1998. Her innovative model combines traditional indigenous knowledge with modern permaculture techniques, creating self-sustaining ecosystems that sequester 10x more carbon than monoculture plantations. Oliveira's 2003 partnership with the Kayapó tribe established the first community-owned carbon credit program, generating $5M+ in fair trade income for indigenous communities. Her 2010 book 《Amazon Roots》 details her methodology, now taught in 15 universities worldwide. Oliveira's 2016 documentary 《Seeds of the Forest》 won a Sundance award, highlighting her work with 12,000+ smallholder farmers. Her 2020 UN report "Scaling Regenerative Agriculture" influenced Brazil's 2021 Amazon Conservation Law. Oliveira's TED Talk "Growing Forests from the Ground Up" has been translated into 18 languages. Her 2022 initiative Youth Agroecology Network trains 500+ young leaders annually in sustainable farming techniques.