Maria Rubia de Almeida

A Brazilian educator and environmentalist who pioneered rural education programs and sustainable farming initiatives in the Amazon region.

Early Life and Vision

Maria Rubia de Almeida (1910–1978) grew up in a remote Amazonian village, where she witnessed the interplay between poverty and environmental degradation. After studying agronomy in São Paulo, she returned home in 1938 to establish the Amazon Community School, blending education with sustainable land-use practices.

Education and Sustainability

De Almeida’s school taught students to cultivate crops like cassava and bananas using permaculture techniques, reducing deforestation. She also introduced health workshops to combat malaria and malnutrition. By 1950, her model inspired 30+ schools across the Amazon, collectively protecting 500,000 acres of rainforest.

Advocacy for Indigenous Rights

De Almeida collaborated with indigenous communities, advocating for their land rights in Brazil’s 1969 Forest Code. Her 1972 report, “The Amazon’s Silent Crisis”, warned of unchecked logging and became a cornerstone of early environmental policy debates.

Modern Legacy

In 2020, the Greenpeace Amazon Project adopted her permaculture methods. Her writings, including “Roots of the Rainforest”, remain required reading in environmental studies programs worldwide. UNESCO now cites her as a precursor to the modern climate justice movement.