Big Bet: Scale regenerative agriculture by training farmers and securing buyers of crops.
Project: Revolutionize sustainable agriculture by encouraging the restoration of degraded land and boosting diversified agroforestry systems. By training farmers, unlocking key funding, and securing buyers for the final product, this initiative will benefit hundreds of thousands of small farmers, further improving the environmental and economic health of local communities and preserving the region’s biodiversity. Currently operating in 5 Brazilian states across 3 different biomes – Amazon, Atlantic Rainforest, and Cerrado – this project aims to be a scalable, resilient, and socially comprehensive solution for land deterioration.
Valmir Gabriel Ortega is a geographer with extensive experience in both the public and private sectors, especially in the fields of environment and sustainable development. He worked for over 15 years in the public sector, holding positions such as Superintendent of Environment in Mato Grosso do Sul, Director of Ecosystems and Acting President at IBAMA, as well as State Secretary of Environment in Pará. Between 2010 and early 2013, he was the Senior Director of Policy at Conservation International Brazil (CI-Brazil).
As a consultant, he worked with various non-governmental organizations, international foundations, and multilateral cooperation agencies, focusing on the development of public policies and the implementation of socio-environmental projects with communities and companies. He also dedicated himself to promoting sustainable value chains.
In 2018, along with a group of social entrepreneurs, he co-founded the Institute for Sustainable Connections (CONEXSUS), which promotes socio-environmental impact businesses, especially those focused on communities and sustainable land use. In 2020, he founded BELTERRA AGROFLORESTAS, a company dedicated to forest restoration and sustainable rural development, where he serves as the Executive Director. In 2023, he founded RIO CAPIM AGROSSILPASTORIL, a company focused on promoting silvopastoral systems and regenerative livestock farming.