After 40 years as pasture, degraded land in Brazil produces award-winning cacao

For four decades, part of Fazenda Monte Castelo in Castanhal, in northeastern Pará, served as pasture. By the time the land was tested for agriculture, the soil had deteriorated so severely that black pepper plants died within their first two years.

The setback forced producer Osny de Azevedo Ramos to change direction. In 2019, he began developing cacao cultivation alongside açaí, following advice from technicians at Ceplac, the federal agricultural body linked to Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.

The combination offered both an agronomic and financial alternative. Cacao produces much of its crop in the first half of the year, while açaí generates income later. That timing allows the farm to spread revenue instead of relying on a single harvest.

The farm also focused on processing its cacao beans, using fermentation and drying to pursue higher quality. In the crop’s third year, a sample from the first harvest was sent to a specialist festival and won a gold medal, competing against producers with more market experience.

That recognition showed that land unable to sustain another crop could produce high-quality cacao. Regional prices underscored the difference: conventional cacao sold for roughly R$9 or R$10 per kilogram, while the farm’s fine beans could reach R$40 to R$55 after processing and sale in a higher-quality segment. The farm is now preparing to reach 50 productive hectares.