A new agricultural model for Brazil, starting from the Lagoa do Sino experimental field

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What it is

Transição Tropical is a project of UFSCar – Fazenda Escola Lagoa do Sino (FELS) in partnership with Instituto Folio to develop and validate a regenerative and organic agricultural model for grain production in Brazil.

FELS is a 400-hectare productive teaching farm donated by the writer Raduan Nassar to the university. It is a reference in applied research and territorial engagement.

Why it emerged

The current agricultural model — dependent on chemicals, fossil fuels, and monocultures — has reached productive, environmental, and social limits.

Tropical agriculture needs to transition to systems based on:

soil health
plant diversity
biological solutions
climate resilience
farmer autonomy

FELS is the ideal laboratory for this transformation.

What the project does

Design of a new management protocol based on processes

Transition

Full diagnosis
Gradual withdrawal of chemicals
Implementation
Field testing

Partnerships with

Alignment of the academic curriculum with real field conditions

Where we are

First cycle (2024/25) in progress:

114 ha of corn and 52 ha of soybeans under transition
100% use of biological products in pest control
Use of organic compost, natural phosphate, poultry manure, and biological inoculation
Testing of prototypes for mechanical management of spontaneous plants (weeds)
Adoption of seeds adapted to the environment and local pest pressures

Main challenges and lessons learned

The transition is a real adaptation process, with no ready-made formulas.

The first two years are the most sensitive: removing chemicals causes temporary ecosystem imbalances
The system tends to rebalance itself with the return of natural enemies
Lessons learned include: better crop planning, improved input and machinery management, earlier planting, and proper seed selection

The biggest bottleneck today

Weed management is the main challenge for regenerative grain agriculture to scale.

For this reason, Transição Tropical invests in machinery, innovation, testing, and prototyping.

Who makes it happen

The project brings together six Working Groups — Agricultural Production, Agroecology, Environmental Management, Food Processing and Quality, Academic, and Governance — including professors, researchers, farmers, field technicians, agricultural consultants, representatives of the bio-industry, and Instituto Folio.

It is a collective transformation: no structural change is achieved by a single mind.

The opportunity

To transform the UFSCar Lagoa do Sino campus into a national reference for regenerative and organic transition, generating a replicable model for other farms, expanding farmer autonomy, productivity, soil health, and positive environmental impact.

Testimonials

“The role of science is to push the frontier of knowledge, and that is exactly what this new agriculture requires. The Lagoa do Sino Teaching Farm (FELS) was created with the objective of fostering an innovation ecosystem, and the partnership with Folio is essential to bring together the actors needed to face this great challenge. A new agriculture is necessary and urgent if the human species is to continue coexisting on this planet.”

Alberto Carmassi, Director, Lagoa do Sino Campus

“We see the turning point toward regenerative agriculture when we understand that the current agricultural model alone is no longer sufficient. This project is an important opportunity to integrate research, discover new diagnostics, and deepen the interaction between soil chemistry, physics, and biology.”

Conrado Fioretto, Partner, Laborsolo

Who leads the transition at Fels

Alberto Luciano Carmassi

Waldir Cintra

Waldir Cintra is an agronomist with a Master’s and PhD in Plant Pathology, including a research period at the Institut für Pflanzenkrankheiten und Pflanzenschutz and the University of Hannover (Germany) between 1999 and 2000.
He is a Full Professor at the Center for Natural Sciences and in the Graduate Program in Planning and Use of Renewable Resources at UFSCar. His work focuses on epidemiology, climate change, and integrated plant disease management.

Débora Cristina Rother

Débora Cristina Rother is a biologist trained at UNESP, where she also completed her Master’s and PhD in Plant Biology.
She is a professor at UFSCar, working in the fields of Ecology and Forest Restoration. Her research focuses on the dynamics and connectivity of tropical landscapes, with a particular emphasis on the restoration of the Atlantic Forest.
Her work includes community ecology, seed dispersal, and ecological networks in restored areas.

Alexandre Camargo Martensen

Alexandre Camargo Martensen holds a Bachelor’s degree and a teaching degree in Biological Sciences, as well as a Master’s in Ecology of Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems from USP. He earned his PhD in Ecology and Evolution from the University of Toronto.
He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), within the Graduate Program in Genetics, Conservation, and Evolutionary Biology.
He is an Assistant Professor at the Center for Natural Sciences at UFSCar, where he works in Landscape/Spatial Ecology and Conservation Biology. His research uses modeling approaches to reconcile social development with environmental conservation.

Roberta Barros Lovaglio

Roberta Barros Lovaglio holds a degree in Biological Sciences, as well as a Master’s and PhD in Applied Microbiology from São Paulo State University (UNESP). She also completed a sandwich PhD at Universität Karlsruhe (Uni-Karlsruhe) and part of her postdoctoral research at RWTH Aachen University, in Germany.
She has extensive experience in Applied Microbiology, with a focus on the use of agro-industrial residues to produce microbial compounds of agricultural and environmental interest.

João Paulo Agápto

João Paulo Agápto holds a degree in Agribusiness Technology from the Faculty of Technology of Itapetininga (Fatec), a specialization in Political Science from UCAM, a Master’s in Sustainability in Environmental Management (Natural Resources research line) from UFSCar, and a PhD in Sustainable Production from the Graduate Program in Planning and Use of Renewable Resources (PPGPUR-UFSCar).
Since 2021, he has served as Administrative Manager of the Lagoa do Sino Teaching Farm (UFSCar).

Fabiana Santos Cotrim

Fabiana Santos Cotrim completed postdoctoral research at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and at the Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), in France.
She holds a Master’s and PhD in Food Engineering from UNICAMP and a Bachelor’s degree in Food Engineering from the State University of Mato Grosso.
Her work is in Food Science and Technology, with a focus on Food Engineering. Her research includes structured lipids, emulsification processes, drying technologies, and in vitro digestion.

Guilherme de Figueiredo Furtado

Guilherme de Figueiredo Furtado completed postdoctoral research at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and at the Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), in France.
He holds a Master’s and PhD in Food Engineering from UNICAMP and a Bachelor’s degree in Food Engineering from the State University of Mato Grosso.
He works in the field of Food Science and Technology, with an emphasis on Food Engineering. His research focuses on the development of structured lipids, emulsification processes, drying technologies, and in vitro digestion.

Adalberto de Oliveira

Adalberto de Oliveira is a farmer based in the Pirituba agrarian reform settlement, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.
He is also the president of Cooperativa Da Terra, where he plays a key role in strengthening collective production, organization, and market access for smallholder farmers.