Delivery of the Fazenda Girassol project, Angola

Months of hard work and satisfaction have gone into developing the regenerative structural plan for this charming 10,000-hectare farm in the Zaire province of Angola.

Masterplan of Fazenda Girassol, Zoning map 2022 Terracrua Design — *The plan aims to create a harmonious balance between economic growth, social well-being, and environmental sustainability.*

As a challenging commitment under our partnership with African Drone Solutions, an Angolan mapping and surveying company, we embraced the idea of planning the regenerative structure of intensive production farms, regardless of the crops they practice in productive areas.

This is our approach, increasingly focused on the organizational backdrop that helps agricultural producers maximize the future of their estate or farm, with a regenerative development perspective that recreates the ecological balance provided by a healthy ecosystem.

*In the infographic, several different maps come together to form a comprehensive representation of the master plan’s vision for the 10,000-hectare area.*

We found a highly enlightened manager at Fazenda Girassol who understands the importance of protecting soil, water, and existing forests. Techniques such as permanent soil cover, sheep rotation in the productive areas of banana and papaya, preservation of riparian areas, and almost symbiotic coexistence with monkey populations were already in practice before we arrived.

They soon realized that by applying these ways of working, the results were positive and indirectly improved some aspects of production. Fazenda Girassol produces banana, papaya, passion fruit, and numerous vegetable species on a few hundred hectares, and is a recognized and respected brand in Angola and increasingly internationally.

Masterplan of Fazenda Girassol, 2022 Terracrua Design — Nuno M. Santos and João Amaral assessing the positive impact of Girassol’s mulching techniques.

The plan includes creating a water matrix in the landscape (dams and ponds), access (roads and paths), structural vegetation (ridge forests, riparian galleries, forest hedges, access hedges, forest corridors, compartmentalization hedges), zoning (managed forests, pastures, production zones), and water infrastructure. As usual, it was delivered in Geopackage, tables, maps, and infographics, supported by a GPS tablet that facilitates the transition from plan to the field.

Masterplan of Fazenda Girassol, Water in the landscape + Access map 2022 Terracrua Design — On this map, you can observe the “Water on the Landscape” layer, which displays various water features such as ponds and dams. Additionally, the “Access” layer illustrates different categories of roads, showcasing the accessibility and transportation routes in the area.

Nuno traveled to Angola to deliver and explain the project contents to the technical team at Fazenda Girassol and, on-site, to teach the survey team and operators how to operationalize the execution of the work. It was a few days of intense work, with several heavy machines marking and building roads, ponds, and dams.

Masterplan of Fazenda Girassol, Zoning and Water in the landscape + Access map 2022 Terracrua Design — *Another map showcases the master plan arrangement, where roads interconnect with dams and ponds as a strategy to capture all the rain runoff.*

Here’s a big shout-out to the Fazenda Girassol team, wishing them success in implementing all the roads (about 140km) and water elements in the landscape (about 150 ponds and dams) now that the project has been decided upon!

And a “see you soon” to our partners at African Drone Solutions!

And here are some photos of the training and coordination work being done: