IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute) joins the family and friends of Felisbela Maria Costa Santos, who died on Thursday (9), in paying tribute to her and celebrating the honor of having known the family farmer.
A leader in Vicinal do Alagoano, in the Bom Jardim Settlement Project, in Pacajá (PA), Bela, as she was affectionately called, took part in various IPAM projects aimed at strengthening family farming.
Through these initiatives, she set up a fruit pulp agro-industry on the family plot and created the “Bela Polpas de Frutas” brand, an enterprise run today by her children. He was also at the forefront of the creation of the municipality’s Family Farming Fair, benefiting several farming families in the region.
“At a meeting of leaders in 2015, when the proposal for the fair was still viewed with suspicion, she stood up and said with conviction: ‘We’re going to do it and it’s going to work. If I can leave my house, on my little bike, to sell my products in the city, so can you,'” recalls Lucimar Souza, IPAM’s director of Territorial Development.
From the first fair, in May 2016, came new achievements, such as the approval of projects to strengthen it, the creation of COOPROPAC (Pacajá Family Producers’ Cooperative), the transfer of land by the town hall and the construction of the fair structure, previously improvised with tarpaulin.
More than just a beneficiary of projects, Bela was a partner and leader in processes that influenced the positive results of the initiatives. Her love for the land, her work and her community was evident, expressed in one of the episodes of IPAM’s “Roots of Family Farming” series.
“Even with so many responsibilities, she always kept her house open to welcome IPAM’s technical teams, welcoming everyone with generosity, a full table, laughter and genuine maternal care,” adds Souza.
The 61-year-old farmer leaves behind a legacy of struggle, inspiration and transformation. IPAM expresses its deepest sympathy, while at the same time expressing its gratitude and appreciation for all that Bela has contributed. We express our condolences to her family and friends.