Here at MAARA, we are dedicated to transform a conventional farm into an ecological sanctuary for nature, animals and people to thrive. In the beginning of 2020, we left the city life behind to start this green self-experiment surrounded by the mountain stretch of the National Park of Três Picos, close to Nova Friburgo in Rio de Janeiro state.

We didn’t know much about living and working in the countryside, but we knew that we wanted to live ecologically and socially more sustainable, searching to create a more balanced and meaningful life, connected to nature and community. Permaculture principles became our main path to follow and to learn from. Since then, we literally daily gain new skills and build new connections and - the more we learn, the more we realize how much more is there to be learned.

Our goal is to learn together with others and to share our experience, to produce our own food and enrich the fertility, productivity and biodiversity of the land, to learn to live in harmony and respect with nature and the community around us.

Our volunteer program is a real hands-on experience in agroforestry and organic farming. Also, it is a way to stay away from the hectic world, live in an international community and reconnect with nature.