On June 26th 2003, a convention for promoting voluntary work by technicians in the disciplines of Agronomy and Forestry was signed between the Foundation Without Frontiers and the Terredelsud association. 
The convention tends to implement a model of voluntary work with procedures that are applicable according to the principles of Sustainable Development. 

Geography and politics 

Federal republic of Brazil 
República Federativa do Brasil 

Surface: 8.514.215 Km²  

Inhabitants: 173.886.000 (respects 2002)  

Density: 20 ab/Km²  

Form of government: Federal republic type presidential  

Capital: Brasilia (2.043.000 inhabitants)  

Other cities: São Paulo 10.405.000 inhabitants (17.880.000 urban aggl.), Rio de Janeiro 5.850.000 inhabitants (10.895.000 urban aggl.), El Salvador 2.441.000 inhabitants (3.020.000 urban aggl.), Belo Horizonte 2.230.000 inhabitants (4.820.000 urban aggl.), Fortaleza 2.138.000 inhabitants (2.985.000 urban aggl.), Curitiba 1.587.000 inhabitants (2.725.000 urban aggl.), Recife 1.422.000 inhabitants (3.340.000 urban aggl.), Manaus 1.404.000 inhabitants, Porto Alegre 1.360.000 inhabitants (3.660.000 urban aggl.), Belém 1.280.000 inhabitants (1.795.000 urban aggl.), Goiânia 1.091.000 inhabitants (1.640.000 urban aggl.), Guarulhos 1.071.000 inhabitants  

Ethnic groups: White 55%, Mulattos and half-caste 38%, Black 6%, Asian, Amerindi and others 1%  

Bordering countries: French Guyana, Suriname, Guyana and Venezuela in North, northwestern Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina to West, Uruguay to South  

Principal mountains: Pico from Neblina 3014 m  

Principal rivers: The Horsewomen's Rio 3500 Km (draws Brazilian, total 6280 Km), Purus 3000 Km (Brazilian part, total 3210 Km), Rio São Francisco 2900 Km, Rio Tocantins 2700 Km, Araguaia 2600 Km, Rio Paraná 2400 Km (draws Brazilian, total 4700 Km)  

Principal lakes: Lagoa Mirim 3000 Km² (total, inclusive Uruguayan part)  

Principal islands: Ilha de Marajo 47.573 Km², Ilha Grande I give Gurupa 4864 Km²  

Climate: Equatorial - tropical  

Language: Portuguese (official), English, German, Italian, dialects indios  

Religion: Catholic 80%, Protestant 11%, other 9%  

Coin: Brazilian Real

The territory   

 In the northeast of Brazil, in one of the poorest States of the country, the Maranhão, live 1 million inhabitants with an annual pro-capita income of 40 - 50 US dollars (less than 300 lira a day) while the average cost of  life is not much different from those areas of western countries, including Italy, which have the lowest income. The town of Carolina, 800 km from the coast, has 23 thousand inhabitants. 35 Km south of Carolina is the Community of Saint Rita. The nearest town, 6 km away, is Itapecurù, with two thousand inhabitants.  

Residentiality 

Given the availability of cultivable land, it was decided to build the Community of Saint Rita. In 1996, the first houses began to be built. Initially, 5 houses were built in wood, and, in the following years, another 6 in stone. They each have a habitable surface of 70 square meters, just enough for the members of a Brazilian family, which is usually numerous (8 - 10 - 12 members). 

The economic system 

The land on which the foundation is built is the Brazilian "serao", which is worthless if there is not any water with which to irrigate it. The Fazenda of the Community of Santa Rita has a spring in the middle of its territory. Irrigation has been facilitated by building a barrier next to a hollow in the land where, with the retention of the water, a small lake has formed. In some periods of the year, after the Spring rains, it fills to the brim, enabling the water to be used throughout the year, also for the tanks in which fish are farmed. The foundation's small economy is based on:

Cattle-breeding; cattle-breeding has reached 400 heads and includes 25 milk cows that each produce 4/5 litres of milk a day. The breeding is free, and for pasture a small part of the surface of the Fazenda is used. The milk produced is partly consumed by the Community and partly used for making cheese and butter in workshops equipped especially for this purpose.

Sheep-breeding. Breeding includes one hundred sheep for meat. 

Pig- breeding. The breeding of pigs started in 2001 and already counts 25 heads. 

Breeding of horses: In the Fazenda there are about twenty horses that are used for the transportation of products and people and for the watching the livestock. Furthermore, some donkeys and mules are bred for transport. 

Courtyard animals: every family of the Community has the possibility to have animals to breed for domestic consumption: hens, pheasants, ducks, turkeys and geese. 

Beekeeping: The activity of beekeeping is giving some good results and the honey obtained reached 500 Kg in 2002. There are about 70 beehives scattered in various parts of the fazenda At the Community there is a workshop which processes the honey.

Fish farming: fish farming has been experimented in four artificial lakes since 1999. The results have been satisfactory and the aim is to increase the activity in order to give a contribution to the economy of the Community.

Coconut plantation: In the years 1997-1998-1999 around 1000 coconut plants were planted, and these should shortly start to yield produce. 

Fruit plantations: The fruit plants cultivated by the Community are: bananas, acerola, pineapple, mango and goiaba. The fruit is consumed fresh or turned into pulp to make juices through a cooperative in Carolina. There is the intention to purchase the necessary equipments to produce the pulp directly at the Community. 

Cultivation of vegetables: Every family of the Community can cultivate vegetables in its own garden next to the house where it lives for the family to eat. Furthermore, there is also a communal kitchen garden with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, watermelons, pumpkins, etc. 

Cultivation of cereals: various cereals are cultivated, and these are usually consumed by the Community: wheat, maize, rice, sugar reed, beans and mandioca. 

Cultivation of plants: a small nursery was built in September 2001, and here autochthonous plants are grown for reforesting vast areas of land which were deforested fifty years ago and which will undergo desertification unless the problem is urgently addressed.

The cultural level 

One of the greatest deficiencies in Brazil, besides the conditions of life, is in education. Although illiteracy is very high everywhere, in some rural areas it reaches over 90%. Since the early years of its foundation, there has been a school in the Community of Saint Rita, the "Iris Bulgarelli", which is officially recognised. The stone construction has a surface of 160 square meters. It consists of two classrooms, a reception office, a kitchen and sanitary services. In this area there are three daily courses: 
- in the morning for infants 
- in the afternoon for older children 
- in the evening for adults 
Didactic material and a meal are given free of charge. The school is attended by around 100 students, many coming from nearby rural zones. It is necessary to widen the space available for education by building another classroom, close to those already existing, in order to complete compulsory education. 

The project  

 The Foundation has made available to the Community of Saint Rita, free of charge,  3,386 hectares in land. It is mostly "sertao", land which has undergone desertification and is now sandy, where  only palms, bushes and thin trees grow. It is a typical characteristic of the whole area, and of a large part of the State. The cultivable ground (around 400 hectares)  needs abundant water and continuous fertilizing to make it sufficiently productive. The aim is evidently that of  giving the place all the necessary techniques in order to increase its fertility by using methodologies which are compatible with the system and with the availability of men and  means there.