Matheus inherited a farm from his grandfather, what he now calls the Terras Caipora, or The Land of Caipora. Caipora is a character of the Brazilian Tupi Guarani Mythology, known as the guardian of the animals and the forests. His main goal is to heal the land through well planned rotational grazing. Mateus spent years studying ways to create a farming system that feeds people as well as the soil, a philosophy that he is now putting into practice, and that was the inspiration for the farm’s name.

Brazil’s production of livestock, especially cattle, uses up vast swathes of land, much of which results from deforestation. Today, Brazil faces a high risk for biodiversity loss, and has huge degraded areas. Matheus’ mission is to reverse that by producing in a way that respects the rhythms of nature, and those of the animals. Another issue major issue is climate change, and livestock production is often pointed to as a major contributor to this global issue.But it is important to be clear about where the issue with livestock production lies, and in the most part it is not necessarily the raising of animals per se, but rather that but how humans manage it.