Caatinga

What Caatinga does

Caatinga (legal name: Centro de Assessoria e Apoio aos Trabalhadores e Instituições Não-Governamentais Alternativas) is a Brazilian non-governmental, non-profit civil society organization headquartered in Ouricuri, Pernambuco, with approximately 30 employees and 33 years of continuous operation as of 2026. It originated from the Centro de Tecnologias Alternativas (CTA) in the 1980s and operates exclusively within the Sertão do Araripe region of Pernambuco, serving small-scale family farmers, rural women, children, and grassroots organizations across municipalities including Exu, Moreilândia, Santa Cruz, Santa Filomena, Granito, Bodocó, and Trindade. Its core 'product' is a portfolio of social technologies adapted for Semiarid conditions — including gray water reuse systems (RAC), agroforestry systems (SAFs), solar desalination, family bio-water systems (Bioágua Familiar), geoagroecological stoves, and biological fermentation techniques — implemented directly with beneficiary families through technical assistance and extension services (ATER).

The organization's business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Revenue derives primarily from project grants awarded through public calls and institutional partnerships with Brazilian development financiers (Fundação Banco do Brasil, BNDES, FBDS, ANATER, SEMA-PE, ADEPE), international religious/development funders (Cáritas Alemã, Diocese of Freiburg, Porticus, ActionAid, Instituto C&A), and individual donations routed through PagSeguro and bank transfers. It monetizes artisanal outputs at sub-scale through a Lojinha e-commerce storefront selling books, crafts, and artwork priced R$15–R$250, alongside participation in farmers' markets and facilitation of access to the National School Feeding Program (PNAE). Major ongoing programs include 'Terras de Vidas' (with Cáritas Alemã), 'Mulheres Rurais' (with FBB + BNDES), 'PRS CAATINGA' (with FBDS), 'Algodão em Consórcios Agroecol\u00f3gicos' (with Instituto C&A + Porticus), 'Escolas de Plantas' (with Diocese of Freiburg), 'Abelhas que Prosperam' (with ADEPE), and AVACLIM (with UFRPE).

Go-to-market is community-led: monthly planning meetings, collective technical assistance sessions, mediation meetings, and community gatherings drive field operations. The organization sustains distribution through direct ATER delivery to 1,300+ farming families across six municipalities, network memberships in ABONG, ASA, ANA, Rede ATER NE, Drynet, and Rede Araripe, downloadable Portuguese/Spanish/English publications, and a radio program ('Rádio Caatinga – Agricultura Familiar em Debate').

Name

Caatinga

Legal name

Centro de Assessoria e Apoio aos Trabalhadores e Instituições Não-Governamentais Alternativas

Website

https://caatinga.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Caatinga is a 33-year-old Brazilian non-profit NGO in Ouricuri, Pernambuco, that develops and deploys Semiarid-adapted social technologies (gray water reuse, agroforestry, solar desalination, agroecological stoves) and provides technical assistance to 1,300+ family farming families across the Sertão do Araripe region, funded primarily by institutional grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ouricuri

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding and Project Grants: CAATINGA operates primarily as a non-profit NGO funded through institutional partnerships with foundations, government agencies, and international development organizations. Projects are funded through public calls for proposals, foundation grants, and government program allocations.
2. Product Sales (Lojinha): The organization sells artisanal products including books, crafts, and artwork through its 'Lojinha' store, generating revenue from craftspeople and small-scale product sales.
3. Donations: Individual donations through PagSeguro payment system and direct bank deposits support the organization's work with Semiárido families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CAATINGA is a Brazilian non-governmental organization that delivers community-based agroecology programs, technical assistance, and social technologies (gray water reuse, agroforestry systems, solar desalination, bio-water systems, geoagroecological stoves) to family farmers in the Sertão do Araripe region of Pernambuco. It operates grant-funded projects in partnership with foundations and government agencies, and also sells artisanal products and educational publications through its Lojinha online store.

Product overview

Caatinga is an NGO that offers a portfolio of publications (educational guides and books on agroecology, semi-arid living, and sustainable agriculture), artisanal products from the Lojinha store (handcrafted items, books), radio programming (Rádio Caatinga), and social technology programs focused on agroecological practices for the Brazilian Semiárido region. The organization operates as a social/institutional entity rather than a commercial product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Técnica de Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural (ATER) - Technical Assistance for Family Farmers Community-led technical assistance and extension services for agroecological production, water management, and Semiárido coexistence, delivered to over 1,300 farming families across six municipalities in the Araripe territory.
• Programa Mulheres Rurais (Rural Women Program) Income generation, production, processing, and access to the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) for rural women farmers in the Semiárido, funded by Fundação Banco do Brasil and BNDES.
• Projeto Terras de Vidas (Lands of Life Project) Agroforestry systems (SAFs) and gray water reuse technologies (RAC) for climate resilience and food security, implemented with Centro Sabiá and funded by Cáritas Alemã.
• Projeto Escolas de Plantas (Plant Schools Project) Implements gray water reuse systems (RAC) in five rural schools in Ouricuri for irrigating nurseries of native and fruit species, funded by Diocese of Freiburg.
• Projeto Abelhas que Prosperam (Bees that Prosper Project) Beekeeping development program providing a mobile unit to apicultores and beekeepers of Araripe in partnership with ADEPE.
• Publicações Educacionais (Educational Publications) Downloadable guides, reports, newsletters, and booklets on agroecology, semi-arid living practices, and sustainable agriculture techniques, including 'Cartilha Agroecologia' and 'Matutando' newsletter.
• Rádio Caatinga - Agricultura Familiar em Debate Radio program broadcasting discussions on family agriculture topics and agroecology in the Semiárido region.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Centro SabiácoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey implementing partner in the 'Terras de Vidas' project focusing on agroforestry systems and gray water reuse technologies for climate resilience and food security. Also partner in AVACLIM international project.
• ADEPE (Agência de Desenvolvimento Econômico de Pernambuco)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment development agency partner in the 'Abelhas que Prosperam' project strengthening beekeeping with mobile unit provision.
• EcoararipeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in the 'Algodão em Consórcios Agroecológicos' project for sustainable cotton cultivation.
• DiaconiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 'Algodão em Consórcios Agroecológicos' project working on sustainable cotton in the Araripe territory.
• ong ChapadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 'Algodão em Consórcios Agroecológicos' project for sustainable cotton cultivation.
• Fórum de Mulheres do AraripecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 'Mulheres Rurais' project for women's empowerment and access to public policies.
• Rede AraripecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner in women's empowerment and rural development projects in the Araripe territory.
• COPAGRO (Centro de Produtores Agroecológicos do Araripe)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the 'Mulheres Rurais' project for women's access to PNAE.
• UFRPE (Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific consortium leader in the AVACLIM international project evaluating agroecological experiences across four continents.
• IRPAAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the AVACLIM international project for evaluating agroecological experiences in Brazil.
• CETRAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the AVACLIM international project for agroecological evaluation in Brazil.
• PATACminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the AVACLIM international project for agroecological evaluation in Brazil.
• AS-PTAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the AVACLIM international project for agroecological evaluation in Brazil.
• ABONG (Associação Brasileira de ONGs)minorOthersMember of ABONG, the Brazilian NGO association network.
• ASA (Articulação Semiárido Brasileiro)coreOthersMember of ASA, the Brazilian Semiárido Articulation network, working on water sovereignty and drought coexistence.
• ANA (Articulação Nacional de Agroecologia)minorOthersMember of ANA, the National Agroecology Articulation network.
• Rede ATER NEminorOthersMember of Rede ATER NE, the Northeast Technical Assistance and Extension Network for agroecology.
• DrynetminorOthersMember of Drynet, an international network addressing desertification and dryland issues.
• Rede AraripecoreOthersMember of Rede Araripe, the local territorial network in the Araripe region.
• IF Sertão PE Campus OuricuriminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal institute partner providing technical education and support in the Ouricuri territory.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IRPAA: Instituto Regional da Pequena Agropecuária Apropriada, a Bahia-based NGO promoting agroecological family farming in the Semiárido. Co-partner with Caatinga in the AVACLIM international project.
• PATAC: Programa de Aplicação de Tecnologias Apropriadas às Comunidades, a Paraíba-based NGO applying appropriate technologies for semi-arid communities — closely comparable mission and methodology to Caatinga.
• Centro Sabiá: Pernambuco-based NGO focused on agroecology, family farming, and Semiárido-appropriate social technologies — co-implementing partner with Caatinga on the Terras de Vidas and AVACLIM projects.
• ONG Chapada: Local NGO operating in the Chapada do Araripe region of Pernambuco, co-partner with Caatinga on the Algodão em Consórcios Agroecológicos project — directly comparable scale and territory.
• Diaconia: National NGO working on rural development and sustainable family agriculture in the Semiárido. Co-partner with Caatinga on the Algodão em Consórcios Agroecológicos project.
• CETRA: Centro de Educação e Tecnologia do Campo, a Northeast-Brazilian NGO focused on rural education and agroecology. AVACLIM partner of Caatinga with directly comparable mission.
• AS-PTA: National NGO working on family agriculture and agroecology in Brazil. AVACLIM consortium partner of Caatinga with overlapping methodologies around ATER and Semiárido coexistence.

Broad incumbents

• Articulação Semiárido Brasileiro (ASA): Network of 3,000+ Semiárido civil society organizations coordinating water-sovereignty programs. Caatinga is a member; ASA is the larger umbrella orchestrating many of the same programs.
• Cáritas Brasileira: National Catholic social-development NGO network implementing water cisterns and Semiárido coexistence programs. Operates at significantly larger scale than Caatinga but in the same functional domain.

Others

• Fundação Brasileira para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável (FBDS): Brazilian sustainable-development foundation funding the PRS CAATINGA low-carbon agriculture project. Functions as both a funder and a programmatic peer in low-carbon Semiárido agriculture.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caatinga

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Caatinga