Cooperar

What Cooperar does

Cooperar (Cooperativa de Trabalho em Assessoria a Empresas Sociais em Assentamentos de Reforma Agrária) is a Brazilian work cooperative established in 2005 and headquartered in São Paulo, with operational concentration in the municipality of Maricá, Rio de Janeiro. The cooperative provides free agroecological training, technical field assistance, and direct food production to family farmers, agrarian reform settlers, urban and peri-urban residents, indigenous communities, and social-interest institutions. Its core product surface is built around three pillars: (i) the Horta em Casa Maricá urban agriculture program that delivers free on-site technical assistance to households; (ii) two Unidades de Produção Agroecológica — Manu Manuela and Fazenda Pública Joaquín Piñero — cultivating 48 food varieties using mandala layouts, alley cropping, and Agroforestry Systems (SAF); and (iii) the 40-hour Capacitação em Agroecologia EaD distance learning course (five modules) delivered on the Varal platform. These are complemented by the monthly Sábado Agroecológico community event at Praça Agroecológica Emilton Santos, the weekly/biweekly Feira da Agricultura Familiar (now 35 stalls), the Rede Agroecológica de Maricá producer network, the Ana Primavesi reference library, and food-security initiatives such as the Natal Sem Fome campaign.

Cooperar's business model is government-contracted social impact delivery rather than commercial monetization: all services are free to beneficiaries, and the cooperative is funded primarily through the Termo de Colaboração Técnica 0018/2020 with the Prefeitura de Maricá executed via SECAPP, supplemented by partnerships with ICTIM, MST, MPA, CEDAE, EMBRAPA, UFRRJ, Rede CAU, BIONATUR, Armazém do Campo, Stihl, and MOVIDADE. Revenue is not disclosed; the platform is a WordPress-based content and registration system with no public API, no proprietary software product, and no AI/ML capabilities. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, combining field visits, monthly gatherings, training cohorts, and institutional food distribution under government contract.

Name

Cooperar

Legal name

Cooperativa de Trabalho em Assessoria a Empresas Sociais em Assentamentos de Reforma Agrária

Website

https://cooperar.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cooperar is a Brazilian work cooperative, founded in 2005, that provides free agroecological training, field technical assistance, and direct food production in Maricá, RJ. It serves family farmers, agrarian reform settlers, urban residents, indigenous communities, and social-interest institutions, funded primarily through a municipal technical collaboration agreement with the Prefeitura de Maricá.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agroecological Advisory Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Conservation Agriculture (Erosion Control, Contour/Strip Cropping, Mulching) (AFAGAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Multi-Stakeholder Grocery Cooperatives (CRAHALAD)

Keywords

• Agroecological technical assistance
• Urban agriculture training
• Agrarian reform advisory
• Family farming services
• Community agroecology programs

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Technical Collaboration Agreements: Cooperar operates primarily through technical collaboration agreements (Termo de Colaboração Técnica) with municipal governments, particularly the Prefeitura de Maricá via SECAPP, funding agroecological projects and food production programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cooperar is a Brazilian work cooperative that delivers free agroecological technical assistance, training (including a 40-hour EAD course), and operates urban and periurban agroecological production units. It serves family farmers in agrarian reform settlements and urban residents of Maricá primarily through government-funded technical collaboration agreements, combining education, food production, and direct distribution to vulnerable communities.

Product overview

Cooperar is a cooperative providing agroecological training, technical assistance, and community development services primarily through the Maricá municipality project. Its core offerings consist of the Capacitação em Agroecologia EaD online course (40 hours, 5 modules), the Horta em Casa Maricá urban agriculture program with three pillars (organization, formation, production), and agroecological production units (Unidades de Produção Agroecológica). These are complemented by the monthly Sábado Agroecológico event, the weekly/biweekly Feira da Agricultura Familiar fair, the community-built Rede Agroecológica network, the Ana Primavesi public library, field exchange visits, and food security initiatives such as the Natal Sem Fome campaign. The offerings are interconnected: the online course trains participants who then join the producer network, visit the production units via exchanges, and sell at the farmers' market — while the Saturday events provide ongoing education and distribution of seeds and seedlings produced in the units.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Capacitação em Agroecologia EaD 40-hour online agroecology training course delivered through the Varal platform, consisting of 5 modules covering organic compounds and biofertilizers, seedling and seed production, organic garden construction, plant health and medicinal plants, and economic viability planning. Includes video lessons, downloadable materials, and field exchanges to production units. Targeted at Maricá residents and family farmers.
• Horta em Casa Maricá Urban and periurban agriculture initiative providing free technical assistance to producers and residents of Maricá to grow healthy food in their homes and backyards, transforming domestic spaces into productive gardens. Built around three pillars: organization, formation, and production. Targets urban residents of Maricá interested in producing their own food.
• Unidades de Produção Agroecológica – Maricá Agroecological production units in Maricá (Manu Manuela and Fazenda Pública Joaquín Piñero) producing 48 different organic food varieties using mandala formats, straight beds, alley cropping, and Agroforestry Systems (SAF). Functions as production and demonstration sites for urban agriculture and serves as the supply base for institutional food distribution.
• Feira da Agricultura Familiar Monthly family agriculture fair at Praça Agroecológica Emilton Santos (Araçatiba) enabling direct commercialization of agroecological products from local farmers. Grew from 5 stalls at inception to 35 stalls currently and incorporates Sábado Agroecológico programming.

Quantifiable outcome

• 48 different food varieties produced in agroecological units
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CEDAE (Companhia Estadual de Águas e Esgoto)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021State water company through its Replantando Vida program, providing 500 tree seedlings for agroecological production units to support reforestation and agroforestry systems implementation.
• ICTIM (Instituto de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação de Maricá)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020ICTIM is the implementing institute for the Bem-viver Alimentar ecosystem. Cooperar partners with ICTIM through the Horta em Casa Maricá project, which promotes urban agriculture and provides free technical assistance to producers and residents in Maricá.
• Prefeitura de MaricácoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Main government partner through Termo de Colaboração Técnica 0018/2020, funding agroecological production units, Horta em Casa project, and various educational and food distribution programs in Maricá.
• SECAPP (Secretaria de Agricultura, Pecuária e Pesca de Maricá)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agriculture secretary executing Termo de Colaboração Técnica 0018/2020 with Cooperar, managing agricultural policies and the Sábado Agroecológico program.
• MST (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandless Workers Movement providing food donations for the Natal Sem Fome campaign and connecting Cooperar to agrarian reform networks and the Terra Crioula brand products.
• EMBRAPA AgrobiologiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian agricultural research corporation providing technical exchange visits to the Fazendinha Agroecológica (SIPA) for knowledge sharing on agroecological production techniques.
• UFRRJ (Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal rural university partnering through SIPA (Fazendinha Agroecológica) for agroecological research, teaching, and extension activities.
• Rede Carioca de Agricultura Urbana (Rede CAU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUrban agriculture network contributing to discussions on urban agriculture policies and participating in knowledge exchange events with Cooperar.
• Cooperativa BIONATURminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgroecological seed cooperative supplying seeds for production units and distribution to community members during Sábado Agroecológico events.
• StihlminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPower equipment manufacturer providing technical training support for proper use and maintenance of agricultural machinery used in production units.
• Armazém do CampominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgrarian reform product store in Rio de Janeiro, participating in agricultural fairs and providing market access for agroecological products from Cooperar and partner producers.
• Movimento dos Pequenos Agricultores (MPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmall Farmers Movement collaborating on agricultural fair organization and knowledge exchange on agroecological production methods.
• MOVIDADEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDemocratic Afro-Descendant Movement for Equality and Racial Equity, receiving food donations and participating in social programs addressing food insecurity.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Centro Ecológico: Brazilian agroecology organization with similar community-led production, organic certification support, and farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchange networks. Comparable focus on ecological agriculture and family farmer technical assistance.
• Cooperativa BIONATUR: Agroecological seed cooperative and existing Cooperar partner. Directly comparable as a cooperative supplying organic inputs and operating within MST-linked agroecological networks with similar producer base.
• AS-PTA Agricultura Familiar e Agroecologia: Brazilian NGO focused on agroecology, family farming, and agrarian reform — directly comparable mission and target population. Operates similar training, technical assistance, and participatory research programs for small farmers and agrarian reform settlers.
• CEPAGRO (Centro de Estudos e Promoção da Agricultura em Grupo): Southern Brazilian organization promoting agroecology, urban agriculture, and community gardens — directly comparable to Cooperar's Horta em Casa project in combining urban food production with technical training.
• Rede Ecovida de Agroecologia: Network of agroecology organizations across southern Brazil operating participatory certification, farmers' markets, and regional food systems — highly comparable cooperative-network model with similar small-producer focus.

Others

• Movimento dos Pequenos Agricultores (MPA): Small Farmers Movement collaborating with Cooperar on agricultural fairs and agroecological methods. Comparable social-movement base serving family farmers and agrarian reform settlers, though structurally a movement rather than a service-delivery cooperative.
• Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor (IDEC) — Food Program: Adjacent Brazilian consumer advocacy organization with active food and agriculture programs. Operates in adjacent ecosystem (food security, agroecology policy advocacy) rather than direct service delivery, but comparable thematic focus.

Broad incumbents

• EMBRAPA: Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation and an existing Cooperar partner. Operates agroecology research programs (including EMBRAPA Agrobiologia) at vastly larger scale and serves as the federal anchor for agroecological R&D in Brazil.
• FAO Brazil Agroecology Program: UN agency actively funding and supporting agroecology and family farming in Brazil. Comparable in thematic focus (sustainable agriculture, food security, smallholder support) but at vastly different scale as a multilateral institution.

Emerging players

• Slow Food Brasil: Brazilian arm of the global Slow Food movement promoting good, clean, and fair food — overlapping mission in agroecology, traditional food systems, and direct producer-consumer markets, though operating more as an advocacy/awareness network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/hortaemcasamarica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cooperar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cooperar