Centro Vianei de Educação Popular

What Centro Vianei de Educação Popular does

Centro Vianei de Educação Popular is a Brazilian non-governmental organization founded in 1983 and headquartered in Lages, Santa Catarina. It operates across 18 municipalities in the Serra Catarinense region and serves more than 12,000 families through programs in popular education, agroecology, and sustainable rural development. Its substantive focus areas include the Brazilian pine (Araucaria angustifolia) agroforestry value chain, pinhão (pine nut) production, and environmental restoration, delivered via flagship initiatives such as "Do Campo à Mesa" (From Field to Table) and the "Restaurar Project."

The organization runs on a project-based funding model with a small technical team of approximately 5 employees. It does not sell products commercially; instead, it channels grant funding from institutional donors (notably MISEREOR, WWF Brasil, IBAMA, and BNDES) into community programs that build cooperative capacity, conservation outcomes, and smallholder livelihoods. Execution is reinforced through partnerships with academic institutions — including the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), the State University of Santa Catarina (UDESC), and the Federal Institute of Santa Catarina (IFSC) — which provide technical extension and research support. In 2023, the organization received the BNDES Award for Good Practices, signaling external validation of its operating model.

Centro Vianei's competitive position rests on more than four decades of continuous regional presence, tacit knowledge of Araucaria agroforestry systems, and an integrated network of farmers, municipalities, academics, and institutional funders. Its scale and budget envelope are modest, and its programming cadence is tied to discrete grant cycles rather than commercial recurring revenue.

Name

Centro Vianei de Educação Popular

Legal name

Associação Vianei de Cooperação e Intercâmbio no Trabalho, Educação, Cultura e Saúde

Website

https://vianei.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Centro Vianei de Educação Popular is a Brazilian NGO founded in 1983, based in Lages, Santa Catarina, that supports 12,000+ families across 18 municipalities through popular education, agroecology, and Brazilian pine (pinhão) value-chain programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Development and Agroecology Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Community Food Services (62421), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAIANAC

Farm-to-Consumer Produce Boxes / CSA Delivery

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Distribution & Wholesale/Direct-to-Consumer Food Distribution

SECONDARYEUAHAAAH

Stakeholder Engagement, Indigenous/Tribal Consultation & Social Impact (SIA)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Compliance, Monitoring & Consulting/Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) & Permitting

Keywords

• Popular education
• Agroecology services
• Family farming support
• Rural development
• Environmental restoration

Headquarters

HQ city

Lages

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Project Funding from International Donors: Primary funding from international cooperation organizations such as MISEREOR (Germany) for projects focused on agroecology, food sovereignty, and sustainable development.
2. Government Project Contracts: Contracts with government agencies for environmental restoration, biodiversity conservation, and family agriculture support programs, including IBAMA environmental fines funding.
3. Institutional Partnerships: Collaborative projects with universities (UFSC, UDESC, IFSC) and government environmental agencies (IMA, EPAGRI) for research and extension activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Centro Vianei is a non-profit civil society organization that delivers community-led popular education, agroecology training, and sustainable rural development projects for family farmers, extractivists, and traditional communities in Santa Catarina's highlands. Its core offerings are project-based programs (Da Terra à Mesa, Saberes e Fazeres do Pinhão, Restaurar, Pró-Espécies, and Misereor em Rede) that combine participatory diagnostics, agroforestry techniques with Brazilian pine (Araucaria), pine nut value chain development, environmental restoration, and access to public food procurement markets.

Product overview

Centro Vianei de Educação Popular (AVICITECS) is a civil society organization founded in 1983 that operates as a social/educational NGO rather than a technology company. Its portfolio consists of five interconnected programs/projects focused on popular education, agroecology, and sustainable development: the Projeto Da Terra à Mesa (MDA) for food sovereignty, Programa Saberes e Fazeres do Pinhão for traditional pine nut knowledge, Projeto Restaurar for environmental restoration, Projeto Pró Espécies/PAT for threatened species conservation, and Projeto Consumidores e Agricultores em Rede (Misereor) for farmer-consumer networks. The organization also produces knowledge products including publications and video content. All offerings are project-based social programs aimed at family farmers, extractivists, and rural communities in Santa Catarina's Plateau region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Projeto Da Terra à Mesa (MDA) A community development project focused on food sovereignty and sustainable agriculture that connects family farmers with consumers and institutional markets such as school feeding programs (PNAE) and the Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos (PAA).
• Programa Saberes e Fazeres do Pinhão A program dedicated to the traditional knowledge and practices related to pine nut (pinhão) harvesting and processing in the Serra Catarinense region, part of the Sistema Agrícola Tradicional (SAT) Pinhão recognized as a national good practice.
• Projeto Restaurar An environmental restoration project aiming to restore over 127 hectares of Legal Reserve areas in Santa Catarina through native species planting including araucária, xaxim, canela-preta, and imbuia, funded by IBAMA environmental fines.
• Projeto Pró Espécies / PAT Planalto Sul A conservation action plan for threatened species in the Southern Plateau region, part of the National Strategy for Conservation of Threatened Species (Pró-Espécies), supporting sustainable value chains that conserve and restore native vegetation.
• Projeto Consumidores e Agricultores em Rede (Misereor) A network project funded by MISEREOR (Germany) that connects consumers and family farmers, promoting agroecological production and solidarity-based food systems with focus on women and rural youth.
• Publicações (Publications) Educational and research publications covering topics such as agroecology and gender, social construction of markets in southern Brazil, seed collections (Coletânea Pixurum), carbon sequestration, and sustainable food systems.
• Galeria de Vídeos (Video Gallery) A collection of documentary and educational videos including the 'Mostra Cultural SAT Pinhão' and web series on social technologies that strengthen agroecology in southern Brazil.

Quantifiable outcome

• Support for 12,000+ family farming families in pine nut extraction
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 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

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IBAMAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, providing funding from environmental fines for forest restoration projects including the Restaurar Project targeting 127+ hectares of Legal Reserve areas.
• Pró-Espécies / IMA SCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Strategy for Conservation of Threatened Species project, coordinated locally by Instituto do Meio Ambiente de Santa Catarina. Centro Vianei participates in PAT Planalto Sul action plan for biodiversity conservation.
• WWF BrasilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental conservation organization working on biodiversity protection and sustainable development in Brazil.
• CEPAGROcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCenter for Studies and Promotion of Alternative Agriculture, based in Santa Catarina, working on agroecology and sustainable agriculture promotion.
• CETAPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCenter for Alternative Technologies focused on agriculture and ecology in Rio Grande do Sul, part of the Southern Brazil agroecology network.
• AS-PTAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssessment and Services for Alternative Agriculture Projects, working on family farming and agroecology throughout Brazil.
• Cooperativa Agroecológica EcoserracoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEcological cooperative based in Lages and Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, working on organic production and commercialization for family farmers. Centro Vianei supports and partners on various projects.
• UFSC - Universidade Federal de Santa CatarinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal University with multiple departments and labs partnering with Centro Vianei: LEAp (Applied Ecology Lab), LECERA (Rural Education Lab), NPFT (Tropical Forests Research Group), and LACAF (Family Farming Commercialization Lab).
• UDESC - Universidade do Estado de Santa CatarinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState University of Santa Catarina, specifically the Centro de Ciências Agroveterinárias (CAV) in Lages, partnering on research and extension activities.
• IFSC - Instituto Federal de Santa CatarinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal Institute of Santa Catarina, particularly the Urupema campus, providing technical education and research partnerships in agriculture.
• Embrapa FlorestasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian Agricultural Research Corporation's Forest unit, providing research and technical expertise on native forest species including Brazilian pine (Araucaria).
• Rede Ecovida de AgroecologiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcovida Agroecology Network, a certification network for organic and agroecological products in Southern Brazil, with Centro Vianei involved in the Núcleo Planalto Serrano.
• CDHC - Centro de Direitos Humanos e CidadaniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuman Rights and Citizenship Center based in Lages, working on social justice and human rights issues in the region.
• Caritas Diocesana de LagesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiocesan Caritas organization providing social assistance and community development support in the Lages diocese area.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Rede Ecovida de Agroecologia: Southern Brazil agroecology certification and participatory guarantee network. Centro Vianei participates through the Núcleo Planalto Serrano; comparable in promoting organic/agroecological family farmer value chains and certification.
• CETAP (Center for Alternative Technologies in Agriculture and Ecology): Rio Grande do Sul-based NGO focused on agroecology as part of the Southern Brazil agroecology network. Listed as core partner of Centro Vianei with directly comparable mission, methodology, and target population of family farmers.
• AS-PTA (Assessment and Services for Alternative Agriculture Projects): Brazilian family farming and agroecology NGO working nationally with similar participatory methodologies. Listed as a core strategic partner of Centro Vianei within the same agroecology network — directly comparable mission, methodology, and target beneficiaries.
• CEPAGRO (Center for Studies and Promotion of Alternative Agriculture): Santa Catarina-based NGO promoting agroecology and sustainable agriculture with comparable community-led development approach. Named core partner of Centro Vianei with overlapping regional footprint and similar project portfolio.
• Cooperativa Agroecológica Ecoserra: Ecological cooperative based in Lages and Florianópolis focused on organic production and commercialization for family farmers. Channel partner of Centro Vianei with overlapping beneficiaries and shared commercialization agenda.

Broad incumbents

• WWF Brasil: Major international environmental conservation NGO with Brazilian operations. Listed as a strategic partner of Centro Vianei — comparable in biodiversity/forest conservation mission but operates at much larger national scale with broader portfolio.
• Embrapa Florestas: Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation's forestry research unit providing technical expertise on native species including Araucaria. Listed as a partner of Centro Vianei — comparable domain expertise on Brazilian pine systems but operates as a federal research institution rather than an NGO.
• Caritas Brasileira: National Catholic development and social assistance confederation working with rural communities, agroecology, and food sovereignty. Mission-aligned with Centro Vianei (which originated from the Diocese of Lages) and operates at national scale.

Others

• IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources): Brazilian federal environmental agency that funds Centro Vianei's Restaurar Project via environmental fines. Not a direct competitor — acts as a regulatory and funding counterpart rather than a peer operator in the same service category.

Regional players

• Mater Natura (Instituto de Estudos Ambientais): Brazilian environmental NGO focused on Atlantic Forest conservation and restoration in southern Brazil. Comparable in forest restoration mission to Centro Vianei's Restaurar Project and recently hosted a regional encuentro attended by Centro Vianei.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCkEIv_GvLhWyFuYBl_y5i8w
• Facebookfacebook.com/centrovianei
• Instagraminstagram.com/centrovianei
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centro-vianei-de-educa%C3%A7%C3%A3o-popular

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

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 Centro Vianei de Educação Popular