Land, Power, and Collectivity: New Paths Within Philanthropy

Land has been sacred for centuries - a source of life, culture, and belonging. However, as private property and the expansion of capital took hold, it became a commodity concentrated in the hands of a few. Now, however, a silent revolution is underway. Heirs, activists, and social entrepreneurs are challenging this rationale and pioneering participatory land management models focusing on environmental regeneration and social justice by mixing philanthropic and financial capital.

In this article, you'll meet two corageous pioneers: Gislaine Rosa, a farmer from Minas Gerais, and Camila Haddad, executive director of Próspera Social. Their stories illuminate a path towards a different breed of wealth - measured not in accumulation but in shared prosperity, restored landscapes, and collective decision-making. From transforming a cattle farm into an agroforestry paradise to rethinking the very nature of inheritance and investment, their work redefines what it means to own, give and belong.

This is an invitation to go beyond the status quo of philanthropy into a world where land, justice, and generosity are intertwined. A world in which transparency is not just a requirement imposed on non-profit organizations but a practice adopted by funders. A world in which power is not accumulated, but held collectively.

From Minas Gerais to the world

Before she passed away, Gislaine realized her dream of finding a purpose for her family's cattle ranch in Campo Belo, south of Minas Gerais. She approached João Paulo Pacífico, an engineer, CEO of the Gaia Group, and social activist. She expressed her wish to donate the 1,500-hectare property to Gaia, reframing the use of the land to fulfill a social purpose instead of being exploited commercially.  Gislaine's legacy, worth around R$40 million, will see the implementation of an agroforestry production system, which will regenerate the soil and generate income for settled families from the Landless Workers' Movement (MST). In this model, management and use of the property are collective. "I position myself in the opposite direction of what people like Gislaine were doing, so it would make sense for her to have a contrary view of me. But she agreed with everything I said, that it didn't make sense to plant soybeans when people are starving, and we have agroecology. It was a great deconstruction,” says João, who has an MBA in Finance from Ibmec.

According to him, the site will have a residents' association and a cooperative to produce and sell the food produced. At this point, part of the soil has been prepared for the agroecological transition, and the families are expected to start living on the land in the second quarter of this year. This timeframe could change as ensuring the project's excellence is essential. "It's a living thing; It's more than that rush of capitalism, of 'time is money.' I prefer it to be done well to be a sustainable project in all aspects. He adds that it's important to worry more about quality than time.

Buen Vivir and redistributing family wealth‍

Camila Haddad is the co-founder and executive director of Próspera Social, a family office dedicated to financing socio-environmental impact projects. With a degree in Business Administration from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV) and a master's degree in Environmental Science from the University of São Paulo (SP), Camila interrupted her family's path of accumulating wealth and, together with her sister, created Próspera Social, which is based on the philosophy of Buen Vivir and has the mission of supporting projects and organizations linked to the regeneration of the land, the promotion of access to healthy food and the cultural, artistic, scientific and technological dissemination of historically marginalized groups, such as traditional, indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples.

Among its theoretical references are the works of economist Alberto Acosta, The Buen Vivir: an opportunity to imagine other worlds, Serge Latouche's Little Treatise on Serene Degrowth, books by Indigenous leader Ailton Krenak, and the Wild Cycle, which is also guided by Krenak and promotes dialogues between different types of knowledge, including indigenous, academic and traditional perspectives.

"Próspera was born to put this inheritance at the service of what we want to build. If the problem is the accumulation of power and wealth, we talk about distributing it and doing things differently. One of the central aspects of our Theory of Change is the land. When we look at land, we're thinking about new models of occupation, regeneration, and biodiversity recovery and land access. We always think about land from a collective perspective. If I'm talking about a large regeneration project within a private family property, who will have access to these natural resources being regenerated? Our logic lies in this place of integration between man, nature, and collectivity,” Camila explains.

Próspera Social supports several cooperatives that produce agroecological food and keep the forest standing, such as the Agroecological Fund (FUA) which aims to protect farmland from urban sprawl and provide more secure land tenure for small agroecological farmers. By acquiring rural properties, the FUA guarantees the use of these lands by those who know how to produce sustainably, earmarking them for agroecological production.

"We always think about land access and the projects' governance character. You can't talk about land in Brazil without mentioning indigenous and black people. We're talking about a process of land accumulation that took place with the enslavement of African people and the genocide of the indigenous population. How do these people access the land? We try to get to the root of what inheritance means,” says Camila.

Próspera Social adopts a hybrid finance approach to support social impact organizations. The family office makes financial investments and donations, depending on what the situation calls for. Returnable social investments are usually made with the support of actors from the philanthropic ecosystem, such as Sitawi Finanças do Bem, an organization that develops financial solutions for social impact. Donations are made based on trust.

"The closer the project is to systemic change, the more we are committed to taking risks and asking for less return. Initially, we do an impact analysis, then a return and risk analysis, and take this information to our investment committee,” says Camila.

The process is similar regarding philanthropy, but there is no risk and return analysis. According to Camila, it is essential that social and environmental impact initiatives are aligned with the Social Prosperity Theory of Change and that they create paths for systemic changes or are more connected to these changes. For this reason, priority is given to gender, race, and connection with the territories where the assets are located.  Próspera Social also fosters the connection with the territories it wishes to operate, carrying out local and ongoing coordination, and establishing a long-term relationship with the organizations it supports.

Deconstructing power dynamics

Traditional philanthropic practices fail by following a vertical logic, in which donors maintain control over resource allocation and use, resulting in power imbalances. By promoting collective decision-making and governance, João Paulo Pacífico and Camila Haddad contribute to an inclusive and horizontal philanthropy in which the knowledge of the communities directly impacted guides the paths of each initiative and these people share decision-making power.

It's important to differentiate what Camila and João are proposing from the welfare actions of the past. The land will be managed collectively, and the settled families will have autonomy and be part of the decision-making groups. "We understand that we are allies and confluents of the territories and organizations making changes. I contribute financial resources, but mutual learning takes place in these relationships; you have to be willing to give up power and distribute resources,” says Camila.

For João, one of the greatest lessons from his partnership with the MST was the importance of collectivity and the reframing of time: “There's something very interesting about the movement. We're used to making decisions very quickly, and more structured choices within the movement take longer because they're not individual but collective. For me, this collective outlook is the main lesson because it is lost in our society, which is very individualistic and immediate."