Financing announcement ceremony held on World Environment Day at the Palácio do Planalto. Pictured are President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, João Paulo Capobianco, Brazil's Deputy Minister of the Environment, and Tereza Campello, BNDES Director of Social and Environmental Affairs, alongside representatives of the companies selected for financing. (Photo: BNDES)ACCESS Newswire | 16 June 2026Courageous land secures US$23 million BNDES financing to scale agroforestry in the Amazon
Courageous Land (CL), an agroforestry platform, announced that Brazil's National Development Bank (BNDES) approved R$116 million (approx. US$23 million) in financing for the company's flagship agroforestry project in Roraima, in the Brazilian Amazon.
The financing was announced at an event at the Palácio do Planalto with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The funding supports what will likely be Brazil's largest organic restoration project, productively reforesting degraded pastures with regenerative coffee, açaí, cacao, and native timber species. The project, which begins with 2,000 hectares and will scale to 10,000 hectares, includes a nursery, a processing facility, and the generation of premium carbon credits under the Verra standard.
"This financing demonstrates that agroforestry is evolving into an asset class delivering significant financial, social, and environmental returns," said Philip Kauders, CEO and Co-Founder of Courageous Land. "Our goal is to make it possible for any landowner, anywhere in the world, to earn more by transitioning to agroforestry."
Courageous Land's Agroforestry Intelligence Platform is the key to scaling agroforestry, providing the software, financing, certified expertise, and market access for crops and carbon needed for agroforestry to grow rapidly.
Marcus Santiago, Head of the Environmental Department at BNDES, added in a video statement: "This project is important not only environmentally but socially. It preferentially employs women, includes a large contingent of Venezuelan migrants, and 1% of revenue will be donated to feed those in need."
Founded in 2022, Courageous Land's platform has 1,000 registered users representing over 400,000 hectares. Roraima demonstrates the broader vision: building the infrastructure layer to scale agroforestry globally. By aggregating projects, Courageous Land connects them with the investors, buyers, and institutional partners that need access to a portfolio - not one-off deals. "Planting productive trees and increasing farmer prosperity go hand in hand," said Kauders. "The future of land use is agroforestry systems that optimize financial and ecological gain."
About Courageous Land
Courageous Land's Agroforestry Intelligence Platform helps landowners multiply farm income by transitioning to agroforestry - bundling software, financing, certified expertise, and market access in one place. For enterprises like banks, brands, and corporations, it is the single platform for an aggregated supply base of 400,000+ hectares.
