Eduardo Darvin Ramos da Silva

Eduardo is a Black man raised by a poor family in a small rural area outside a big city. From an early age, he learned from his grandparents how to care for the land, plant food, and raise animals. Over time, the peaceful rural place of his childhood transformed into a poor and violent urban periphery due to disorderly urban growth.

When he left home for college, new opportunities opened, and he began to believe he could dream—and work to make those dreams happen. After gaining experience in agricultural practices and project management while living in a permaculture ecovillage, he moved to the Amazon with his wife and their young son, Aroní. They bought a small piece of land, built their house with their own hands, and began planting food—first to eat, then to sell the surplus.

Later, their second son, Uirá, was born at home to the sound of birds at sunrise. Today, when he is not at the ICV office or visiting the communities they support, he spends time on his farm, tending to chickens, the agroforestry plot, and his children. It is there that he feels most connected—to the land, his roots, and the future he is building.