Martin Mayr, Advisor for Advocacy

Photo: Leib Carteado, Samantha Gadela, Eric Gamaliel from ADES, and Martin Mayr (horizont3000)

Supporting knowledge management and promoting the capacity development of 10envolvimento in order to secure the land rights of traditional smallholder communities and defend the Cerrado natural area.

Directly involved are 500 people (200 female and 300 male), indirectly involved 5.000 people (2.500 female and 2.500 male).

Theologian Martin Mayr initially worked in church social work before coming to Brazil as a specialist and working in agrarian reform areas to support the resettlement of landless people. Today, Martin Mayr is a recognised force in the ranks of Brazilian civil society, fighting against the problematic dominance of the interests of national and international agribusiness.

• An advisor is deployed to support ADES strengthening its knowledge management and capacity development to secure the land rights of traditional smallholder communities and protect the Cerrado natural area in West Bahia, Brazil. The advisor works closely with local smallholder associations to safeguard their territorial and socio-cultural rights, contributing to biodiversity and resource protection in the Rio Grande Basin. This includes ensuring the collective land rights of traditional farming communities along the upper Rio Preto and lower Rio Grande through participatory surveys and integration into the National Peoples' Database.
• The advisor plays a key role in promoting the sustainable use of natural resources, particularly by supporting women in sustainable fruit harvesting and processing along the Rio Grande. Efforts also focus on monitoring and reporting illegal deforestation and water extraction while ensuring that legal processes against environmental violations are pursued. Additionally, the advisor contributes to public awareness by documenting and disseminating information on the negative social and environmental impacts of agribusiness expansion in West Bahia.
• The advisor engages in advocacy work through mandates in the Bahian Environmental Council and the Citizens' Committee for Sustainable Water Management in the Rio Grande Basin. Further responsibilities include supporting EU and PPP-ECOs projects that promote ecological farming, reforestation, and sustainable livelihoods for traditional communities. The advisor also coordinates technical teams and provides strategic guidance to ADES’s leadership in planning and implementing its activities.
• Engagement with journalists and researchers in conflict regions, participation in national meetings on Cerrado communities, and cooperation with civil society organizations to investigate land grabbing further enhance the impact of this deployment. Additionally, integrating issues such as violence against smallholders, environmental conservation, and climate change into pastoral programs strengthens advocacy and awareness efforts.
• SDG targets: 2.3;5.a;13.2;15.2;16.3