Dairy Farming Success Story: How Suelene & Valdimar Transformed Their Family Farm in Brazil
In rural Brazil, Suelene and Valdimar turned their struggling dairy farm into a thriving family business with support from TechnoServe’s Crescer program — increasing their income fivefold and building a brighter future for their son.
Life in the countryside of Goiás, Brazil, teaches you the value of hard work from an early age. The pace may be slower than in the city, but making ends meet still requires effort, planning, and resilience. One tough season or a single broken machine can erase an entire year’s savings.
For years, Suelene and Valdimar Silva worked their small dairy farm with grit and guesswork. They rented pasture, owned only a few cows, and earned around $500 a month, which was just enough to cover food. Growth felt out of reach. Brazil is the third-largest milk producer in the world, but farmers here face many challenges, including high input costs, competition for land use, and fluctuations in production.
“In the beginning, we didn’t have any pasture,” Vladimar recalled. “We had to rent pasture elsewhere…We produced little milk because we had few cows. So the financial difficulty was enormous. You were working just to eat, so to speak.”
With no formal support or technical guidance, they had no clear path forward. They weren’t lacking determination; they were lacking access to the tools and knowledge to turn their farm into a sustainable business.
Practical Support That Sparked a Dairy Farming Transformation
That changed when TechnoServe, through its Crescer program, entered their lives with practical, hands-on support tailored to their reality.
A field advisor began visiting regularly, teaching them how to manage costs, analyze production, and access affordable credit. Just as important, they were encouraged to think bigger about what their farm could become.
“After TechnoServe came into our lives, we took a leap forward,” Suelene explained. “We already had some knowledge, but with the guidance they gave us, we started to grow little by little.”
From Dairy Struggles to a Thriving Family Farm
With a business plan in hand and new confidence in their vision, Valdimar and Suelene secured a loan. They purchased more cows, installed a milk cooling tank, and added a power generator.
The results were transformative: their monthly income grew by 500%.
“Things we couldn’t buy before, today we can,” Suelene shared. “Our son has better food — in fact, the whole house does. The financial side mattered a lot. It improved a lot.”
“It was an important step for us,” Vladimar shared. “We felt confident to take out a loan, to buy more cows, invest in a cooling tank, a power generator… We’ve learned a lot, grown a lot, and we’re still growing. The guidance we received was excellent — TechnoServe came to lift up our lives in every way.”
Knowledge and Skills: The True Wealth for Small Dairy Farmers
While the financial gains changed their quality of life, what Suelene values most is the knowledge they’ve gained and the ability to pass it on.
“The knowledge we gained — that’s something no one can take away,” she said. “Since we have a teenage son, we can now pass that knowledge on to him. I believe what will truly remain on this farm is the knowledge we gained through TechnoServe.”
Planning for a Profitable and Sustainable Dairy Farm Future
Today, Valdimar and Suelene are more than dairy farmers. They are business owners and decision-makers, planning for the long-term success of their farm and their family.
Once caught in a cycle of working just to get by, they are now investing in their future and in the next generation.
