Conexsus
Conexsus catalyzes the development and strengthening of community-based businesses in Brazil, focusing on promoting a just and inclusive sociobioeconomy that conserves forests and biomes while empowering local communities. The organization enables access to fair markets, tailored financing, and advanced business models for cooperatives, associations, and family farmers, thus advancing sustainable territorial development, climate resilience, and social inclusion across diverse Brazilian biomes.
Theory of Change
Inputs
Technical and financial resources
Partnerships with NGOs, government, private sector
Local knowledge and networks
Digital tools and market intelligence
Community capacity building
Activities
Capacity development for cooperatives and family farmers
Facilitation of access to credit and financing
Market linkage and sales channel creation
Pilot and scale-up of commercial solutions
Technical and business training
Outputs
Hundreds of cooperatives and associations supported
Thousands of producers reached
Millions in credit facilitated
Launch of digital and operational tools
Ecosystems of innovation and local enterprise
Outcomes
Improved livelihoods for rural and forest-dependent communities
Reduced deforestation and increased resilience to climate change
Sustainable economic growth in local territories
Increased inclusion of marginalized populations and women
Greater food security and climate adaptation
Programs
1. Business Advisory Program
Provides specialized, ongoing technical and operational support to cooperatives and associations preparing to access finance and markets. Initiated as a COVID-19 response, it is now an institutionalized program supporting pre-finance and post-finance advisory.
Technical advisors
Assessment tools
Training materials
Individualized technical guidance
Onsite and remote trainings
Organizations prepared for financing
Up-skilled local teams
Improved business viability
Expanded access to financial instruments
2. Ecosystem Activation
Co-creates regional solutions in key biomes (Amazon and Cerrado) to develop autonomous and sustainable community businesses via intense partnership building.
Local stakeholder partnerships
Operational networks
Contextual knowledge
Co-design of territorial solutions
Joint implementation with regional partners
Regional ecosystem action plans
Shared resource facilities created
Greater local impact and sustainability
Autonomous business ecosystems
3. Responsible Markets Program (Programa Mercados Responsáveis)
Promotes sustainable trading arrangements and connections between community businesses and ethical buyers, strengthening Brazil’s sociobioeconomy and improving territorial governance.
Market research
Commercial partnerships
Technical assistance
Facilitating commercial exchanges
Engaging responsible buyers
Training in product qualification
Structured sustainable market arrangements
Expanded buyer networks
Qualified community suppliers
Increased fair trade transactions
Economic viability for forest communities
Empowered market participation
4. Impact Finance Platform (Finanças de Impacto)
Unlocks public and private financing to drive socio-environmental community business growth through products and services designed for local realities. Supports over R$ 1 billion in investment mobilization, impacting millions of producers and hectares.
Financial capital (public and private)
Strategic partnerships
Expert financial structuring
Origination of credit products
Capacity-building for financial access
Direct support for credit readiness
Financing packages made available
Communities equipped for loan applications
Increased disbursements to sustainable businesses
Broader access to credit
Business expansion and scaling
Improved financial inclusion for rural and traditional communities
Other Information
Core Values
Inclusion and empowerment of traditional and rural communities
Promotion of sustainable development and sociobioeconomy
Environmental conservation and climate resilience
Collaboration, partnership, and co-creation
Ethical market relations and transparency
Innovation for equitable and lasting impact
Scale
Mapped and supported over 1,000 cooperatives/associations nationwide
More than 19,000 producers and 14,000 hectares benefited via one fund alone
Business development cycles in dozens of regions
National and international reach, with active programs in all major Brazilian biomes
Mobilization of over R$ 1 billion in financing and credit lines affecting over 1 million rural producers and 2 million hectares
Affected Users
Cooperatives and associations of rural producers
Family farmers
Extractivist communities
Indigenous peoples
Traditional populations
Startups in the sociobioeconomy
Geographical Areas
Brazil – Amazon, Cerrado, Caatinga, Atlantic Forest, Semi-Arid (Bahia, Piauí), Rondônia, Baixo Tapajós (PA), Baixo Tocantins (PA), Noroeste do Mato Grosso, São Paulo, and other key regions
Contact Info
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