A portrait of social entrepreneur Ismael Ferreira from Bahia,Brazil:The Sertao in the Brazilian state of Bahia is a barren,semi-arid region. In Bahia,over 50 percent of the population live below the poverty line. Those who are able,tend to move elsewhere. <br /><br />Ismael Ferreira is one of those who decided to stay in his home town of Valente. The son of a farmer,he opted to study Agriculture. Then,more than 20 years ago,he started to recultivate sisal,a plant that no one wanted to grow anymore. And yet nothing grows as well in this semi-arid region as sisal,able to survive with very little water. <br /><br />Ismael Ferreira set up a kind of cooperative,which today is the biggest employer in and around Valente. A lot of the company's output is exported abroad. And that is where this company in a small town in Brazil is feeling the effects of globalization.
