With only 59 square kilometers and 3,600 residents, the tiny town of Tupandi would at first glance appear to be like any other town in Brazil’s southernmost state. But thanks to a plan to diversify agriculture instead of relying on the traditional textile industry, the town now has one of the highest GDPs per capita in Brazil and a Human Development Index score higher than the national average. (In Portuguese, GDP is PIB, which stands for produto bruto interno, which means gross domestic product).

In the 1990s, private and public organizations came together to develop the agricultural plan, and the city now produces mainly chicken, pork, and citric fruits. Farmers were trained and given incentives to produce milk, reforest land, and to adhere to environmental standards. The economy grew by more than 500% between 1993 and 2006.

As a result, the unemployment rate and infant mortality rate is zero, and health and education are on the level of developed countries. the GDP per capita was R$14,544 in 2006, higher than the national GDP per capita of R$11,658. the Human Development Index score is 0.822, compared to Brazil’s HDI of 0.800.

Like other communities in the region, a strong German influence permeates the town’s culture and history, visible in the town’s architecture and cuisine.