Brazil

Programme Summary

During 2008 more than 70,000 seeds were distributed to producers, these were outplanted from the nurseries to fields during the following spring and the trees were flourishing by winter 2009. During Autumn 2009 a further 230,000 seeds were distributed. To date 108 producers (including 30 children) have been trained in nursery management, 24 nurseries established, educational materials developed and provided in Portuguese.

Partners Network

Universidade Estadual de Londrina - Amor de Mae - Asilo São Vincente - Assentados Paraná State - Assentados São Paulo State - Association of Small Farmers - Cooperativa Sul Brasil - Marília Oriente Bee Association

Background

As one of the richest regions of Brazil it would appear that São Paulo State is not in any immediate need. However this is not the case and between the rich and poor there is a huge divide. The richest 20% of Brazil's population has 64% of Brazil's riches, while the poorest 20% only has 2% of the country's riches. If you travel through the region on first sighting you will see of thousands of hectares of land belonging to the farms, but on further inspection you will see farmers exhausting and overworking their small plots just to try and make a living. As a consequence, the reality is that there is poor health and deprived land for the poorest people in the region to wake up to every single day. The Brazilian government is trying to help by creating laws forcing land owners to reforest their lands, which in the end, will restore the land's health and benefit people. These laws however do not come with any financial assistance making it almost impossible for small land owners.

Sugar cane production means that acres upon acres of land are burned every year. Once the sugar cane has worn out the land, cattle ranchers then drain what little is left causing even more damage from erosion and greater destruction for the land. The degraded land dries up, soil is washed away, the arid springs are of little use, and the life chain is at a standstill more or less as plant and animal species disappear, agricultural production falls and the people are left with virtually nothing.

As one of the largest vestiges of the Atlantic Rainforest  São Paulo State is vital to the future.

Fact: Only 7% of the original Atlantic Rainforest remains today.

The  Response

A long term program has been initiated to address low agricultural production, rural poverty, and destruction of the environment. Historically, the greatest impediment to sustainable land management was a lack of local capacity to solve agricultural and environmental problems. Therefore, a significant portion of this initiative will be aimed at developing local capacity in agroforestry techniques that address issues endemic to Brazil such as overgrazing and the deforestation of waterways.

Program update

Winter 2009
Preparation is underway for the transplanting season. The trees from last year are growing rapidly now that Brazil has received consistent rain. Some of the people say their trees have doubled in height in the past six months. It is an exciting time in Brazil with the largest transplanting season to date beginning this month. When weather permits regular visits are scheduled to check on the progress of transplanting. The ‘downtime’ in February will be used to develop a training video to accompany the agro forestry training program. A strategy will also be developed for evaluating the project’s impacts at the end of 2010 when people’s trees are approximately one year old.

Autumn 2009
The third quarter is the busiest time for the project in Brazil. All training workshops have been completed and are now distributing seeds and starting nurseries. The South American Coordinator visited Brazil in late September together with a Brazilian Technician distributed approximately 230,000 seeds to 70 families. The Brazilian technician is the key to success of the program during these demanding times, and continues to distribute more seeds and will work with community members to establish nurseries and to transplant seedlings in January.

Spring 2009
The team in Brazil outplanted all of the trees from  2008 nurseries to the field. Farmers now have live fences of moringa, trees that will flower for bees in the near future, and more forage options for their animals. The demonstration plot is starting to take form. There are three double rows of trees following the contours of the land. These trees will provide seeds for projects in the future and farmers will be able to visit the area
to learn about agroforestry techniques. The Portuguese agroforestry manual is being updated to include new techniques for propagation and to include native species that will be used in projects in 2009.

Throughout 2008

A partnering organisation has sent seeds to individual producers in Brazil in the past, but during 2008 the organisation took steps to truly address environmental and social issues in Brazil. In January 2008 individuals and organizations working in agro forestry and development in Brazil were contacted.  By June, farmers organizations were visited, informed and joined in the plight.
The environmental constraints that producers face in both São Paulo state and in north eastern Brazil were examined. Producers demonstrated their commitment to improving their agricultural systems through the addition of trees. In less than a year, hundreds of farmers and their families were reach, training workshops conducted and more than 70,000 seeds distributed. Educational materials in Portuguese were also provided.

All of these projects were started in the dry season to increase the likelihood of seedling survival after they are transplanted to the field in the rainy season. The trees will be transplanted in January 2009.Although communities were visited in both the southern and northern regions of Brazil, due to organisational constraints and the timing of the rainy season, only projects in the South were developed. All projects are currently located in Oriente, São Paulo state, which is about 400 km from the city of São Paulo.

A national representative is on hand who provides day-to-day assistance to producers and is developing a plan to reach nearly twice as many people in 2009. Early in 2009, producers in Paraná state will be visited and will further develop our relationship with organizations in the northeast.