On July 13, IDH received in Cuiabá, more than 40 partners from the states of Mato Grosso and Maranhão that implement actions towards promoting landscape development through production, conservation, and inclusion.
During the workshop, the IDH team and their partners highlighted results and talked about the next challenges. They shared numbers, examples, and testimonials that attest the successful transformation of the territories through, among other factors, the convergence of the agendas of various stakeholders and common interests.
© © Marcus Mesquita Photographer. All rights reservedParticipants of the workshop held on July 13, in Cuiabá. Photo: Marcus Mesquita/IDH
Currently, the actions supported by IDH are in place in four regions of Mato Grosso. In the Juruena Valley where it has been implemented since 2018, the PCI Regional Compact has enabled several field programs in partnership with the private sector. Focusing on the production of calves, milk, family farming and agroextractivism products, these programs involve multiple partners and deliver results to achieve the Compact’s goals. Actors such as Sebrae, ONF, IDH and REM are examples of supporters of the Compact and presented their actions during the event.
© © Marcus Mesquita Photographer. All rights reservedWlademir da Silva, regional manager at Sebrae, presented data from the Nosso Leite Project. Photo: Marcus Mesquita/IDH
“We believe in this work, and we have joined IDH and other partners because our visions share the same principles of support for small farmers and respect for local skills to enhance opportunities,” said Wlademir A da Silva, Sebrae’s regional manager.
In Sorriso, the PCI Regional Compact was established in 2019. The municipality is the largest soybean producer in Brazil and in recent years certified production has increased. Pig farming, fish production, ethanol from corn and derivatives, as well as family farming also stand out. Some of these results were presented by CAT Sorriso and the company Natcap Soluções Sustentáveis, which operate locally by supporting producers and connecting with markets.
“It’s great to see so many complementary results and to know that we are contributing. Occasions like this are also excellent for us to recognise new opportunities”, said Cristina Delicato, project advisor of CAT Sorriso.
© © Marcus Mesquita Photographer. All rights reservedCristina Delicato, project advisor for CAT Sorriso, spoke about the actions developed in support of certified soy producers, small family farmers and environmental education in schools. Photo: Marcus Mesquita/IDH
The municipality of Barra do Garças is located in the Araguaia Valley, a region that is also characterised by diversity, with extensive cattle ranching, tourism activities, family farming production, and the presence of indigenous lands. The PCI Regional Compact was signed in 2019 and since then, over 40 stakeholders have been engaged for the establishment of a mayoral-led governance.
“We see the PCI as a great opportunity to integrate agendas with various industries and we rely on the support of these actors to develop the necessary actions to drive us forward towards sustainable development”, noted Jéssika Hirata, executive secretary of the Barra do Garças PCI Compact, who is a civil servant of the municipal government, working in the tourism sector.
© © Marcus Mesquita Photographer. All rights reservedJéssika Hirata, executive secretary of the PCI Compact of Barra do Garças, highlighted the municipal government’s commitment to the PCI Regional Compact. Photo: Marcus Mesquita/IDH
Acrimat presented examples of investments made in the region, with the program for the sustainable production of calves. In addition, the REM has financed projects aimed at family and indigenous farming.
Replicating learnings to scale results
The transformation of territories and production chains is being replicated in other regions, an example of that is the Sustainable Production of Calves Program, which since 2021, has supported producers in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso. “This is a fantastic program, and we are ready and eager to go further ahead, with new initiatives and partnerships,” said Ida Beatriz, president of the Rural Union of Cáceres.
© © Marcus Mesquita Photographer. All rights reservedIda Beatriz, president of the Rural Union of Cáceres, presented various information about livestock in the Pantanal. Photo: Marcus Mesquita/IDH
Another example is the Regional PCI Compact in the Balsas Region, in Maranhão, which became official in November 2020, includes 12 municipalities and is endorsed by about 40 signatories from the public and private sectors. At this moment, IDH and partners are engaging in negotiations to establish co-financing programs with the private sector to deliver the goals. The Assistec Manioca, presented by the coordinator of AGERP (Maranhão State Agency for Agricultural Research and Rural Extension), Artur Costa Soares Júnior, during the event in Cuiabá, is a project being developed in the region, in line with the goals of the Compact, and with potential for expansion. “I believe we have excellent opportunities to support the development of sustainable production chains here in Maranhão, including by providing technical assistance and support for commercialization by small producers,” he pointed out.
© © Marcus Mesquita Photographer. All rights reserved
Artur Costa Soares Júnior, coordinator of AGERP, during a presentation at the event. Photo: Marcus Mesquita/IDH
Unlocking agendas for environmental and land regularization
The workshop was also attended by the executive secretary of the Environment Secretariat of Mato Grosso, Alex Marega. He portrayed the advances achieved with regard to the environmental regularization agendas and the fight against illegal deforestation and forest fires. Marega mentioned the investments made by the state government focussing on governance structures and command and control policies, added to the support of strategic partners, such as IDH.
“Since 2015, IDH has been the main partner of the State of Mato Grosso for the development of sustainability policies, which have enabled the progress of the PCI Strategy and of the efforts to effectively implement the Forest Code, by expediting the validation of CAR and PRA, for example”, he stressed.
© © Marcus Mesquita Photographer. All rights reservedAlex Marega, from Sema-MT, and Daniela Mariuzzo, from IDH, in a moment of interaction during the event. Photo: Marcus Mesquita/IDH
“The technical cooperation with Sema-MT, with the support of ten technicians, made it possible to carry out more than 3,400 PRA analyses”, added Alex Schmidt, IDH’s Public Policy Implementation Manager.
Schmidt also highlighted other results already delivered, such as seven databases of the municipalities that have PCI Regional Pacts and that are home to farms served by the Sustainable Production of Calves Program, with over 8 million hectares mapped and validated by Sema-MT; and the installation of four Support Centres for Producers, where a specialised technician is available to offer information about environmental and land regularization, and opportunities to participate in projects.
The secretary of Agriculture of Juruena, Leonir Sell, underscored IDH’s contribution to unlock the land regularization agenda at the municipal level. “The Vale do Amanhecer settlement was established 33 years ago, and people still do not have their land property title. Through the partnership with IDH, in one year, we managed to get this work underway, and we expect that by the end of 2022, the families will receive the document that guarantees the ownership of their land”, the secretary pointed out.
© © Marcus Mesquita Photographer. All rights reservedLeonir Sell, Agriculture Secretary of Juruena, was emphatic in affirming the speed in the processes achieved through the partnership with the IDH. Photo: Marcus Mesquita/IDH
IDH Brazil Executive Director, Daniela Mariuzzo, reaffirmed the institution’s commitments to promote advances in sectorial governance, business practices and innovations in the field, while putting people first. “We are very happy to see consistent results and to know that these achievements are shared with various actors in the territories where we operate. IDH has a commitment with farmers and is focused on improving working conditions and income through better use of land and conservation of natural resources”, she added.
© © Marcus Mesquita Photographer. All rights reservedDaniela Mariuzzo, executive director of IDH Brazil exposed the connection of the actions developed with the SDGs. Photo: Marcus Mesquita/IDH
Manuela Maluf Santos, IDH’s investment manager, brought a sample of innovation and future steps. She talked about the investment agenda in the territories for achieving the goals and a proposal for a technical assistance platform for farmers so as to accelerate the transition to Low Carbon Agriculture practices, which is currently under development.