CONTEXTUALIZATION

The beneficiaries of the actions foreseen, although engaged in sustainable activities, have limited purchasing power and suffer great economic and socio-environmental vulnerability, in areas with low and medium Human Development Index (HDI) and Food and Nutrition Security (SAN). They endure pressures associated with the expansion of extensive livestock production, mineral extraction and the monoculture of agricultural commodities (with greater intensity in Mato Grosso, but increasing in regions of Pará), as well as with the implementation of major infrastructure projects.

The main challenges faced by these populations include: the difficulty in working with regional agricultural systems, which combine the dual function of family subsistence and income generation, and require specific strategies; difficulties in meeting the sanitary requirements for the processing and distribution of their products; and weaknesses in the organization of production (quantity and regularity of supply) and in transport logistics.

The Dema Fund, responsible for performing the Public Call, is the result of a partnership between the Federal Government and civil society. It was created in 2004 with funds from the sale of illegally extracted and confiscated mahogany logs, mostly in the region of Altamira and São Félix do Xingu (PA). IBAMA, when confiscating the wooden logs, chose to donate them with charges to FASE (Federation of Agencies for Social and Educational Assistance), so that the funds obtained from the sale of the mahogany logs would be used to compensate the region for the environmental damages suffered. Thus, the Dema Fund’s income should be used to support sustainable development projects in the West of Pará.

THE PROJECT

Within the scope of the project, it is proposed to (i) perform a public call for up to 60 low-value projects of local communities under the themes “economic activities developed from the sustainable use of the forest”, “Food and Nutritional Security” and “conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity,” including activities in support of the Call (monitoring, training, among others), and (ii) offer direct support to projects in the regions of Cáceres, Baixada Cuiabana, Baixo Tocantins and PAE Lago Grande, including the deployment and reform of productive infrastructures systems, training activities, technical assistance, processing and marketing, as well as environmental conservation practices.

The project is expected to strengthen production for consumption and stimulate income-generating horticulture and small livestock activities. The generation of employment and income may contribute so that the families of farmers remain in the field and in the forest, thus avoiding the rural exodus.  Diversified farming activities, management of biodiversity, as well as support to sales channels and small-scale food processing may ensure the maintenance of jobs, providing a dignified life to the families and the forest’s conservation.

INTERVENTION LOGIC

The project falls within the "Sustainable Production" (1) component of the Amazon Fund's Logical Framework.

Click on the following image to view its objectives tree, that is, how the project's outputs and linked to the expected outcomes and impact.

ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED  

The "Unified Public Call for Socio-Environmental Projects for Sustainable Use in the Pará Amazon" was launched, receiving 158 projects, with 42 selected.

To date, resources have been disbursed for 20 projects, listed below.

The following support activities for the public call have been carried out:

• Production of the project management, monitoring, and accountability guide, with a planned print run of 300 copies, available here;
• Five training workshops on project development, with the participation of representatives from indigenous peoples' organizations in the regions of Trans-Amazonian Highway/Xingu, BR-163, Lower Amazon, Northeast Pará, and Santarém;
• Creation of 13 mini video lessons to assist community organizations in project development, monitoring, and management training, published on the Dema Fund's YouTube channel;
• Updating the database of the digital platform and the access system to the Traditional Seeds Information Bank (BIS), on the GIAS (Agroecology Exchange Group) website, which serves as a tool for organizing and preserving information on agrobiodiversity managed by communities;
• Production and distribution of three editions of the "Somos a Floresta" newsletter;
• Workshop for building the Dema Fund's indicator system;
• Workshop for reviewing the Dema Fund's database, which included the participation of the Management Committee with representatives from quilombola communities, indigenous peoples (Kayapó and Xipaya), rural workers' unions, and women's organizations;
• Agroecology and Food and Nutritional Security Seminar, in partnership with the National Agroecology Network (ANA), attended by representatives of quilombola communities, agro-extractivists, and five members of indigenous associations of the Munduruku people.

Regarding direct support for socio-environmental projects in FASE's area of operation, key activities include:

• Implementation of three project monitoring boards, two in Pará and one in Mato Grosso;
• Production of calendar posters to promote the project;
• Capacity building, evaluation, and planning meetings with the teams involved in the project;
• Development of project communication and monitoring plans;
• Execution of the 1st module of the Multipliers in Agroecology Training Program, at the Agro-extractivist Settlement Project (PAE) Lago Grande, in the Terra Preta dos Viana community (Santarém);
• Technical visits (VTAs) to present the project to communities, explore areas for developing agroecological production systems, assess the productive potential of the communities, and identify relationships and community leaders;
• Preparation of three technical notes on agroecological practices and specificities in the Amazon;
• Digital culture workshop for young people in the Ribeirão da Mutuca quilombo;
• Participation of a Mato Grosso technician in the XI Brazilian Agroecology Congress (CBA).

In terms of infrastructure, technical assistance, and monitoring, the following activities were carried out:

• Implementation of agroforestry systems (SAFs) in two quilombola communities (Bacuri and Médio Itacuruçá), in the municipality of Abaetetuba, state of Pará;
• Three workshops on the themes “Agroextractivism: Utilization of Babaçu,” “Cumbaru Collection and Processing Practices” and   Extractivism - Collection and Utilization of Cumbaru”, held in Cáceres, Mato Grosso. The VTA took place in the Ribeirão da Mutuca quilombo, in Nossa Senhora do Livramento-MT, on the topic of "Organic Fertilizers and Composts – Composting";
• Two seed exchange fairs with 179 participants, where seeds, seedlings, and manivas were registered. In Mato Grosso, a seed exchange festival was held in the municipality of Nossa Senhora do Livramento, with 209 farmers from traditional, quilombola, and settled communities in Baixada Cuiabana and Cáceres;
• Mobilization and training workshop for the creation of agreements on the use and conservation of agrobiodiversity, in the Ribeirão da Mutuca Quilombo community;
• Seven tests for monitoring GMO contamination of maize seeds in three communities, with transgenic presence found in only one;
• Seminar in defense of the Paraguay River, in Cáceres, culminating in a Public Hearing with the Mato Grosso Legislative Assembly;
• Exchange with communities that have already carried out spring restoration and other water conservation and protection practices, to exchange experiences in Rondonópolis.

FASE conducted a Participatory Rapid Diagnostic (PRD) of Sanitary Surveillance in municipalities such as Cáceres, Chapada dos Guimarães, Jangada, Nossa Senhora do Livramento, and Poconé, focusing on the processing and commercialization of products. Additionally, a diagnostic on Sanitary Regularization and Inspection was conducted in Abaetetuba, Igarapé-Miri, and Santarém, aiming to promote the inclusion of artisanal and in natura products in local commercialization networks, such as fairs and markets.

A survey of different short commercialization circuits for the main products of family farming and agro-extractivism was conducted in the municipalities of Igarapé-Miri, Santarém, and Abaetetuba, in both private and institutional markets, and thematic fairs.

A meeting was held at the Rural Workers Union headquarters in Cáceres, with the participation of representatives from Baixada Cuiabana and Cáceres, totaling 26 people, including 19 women and 7 men, where the "FAVO SOLIDÁRIO" commercialization platform was presented.

Four associations received logistical support at agroecological fairs: a) Pantanal Regional Extractive Producers Association (ARPEP); b) Afro-descendant Farmers of the Traditional Community of Capão Verde Association (AGRIVERDE); c) Regional Association of Agroecological Producers (ARPA); and d) Alternative Technology Center Association (ACTA), totaling 31 supports for fairs or sales.