Innovative resource donation format values knowledge and strengthens practices of traditional peoples and communities of the Cerrado region.
Community philanthropy can strengthen practices and value the knowledge and wisdom of traditional peoples and communities in the Cerrado region, but to do so, it needs to receive a greater volume of support and financial resources that are accessed and managed by communities in a less bureaucratic way.
This was the conclusion of the debate “Dialogues on the importance of community philanthropy in the conservation of the Cerrado and the culture of its peoples”, held by ISPN and the Casa Socioambiental Fund, with the support of the Comuá Network, during the 10th Meeting and Fair of the Peoples of the Cerrado, in September.
“Streamlined donation processes facilitate access to resources, and it’s important to keep in mind that communities are a key part of the decision-making process: they have the autonomy to decide how projects will be implemented,” explains Jonathas Azevedo, program advisor at Rede Comuá, a Community Philanthropy and Social Justice network that includes ISPN and Fundo Casa.
As part of the "Month of Transforming Philanthropy," which aims to give visibility to community philanthropy practices in cities and territories, the event featured the participation of the current president of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), Mercedes Bustamante, who is a biologist and specialist in climate change.
“A meeting like this, with so many entities present, is capable of outlining a range of strategies to conserve our Cerrado,” declared the researcher, adding that, with the advancement of climate change, it is necessary to “design customized solutions for different regions.”
Alongside Mercedes, Jonathas added that "by strengthening civil society, we strengthen the agenda for access to rights and, consequently, democracy." For him, the meeting of members of the Comuá Network means "reaffirming this political stance."
Also present at the table were Sueli Gomes, technical assistant at the Vicente Nica Center for Alternative Agriculture (CAAV) in Minas Gerais, a beneficiary of the PPP-ECOS Fund (whose acronym stands for Promotion of Productive Eco-social Landscapes) of ISPN; Francisca Ramos de Souza, vice-president of the Institute of Socio-environmental Actions (INASA) in Maranhão; and Elisangela, from the Apinajé Brigade, both beneficiaries of the Casa Socioambiental Fund.
Representing funds that promote Community Philanthropy were Luciene Dias, secretary of the Babaçu Fund; Marinalda Rodrigues, coordinator of the Interstate Movement of Babaçu Coconut Breakers (MIQCB); Isabel Figueiredo, coordinator of the PPP-ECOS Fund; and Rodrigo Montaldi, program manager of the Casa Socioambiental Fund. The panel was moderated by Cristiane Azevedo, superintendent director of ISPN.
Also present were companies, institutes and foundations that finance community initiatives, such as the Banco do Brasil Foundation, the World Bank, the Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA), the Ecumenical Service Coordination (CESE) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Marco Cirilo, from the Banco do Brasil Foundation, when presenting the work developed by the entity, said that a strategic planning process is underway for the next cycle of support and that there is also an effort to work with local networks to give more reach to the resources. "Through networking, we are able to reach the grassroots," he said.
Community philanthropy in practice
In the Bico do Papagaio region of Tocantins state, an Apinajé Women's Volunteer Brigade was created among Apinajé indigenous women to fight fires and care for their Indigenous land. It's necessary to "keep the forest standing so that our children and grandchildren can live with that nature," explains brigade member Elisângela Dias, from the Apinajé people. And also so that there is the possibility of hunting and fishing there, she adds.
Iré, the name of the firefighter in her people's language, explains that the reserve where she lives has more than one hundred springs and eight clean streams, thanks to the care of those who live in the territory.
The Brigade could only be created with the support of the Casa Socioambiental Fund, which provided R$30 for the purchase of firefighting equipment. The initiative of Apinajé women has also collaborated with the work of other brigades linked to Ibama, which are few, "since sometimes there are many fires and they can't handle it," says Iré.
“We are there to help out of love for the land and nature,” she adds. According to her, the work has strengthened the Apinajé women and inspired the girls in the community.
According to Rodrigo Montaldi, representative of the Casa Fund, "grassroots communities need to be supported because they are the ones that guarantee the protection of territories, biomes, environmental conservation, and climate balance."
It's necessary to cut red tape.
Sueli, from CAAV, explains that streamlined funding gives communities and their associations the autonomy to develop their own proposals and manage their own resources.
The technical advisor explains that her region, in the Jequitinhonha Valley, coexists with extensive areas of eucalyptus monocultures and that, given this scenario, "Community Philanthropy has given us the opportunity to raise awareness among communities about the impact of this monoculture and to propose alternatives to water scarcity and land degradation."
As a beneficiary of the PPP-ECOS program, she also mentions the possibility of accessing markets and institutionally strengthening community associations, adding that this fund is one of the few that allows for more flexible resource management.
Another characteristic of community organizations is that some of them are not formalized, which creates difficulties in seeking resources. In this sense, Francisca, from INASA, argues that "it's great to be talking about Community Philanthropy," since this type of initiative allows for the provision of services between a formalized and a non-formalized entity.
She explains that, since 2006, INASA has been seeking opportunities through grant applications, but these are difficult to access. The previous year, the team even considered disbanding the organization itself, but that's when they learned about community philanthropy. "Trust must be the foundation between communities, so that a formalized partner entity can provide services to a non-formalized one, and thus more people and projects can benefit from the resources."
Resource generates income.
At the "front of the chain" of community philanthropy, CAAV, in turn, maintains a Solidarity Revolving Fund, encouraging new community actors to access credit for income generation.
And it is ultimately access to resources that allows for income generation in territories where other forms of support do not reach, says the vice-president of INASA. For Francisca, when the community is strengthened, the biome is strengthened: "we can keep the crops greener and it is possible to breathe better".
“When we have resources, we can promote activities within the community, creating bonds between families and involving young people in carrying out projects,” he explains. “The people who benefit tend to reforest with native plants, seeking to keep the forest standing.”
Furthermore, he points out that the lack of resources generates rural exodus: people need to move to urban centers in search of income and subsistence.
In Piauí, the Babaçu Fund works to strengthen the economic capacity of women who break babaçu coconuts, also as a way to conserve the Cerrado biome. To extract the coconuts, they do not cut down any palm trees or native trees within the territory: "without the babaçu palm standing, there is no life," emphasizes Marinalda, from MICQB.
Without the Cerrado, there is no Amazon.
When discussing support for the conservation of biomes, another aspect that stands out is the amount of resources concentrated in the Amazon to the detriment of the Cerrado – and other biomes.
“There is a view among funders and international philanthropy that the Amazon is largely responsible for the ecological and climatic balance of the planet,” argues Rodrigo from the Casa Fund. It is a fact, he says, that the Amazonian biome is of enormous importance, but everyone needs to stand up to conserve the environment and curb climate change.
Isabel Figueiredo, from ISPN, summarizes that without the Cerrado there is no Amazon; the biomes are interconnected, and it is necessary to draw attention to our savanna, so deforested and yet so important for its socio-biodiversity and for providing water to the country.
The problem with focusing solely on one biome is that financial resources for socio-environmental initiatives end up all being directed to the north. In 2022, for example, 52% of the resources donated by the Casa Fund went to the Legal Amazon.
Throughout its history, since 2005, the Casa Fund has supported 972 projects in the Amazon and adjacent transition areas, and 461 in the Cerrado, considering adjacent areas. While R$32,6 million was allocated to the Amazon, only about R$13 million went to the Cerrado. In most cases, the destination of these resources is predetermined by the funders – the discrepancy between the amounts allocated to the two biomes demonstrates that a closer look at the Cerrado is necessary.
Critical scenario
From 2006 to 2019, the change in land use, previously dominated by trees and converted into pasture and monoculture areas, resulted in a 10% reduction in annual evapotranspiration, thus reducing air humidity.
Another impact of this deforestation is the increase in the biome's temperature by 0,9ºC, according to the research. Implications of heat stress for the health of the workforce in Brazil (available in English).
“Sustainability is not just an option, but an imperative for the Cerrado,” declares Mercedes, adding that “structural and emergency actions are needed to deal with the biome.”
“We can’t wait or make any more mistakes with this very special biome,” he says, demonstrating that the abrupt change in land use in the Cerrado to pastures and monocultures has already left it “drier and hotter” – and that this “heat stress” also affects the health of workers in the region.
The effects of this environmental imbalance are already being felt by society, and have been for some time. Time is of the essence, and a series of actions must be taken to prevent climate change from further impacting people's lives.
Supporting community-based organizations of traditional peoples and communities with private social investment, both nationally and internationally, is an important way to contribute to mitigating and adapting to this scenario and to achieving socio-environmental justice.
*Text by Camila Araujo/ISPN Communications Advisor.