With the aim of debating and presenting practical examples of philanthropy for socio-environmental justice in the context of Cerrado preservation, the Comuá Network, the Institute for Society, Population and Nature (ISPN), the Casa Socioambiental Fund and the Cerrado Network are promoting, on the 15th, the “Dialogue on the Importance of Community Philanthropy in the Conservation of the Cerrado and the Culture of its Peoples”, during the X Meeting and Fair of the Peoples of the Cerrado, in Brasília.
The Cerrado is the most threatened biome in Brazil, with record deforestation in 2023. A cradle of water sources, it supplies eight of the country's main hydrographic basins. It shelters 5% of the planet's biodiversity and is home to traditional peoples and communities who find their livelihood and cultivate their culture there.
Alerts from Deter, the deforestation monitoring system of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), increased by 21% in the first half of the year. Between August 2022 and July of this year, more than 6.300 square kilometers were deforested, most of them in the Matopiba region, which covers Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia.
In this scenario, community philanthropy and socio-environmental justice, which propose the adoption of practices that democratize access to resources by investing in movements and initiatives with direct action in the fight for human rights and in territories, emerge as a way to support movements and organizations that work for the conservation of the Cerrado.
Examples of philanthropy
An example of the contribution of community philanthropy to conservation is the Cerrado Seed Network project "Weaving Networks and Spreading Seeds," with a budget of R$250. The project aims to strengthen leadership within seed collector groups in five states (DF, GO, MG, BA, and TO) and provide economies of scale through the dissemination of knowledge in local communities. To date, 320 families are involved, in five communities, selling 13 kilograms of native seeds collected from 1.595 hectares managed sustainably.
Another example of philanthropy in the Cerrado region is the Pequi Nucleus Solidarity Revolving Fund project, which supports the production chain of this and other Cerrado fruits in Montes Claros, in northern Minas Gerais. The Fund consists of a microcredit of R$ 40 destined for eight cooperatives in northern Minas Gerais. Using the social technology of a Revolving Fund to access working capital, the objective is to support the production of community associations to strengthen the governance of the local pequi production arrangement, already recognized by the government of Minas Gerais.
It works like this: the Pequi Center provides working capital to businesses and technical assistance for developing a business plan and executing the loan. After a certain period of time, from six months to a year, the beneficiary cooperative or association returns the money to the Fund, with a small interest rate, which can then be allocated to another business. The lack of financial resources, along with a lack of planning, is one of the main bottlenecks for the supply and production of these agro-industrial cooperatives.
Both projects receive support from PPP-ECOS, the ISPN's Fund for the Promotion of Productive Eco-social Landscapes, the Small Grants Program (SGP) in Brazil, through the Resilient Cerrado (Ceres) project, funded with resources from the European Union.
Invitation
The managing director of ISPN, Cristiane Azevedo, emphasizes that the idea behind the dialogue forum is to broaden the debate among various sectors of civil society. “The invitation is for more people, organizations, companies, institutes, and foundations to learn about this way of fostering social transformation, starting with supporting grassroots organizations in their struggles within their territories to guarantee access to rights and strengthen civil society, community leadership, and democracy itself,” highlights Cristiane.
Supporting grassroots organizations that fight for rights in Indigenous, Quilombola, and traditional territories of the Cerrado, in order to guarantee access to rights for all and strengthen their traditions, struggles, and knowledge, becomes a possible path against the advancing degradation of the biome.
For Jonathas Azevedo, program advisor at Rede Comuá, community and socio-environmental justice philanthropy in Brazil plays a key role in supporting many of these agendas that are made invisible by mainstream philanthropy, placing at the center of the debate the communities that are on the front lines of advancing the rights agenda, including emphasizing the intersectionalities that cross the environmental, climate, and human rights agenda.
“The fight for the preservation and protection of the Cerrado is a clear example of this. This event, then, is also a call for national philanthropy, which can, and should, contribute to this fight, actively listening to and learning from the work already carried out by the various communities of the Cerrado,” explains Jonathas.
Cristina Orpheo, executive director of the Casa Fund, emphasizes the importance of the numerous indigenous, quilombola, and traditional groups that maintain a deep connection with the ecosystem. “Their ways of life, ancestral knowledge, and cultural traditions are intrinsically linked to the natural resources of the Cerrado. Unfortunately, these communities have suffered enormous violations of their rights, especially their territorial rights,” comments Cristina.
According to her, the Casa Socioambiental Fund understands the leading role these Cerrado communities play in their struggle and recognizes the importance of directing financial resources so that they can conceive and implement their projects autonomously and effectively. "We have been making an effort to increase the resources allocated to Cerrado communities," she added.
The Roundtable Discussion on the Importance of Community Philanthropy in the Conservation of the Cerrado and the Culture of its Peoples is part of the program for Cerrado Day, celebrated on September 11th, and the Month of Philanthropy that Transforms, an initiative of the Comuá Network.
Service
What: Panel discussion: “Dialogue on the Importance of Community Philanthropy in the Conservation of the Cerrado and the Culture of its Peoples”
Order date: September 15th, from 9 AM to 13 PM
Where: 10th Meeting and Fair of the Peoples of the Cerrado, at the TV Tower, in Brasília – DF, Campos Rupestres Tent
Press contact: Letícia Verdi/ISPN (61 986287879).