The role of women in family farming is becoming increasingly visible. They are the protagonists of development around their homes, promoting food security, guaranteeing new sources of income generation, and providing opportunities to experiment with different productive activities. To speak of this protagonism is to address empowerment, collective work, and the affective bonds that unite them in their communities.
It was in this context, through the Program to Support Traditional Communities (PACT) in partnership with Vale, that ISPN supported the implementation of two family processing units involving babassu by-products in November. A total of R$ 80 was invested in the ventures, benefiting approximately 30 women.
One of the units, which produces olive oil, is located in the community of Pimental, in the municipality of Arari (MA). The other enterprise is located in the village of Serra, in Tufilândia (MA) and has been working with the processing of babassu mesocarp, producing flour, biscuits, milk, olive oil, ice cream and cake.
Both units have all the necessary infrastructure to process babassu coconuts, such as machinery, and hygiene and safety materials. The initiative will promote greater production and income generation with higher quality and efficiency for the women who break the coconuts from both groups.
Before the arrival of PACT, they faced resistance and a lack of support as a group of women. However, these challenges spurred them to unite, organize, and work collectively.
Maria das Chagas Silva, 58 years old, walks 6km along dirt roads and across a river to participate in meetings and processing work with the Mão de Fibra Extractive Women's Group, from the Serra community. "It's a great joy for our community to have a unit with this structure, the fruit of our labor, of our sweat. We hope to multiply it more and more to continue our activities," she said proudly.
According to Nazaré Martins, president of the Pimental Village Residents' Association, the PACT project has strengthened families and the production process involving babassu. “We were already discouraged. The project has come to value our work and our rich product that we have in the community. Through the mini-factory, we hope to produce even more and with quality to sell a good product in markets and neighboring communities,” emphasized the babassu nut breaker.
Experiences like these reinforce the growing importance of women in the productive process and management of rural enterprises. These actions strengthen and encourage their continued presence in the countryside and their organization into groups, or even associations, in addition to promoting investments in training and productive inclusion.
*Program to Support Traditional Communities (PACT) – This program is the result of a public call for proposals from the company Vale SA through a public notice, and is one of the licensing conditions related to the works of the Northern Logistics Capacity Building Program (CLN) of the Carajás Railway (EFC) duplication project in the state of Maranhão. The activities foreseen in the PACT include the traditional communities of babaçu coconut breakers and riverside communities affected by the project.