“This experience with the Floresta+ project helped us change our perspective on nature, calling us to the responsibility of caring for it. If the earth dies, humanity will die too.”
The statement is from Maria da Conceição Paiva, president of the Ponta Bonita Quilombo Association, during a visit by technicians from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA), and the Institute for Society, Population and Nature (ISPN). The mission aimed to learn about the results of the Floresta+ Project in quilombola communities in Maranhão.
The project was implemented by ISPN, with support from the Floresta+ Amazônia Project, through the Communities Modality, within the scope of the National Secretariat for Traditional Peoples and Communities and Sustainable Rural Development (SNPCT) of the Ministry of the Environment (MMA), and UNDP, with resources from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The initiative allows international resources obtained from deforestation reduction to return to communities that demonstrate, in practice, a commitment to environmental conservation and sustainable development.
Food sovereignty and increased income
In the community of Ponta Bonita, there has been an expansion in poultry farming, pig breeding, orchards, banana plantations, and other crops. In addition to strengthening the food sovereignty of the 63 families, the surplus production has begun to generate income for the community.
In the municipality of Anajatuba, the community of Ilha do Teso received an agro-industry that will boost honey production. With the facility in operation, it is estimated that, through collective work, families will be able to produce up to 60 tons of honey.
“My income was meager, solely from farming. With the incentive for honey production and agro-industry, we will be able to improve production and stop selling to middlemen. Our dream is to see the name of Ilha do Teso on the product label, being sold throughout Brazil, in addition to supermarkets and school meals,” says José Raimundo da Silva Martins.
On Teso Island, women are also beginning to take up space in honey production, advocating for greater participation in the community's productive activities and actions. forest preservation.
“Without forest conservation, it’s impossible to work with beekeeping. As women, we’ve always seen our husbands working with bees. If they can learn, we can too. This opportunity is arriving to guarantee our autonomy as well.”, says Maria Antônia Martins.
In the village of Pedrinhas, the Floresta+ Project boosted a long-standing community activity: flour production. The initiative renovated and modernized the flour mill, enabling increased production and improved product quality.
In Quilombo São Pedro, José de Ribamar Pinto dos Reis is already making plans to diversify production. He highlights the importance of the exchanges promoted during the project's implementation.
“The project brought a lot of experience and today we are moving forward with a different mindset, with a more open mind. We visited other communities, learned about new practices and ways of caring for production. We managed to strengthen poultry farming and fish farming. Now I dream of producing juçara, bananas and cupuaçu on ten hectares, working together with the community,” "The family farmer reports."
The Quilombo São Pedro also has a Family Agricultural School. The aim is to build new perspectives for students from the community and surrounding areas, encouraging young people to remain and work in their own territory.
"When another project comes along, let's be aware of what it means to care for and preserve, and understand that the project belongs to us, to the community, and not to any institution." "Says Ismael Montelo Rodrigues, who has lived in the community for a long time and is a former student of the Family Agricultural School. Ismael witnessed the changes in the Quilombo firsthand as a field technician for the Floresta + project as part of the ISPN team."
The implementation of the Floresta+ Project also involved partnerships with representative community entities, including the Union of Quilombola Associations of the Remaining Quilombo Communities of Uniquituba (Uniquituba) and the Association of Rural Agro-producers of the Cariongo Quilombo.
“Listening to the testimonies, we perceived the community members' excitement as they reported the increase in small animal production and productive backyards. They haven't lost their essence, but are innovating and ensuring more healthy food and improved income in the quilombola communities.” highlights Eliane Frazão Rosa, a quilombola and president of Uniquituba.
Quilombo Cariongo: green backyards and strengthening identity
In Quilombo Cariongo, in the municipality of Santa Rita, the rains have made the backyards even greener. Between one backyard and another, the diverse production includes bananas, vegetables, chickens, medicinal herbs, and fish farms.
Historically, the quilombo has faced difficulties accessing potable water, and many families still need to buy it. With this project, part of that problem has begun to be solved with the construction of a reservoir that will guarantee water for the crops during the dry season.
"With this water, I'll be able to plant onions, lemons, and all kinds of fruit trees. I won't need to haul wheelbarrows anymore because the water will come out directly from the taps." says Dona Maria Nazaré Teixeira, 74 years old, born in Quilombo Cariongo.
In addition to productive backyards, the Floresta+ Project made possible the collective construction of the Quilombola Territorial and Environmental Management Plan (PGTAQ) for the Cariongo QuilomboThis is a strategic tool for strengthening the community's political landscape. The plan expands dialogue between the territory, the State, and other agents responsible for implementing public policies.
This document is pioneering in Maranhão, being the first one created after Decree No. 11.786/2023, which establishes the National Policy for Territorial and Environmental Management of Quilombola Communities. The PGTAQ strengthens the autonomy and territorial management capacity of the community, also consolidating itself as a political, social, and environmental reference for other quilombos in the construction of planning instruments and the achievement of rights.
