Tag Archives: Heifer Brazil

What Future Do You Want?

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Photograph from Heifer Ecuador, courtesy of Heifer International

This week, Brazil is hosting a conference on Sustainable Development called Rio+20 in Rio de Janeiro. My colleague, Oscar Castañeda, recently wrote about the conference in his post, Let’s Talk… Rio+20. You might have also seen on the blog, How to Follow Along with #RioPlus20 as well as Water Issues at Rio+20 and in Morante, Peru.

Why is Rio+20 important?

According to the UN’s website, Rio+20 is bringing together:

“world leaders, along with thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, NGOs and other groups… to shape how we can reduce poverty, advance social equity.”

That is huge! So many willing parties wanting to make a difference. You’ve heard me say before that everyone (anyone!) needs to DO SOMETHING! The first step is to recognize that there needs to be change and that we can’t continue as we have been. Too many people are suffering, too many people are dying, from causes within our power to eradicate.

The poorest of the poor suffer most from environmental degradation and natural disasters. Look at the Bhopal disaster or Hurricane Katrina; it was those living in poverty, on marginal land, who suffered the brunt of these tragedies. This is not ok. We can’t sit by and just accept that this is the way life is – it’s not.

But you can’t just care for the environment and say you’ve done your part (although it is a start). You have to understand that the environment is just one component of social justice. They go hand and hand. And through social justice we can END (not just alleviate) hunger and poverty.

Heifer teaches that there are different components involved in ending hunger and poverty. In a blog I wrote, The Role of Social Capital in Heifer’s Work, I mention Heifer’s Theory of Change, which says that to improve sustainable livelihoods we need to increase income and assets of the impoverished, assure their food security and nutrition and ensure care for the environment. In addition we need to focus on and elevate women’s empowerment as well as the community’s social capital. These impacts will help us achieve our mission.

To restate, the poorest of the poor suffer more than the rest of us from environmental degradation. So how does Heifer respond? Let me share an example.

Nearly all of Heifer’s projects in the Americas are designed with an intentional environmental focus. In fact, well more than 90% of the active projects in the Americas focus on agroecology, which Heifer defines as “socially, economically and ecologically sustainable agricultural production achieved through the management of natural resources to provide food and other products to restore and regenerate environmental functions and ecosystem integrity that protect the biosphere.” Many of the Americas projects also specifically reference climate change.

In Ecuador, we have a project called Ancestral Peoples of the Mangrove Ecosystem of Ecuador Recover the Territories Where They Live and Produce. This project has been implemented in five provinces on Ecuador’s coast, where 70% of the mangrove ecosystem, which provides the livelihood of small fishing and gathering peoples, has been illegally destroyed to farm tropical shrimp. This practice has displaced people from their ancestral territory and caused the loss of their incomes. The project supports capacity building to sustainably reforest the mangrove. The project also advocates on behalf of communities so they can exercise their constitutional rights in the territories illegally occupied. The project has also introduced alternatives for income generation like community tourism microenterprises. Work has also been done using agroecological and mangrove ecosystem fairs to educate local producers and improve their production, as well as to inform local consumers about what the mangrove ecosystem has to offer. Increased awareness through these fairs and marketing is promoting local engagement in mangrove conservation efforts.

As you can see, caring for the environment is a lot of work and part of a larger system. And this is only one of the MANY examples we have.  We are successful because we have staff and projects participants that are committed to leading the way to change. Oscar mentioned in his post:

“Additionally, we want everyone to know that the answers to many of these complicated issues are present at local levels. Farmers, fishers, indigenous peoples, campesinos—these individuals and their organizations have the solutions and they are themselves part of the solution. Their voices just need to be heard, and at Heifer, we want to do our part to make sure those voices are heard.”

 

Photograph by Christain DeVries, courtesy of Heifer International

This week, Heifer has had a presence through our Brazil country program staff at the People’s Summit, which runs parallel to the Rio+20 activities. It’s important for us to be present at the conference and commit to sustainable development (it’s what we do!), alongside many of our partner organizations. Our colleagues have promised to update us (and you!) through the blog after the conference.

In the meantime, the conference negotiations have come to a conclusion, and text has been developed to define the Future We Want.

I’ve mentioned this before (and I’m always happy to say it again), but I know the future I want. It is one that sees an END to hunger and poverty, and that day will come!

 

Let’s Talk… Rio +20

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From June 20 to 22, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will be hosting the United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development. The event is also known as Rio+20 because it was 20 years ago that the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, or Earth Summit, took place in the same city.

In 1992, of course, the world was a different place. Just before the Earth Summit, I had been living in West Germany. In those days, we had seen a man to walk on the moon but still could not imagine the Berlin Wall falling. But something considered impossible happened in 1989, and I watched the distinction between the First World and the Second World crumble with the wall.

In the wake of such a historic and inspiring event, the Earth Summit was brimming with optimism. The event was unprecedented in its size and potential for impact and was meant to aid governments in rethinking economic development and also to come up with ways to prevent the depletion of natural resources and production of pollutants.

One of the products of the meeting was Agenda 21, a comprehensive blueprint for sustainable development that combined environmental, social and economic elements. Previously, development was one dimensional, and the elements were considered separately.

Unfortunately, not all of the Earth Summit was inspiring, as many major players, including the United States, refused to sign key environmental agreements.

At this year’s Rio+20 Conference, according to the event’s website, “world leaders, along with thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, NGOs and other groups, will come together to shape how we can reduce poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet to get to the future we want.”

The conference will “focus on two themes: 1) a green economy in the context of sustainable development poverty eradication; and 2) the institutional framework for sustainable development.”

Today’s backdrop isn’t post-Cold War optimism. Rio+20 comes in the wake of massive public protests: the Occupy movement and outrage at the corporate bailouts in the United States, the Arab Spring demonstrations, the indignados movement in Spain and others around the world. Potential food crises and rebellion threaten many countries globally. The participants in this year’s U.N. summit must be bold enough to confront the root causes of the public outcry and seek sustainable solutions, and all the key players must be on board for lasting changes to take place.

Heifer International is chiming into the discussion on sustainable development via our Heifer Brazil staff, who will be attending the People’s Summit, a major meeting that is parallel to Rio+20 and organized by networks of NGOs and social movements.

Together with Heifer partner organizations, staff members will engage in advocacy in the areas of sustainable agriculture, livestock, food security and food sovereignty while also accompanying the farmers’ social movement Via Campesina in its actions to advance agroecology and social justice. As an organization, we will specifically push for the following:

-A transformation of agriculture and food systems to ensure food and nutrition security, protect natural resources and support equitable development for all.

-Integrated crop/tree and livestock agriculture and rotational grazing of livestock to improve/restore grasslands and curb land loss and soil degradation.

-Sustainable livestock production systems including global support for strong animal health and welfare guidelines and practices.

-Strengthening linkages between urban and rural areas for food and nutrition security.

In terms of sustainable development, the three pillars defined in 1992 (environment, social,

Heifer Brazil project participant

economic) are incredibly important. But I think the social element should be defined to include culture. When I say culture, I don’t mean folklore, but rather the unique elements that indigenous peoples bring to a geographic area. They often bring an unparalleled knowledge of the local natural environment as well as a healthy respect for the nature that sustains them.

Additionally, we want everyone to know that the answers to many of these complicated issues are present at local levels. Farmers, fishers, indigenous peoples, campesinos—these individuals and their organizations have the solutions and they are themselves part of the solution. Their voices just need to be heard, and at Heifer, we want to do our part to make sure those voices are heard.

In the coming weeks, we will make sure to keep you updated on Heifer Brazil staff members as they participate in Rio and support small holder farmers who are speaking out. Stay tuned!

In Context: Snapshots

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Editor’s note: In Context is a new series designed to inform and educate you on Heifer’s work in each country we have a presence. Every two weeks we’ll tackle a different country and examine unique situations related to hunger and poverty, how Heifer works to address them as well as take some time to explore local culture and traditions.

Take a peek into the lives of Heifer project participants in Brazil.

Diego Pereira de Souza cutting grass to feed his family’s animals.

A Heifer project participant tending to her nursery.

 

Raquel Mikaeli Lucindo de Silva holding a baby goat. Her family received one goat and one sheep.

A cashew tree.

 

Brazilian farmers typically store their seeds in a seed bank like this one:

In Context: Spotlight on Rural Poverty in Brazil

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Editor’s note: In Context is a new series designed to inform and educate you on Heifer’s work in each country we have a presence. Every two weeks we’ll tackle a different country and examine unique situations related to hunger and poverty, how Heifer works to address them as well as take some time to explore local culture and traditions.

In the last 20 years, the Brazilian government has successfully halved poverty in Brazil. Despite this great move forward, incidences of extreme poverty still persist, particularly in rural Brazil.

5% of the urban population is classified as living in extreme poverty while 25% of the rural poor live in extreme poverty. Nearly half of all poor rural households are made up of smallholder farmers. And half of those farmers are landless, relying on odd jobs to for income.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

Brazil’s Northeast region is the poorest and least developed area in the country and hosts the most concentrated population of rural poverty in all of Latin America. This area, known as the Sertão is semi-arid and is prone to erratic rainfall, causing either flooding or drought.  Many of the farmers in this region migrate to Sao Paolo or Rio de Janeiro in search of work.

Facts and Figures:

  • Brazil’s number one cause of rural poverty is inequality in land tenure
  • Only a few farmers own good, arable land.
  • 75% of the rural labor force is employed
  • Small-scale agriculture produces 50% of the country’s food supply
  • 27% of rural households are headed by women
  • Child labor is common among households in rural Brazil

An infographic from Columbia Water Center illustrates the effects of water-based issues in Northeast Brazil:

 

Source: IFAD

In Context: Brazil

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Editor’s note: In Context is a new series designed to inform and educate you on Heifer’s work in each country we have a presence. Every two weeks we’ll tackle a different country and examine unique situations related to hunger and poverty, how Heifer works to address them as well as take some time to explore local culture and traditions.

Population: 190 Million
Native greeting: Como vai voce? (How’s it going?)
Capital: Brasilia
Official language: Portuguese
Local currency: Real

Overview:

Brazil is the only Portuguese speaking country in the Americas. The population is made up of multiple ethnic groups with African, Portuguese, Italian, German, Spanish and Japanese being a large percentage. 74% of the population is Roman Catholic.

With the exception of Chile and Ecuador, Brazil borders every country in South America. It is the largest nation on the continent. Brazil is divided with the highlands in the south and the Amazon River Basin in the north. With a mostly tropical climate, it’s host to 5 climatic subtypes- equatorial, tropical, semi-arid, highland tropical, temperate and subtropical.

In recent years, Brazil has shown impressive growth. It is the largest economy in Latin America and the seventh largest economy in the world. Thanks to this growth and an increasing political focus on poverty,  about 40 million Brazilians have been able to step out of poverty in the last decade. However, inequality still remains and Brazil is home to some of the largest and most dangerous slums ( or favelas) in the world.

Even with 36% of the population living under the poverty line, Brazil is considered to have high human development with a HDI (Human Development Index) ranking at 85 out of 187.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

Heifer’s Approach 

Livestock portfolio: Goats, poultry, cattle, hogs, fruit trees and vegetable seeds

Technology portfolio: Flood cisterns and underground water reservoirs

Issues addressed: Social inequality, poverty, local food production and conservation

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

Heifer began its work in Brazil in 2005 to promote sustainable food systems encompassing everything from agro-ecological production, transformation of communities through smallholder farms, marketing and consumption of healthy foods.

An emphasis is placed on taking social action by forming organizations to lessen social disparities among the middle class and small farmers, rural and urban communities and native populations.

Heifer is present in the northern states of Bahía, Pernambuco, Paraíba, Alagoas, Sergipe, Río Grande do Norte, Ceará, Piauí and Maranhão, as well as Paraná, Santa Catarina and Río Grande do Sul in the south.

To learn more about Heifer Brazil and other countries we work in, visit www.heifer.org