Deforestation along springs and streams in the southeast of Serra do Brigadeiro, Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest, has led to a series of challenges for the rural community, such as soil fertility loss, dry springs and water pollution. Despite this, small farmers have traditionally resisted reforestation efforts, afraid it would impact their crop yield. In our program, native seedlings and agricultural crops are interspersed in a way that is mutually beneficial for the farmers and the environment.
In many Environmental Preservation Areas in the buffer zone of Serra do Brigadeiro State Park, Brazil, deforestation and bad land use along streams and springs has led to several challenges. The lack of vegetation cover left the communities more exposed to rainfall reduction caused by climate change. Nowadays its local inhabitants suffer with drying springs, soil fertility loss and water pollution. People living downstream face an extra challenge: floods caused by siltation.
The solution is simple: strategic reforestation. Still, small rural producers have resisted reforestation efforts, afraid native seedlings would compete for space with their crops. Well offer individual assistance to each of these farmers to ensure their realities are understood, designing specific reforesting plans which meet their needs. Specifically, native seedlings and agricultural crops will be interspersed in a way that is mutually beneficially for the farmers and for the environment.
This project will improve income and life both in the rural farming communities and far further downstream (up to 200km away). Water will become more abundant and of a better quality for all. This and increasing soil fertility will benefit local inhabitants as their crops thrive. Realization of the economic benefits will encourage more farmers to take part in reforestation efforts, and also to stop deforestation in order to expand productive land, sustaining and widening the environmental gain.
