Advancing Food Security through Organic Agriculture in Brazil

Project Information
Reducing hunger among farming families through training programs.
Describe the need affecting community
How will this Advance project help to address the need?
Many of the formerly landless farmers participating in this program have personally experienced the brutal realities of working in sugar cane fields, teeming with toxic chemicals and engaged in hour after hour of back-breaking labor. Many have also experienced the destitution of homelessness, seasonal farm work and hunger. From these communities which are so close to the problems of industrial agriculture* and economic disparity, come bold plans for an alternative life and farming approach—agroecology—to transform farm and livelihood practices in ways that are much healthier for farming communities and the environment. (*Among industrial agriculture’s negatives is that it diminishes biodiversity and promotes indebtedness of farmers as they become tied to GMOs seeds, expensive fertilizers and pesticides. Industrial agriculture methods are also frequently toxic or harmful to not only the environment, but to the farmers and their family members who are exposed to them on an extended and intensive basis.
Describe the primary goal of the project
The program seeks to 1) strengthen rural livelihoods throughout Brazil while offering a viable alternative to the damages of industrial agriculture; and 2) promote sustainable and healthy agroecological farming practices to formerly landless farmers in the northeastern state of either Maranhão or Pernambuco. The program will impact leadership capacity and strengthen communities (in terms of healthy, productive farming practices) and the environment (by avoiding toxic chemicals that deplete the soil and contribute to climate change). Versus the dominant industrial model of agriculture, this project promotes and disseminates a sustainable alternative: agroecology, which emphasizes locally controlled methodologies that sustain the environment, biodiversity and traditional livelihoods.
Describe the change you would like to see in the community as a result of this Advance project
– Increased practice of agroecology (AE) in Brazilian land reform settlements. – Participants’ well-being improved; women’s roles and status enhanced. – The project becomes well accepted among families because of its low cost and effectiveness. – The i