Good Earth

project

Good Earth

INSTITUTION

Alternative Technology Service (SERTA) and CSA Yvy Porã

REGION

Paudalho – PE

YEAR

2020

The Project

The structuring of a production area to strengthen and expand the cultivation of agroecological foods at CSA (Communities that Sustain Agriculture) Yvy Porã, in the North Forest Zone of Pernambuco (Zona da Mata Norte of Pernambuco), is the main objective of this project. Coordinated in a collaborative system of about 20 co-farmers, CSA Yvy Porã (which means ‘good land’ in the Guarani-Kaiowá language) was created in 2016 and is connected to the Waldorf schools in Recife and Rural Turmalina. Raising awareness, encouraging community involvement and exchanging knowledge through dialogue between biodynamic agriculture, Kaiowá agriculture and agroecology are also aims of the project. Prior to this initiative, CSA Ivy Porã operated in an area of temporary cultivation and of limited size. The project creates the conditions for the preparation and organization of the new planting area, with the necessary infrastructure and the strengthening of partnerships along with technical and pedagogical alliances that qualify its performance.

Objectives

– Plan and structure a production area that serves CSA Yvy Porã’s co-farmers, now located in a defined area.

– Strengthen the involvement and awareness of co-farmers in relation to the CSA Yvy Porã initiative.

– Maintain and live by the CSA as the educational environment for the Waldorf Rural Tourmaline School (EWRT).

– Provide training activities geared towards CSA Yvy Porã and its surroundings.

RESULTS

– A fully structured production area for the CSA Yvy Porã, with soil preparation, revitalization and management.

– Maintenance of an group of co-farmers and a workshop for the construction of natural containers, resulting in the strengthening and increased awareness of the project’s objectives.

– Consolidation of CSA Yvy Porã as an educational space, for training and activities for teachers and students from different classes of the EWRT. With the structuring of the agricultural organization, the unit is able to receive visits from elementary school classes 1 and 2, and high school, to carry out pedagogical activities.

– With the organization of the planting area, colonies of native bees – of fundamental importance for the health of biodiversity – returned to the environment and today contribute to the pollination of the local flora and the gardens of CSA Yvy Porã.