Cooperation with German Government strengthens sustainable production, environmental monitoring and conservation practices
The Rio de Janeiro State Government and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany signed a cooperation agreement to implement the project “Integration of Eco-technologies and Services for Sustainable Rural Development in Rio de Janeiro” (Intecral). The German Government will invest approximately US$ 4.2 million in research and technical solutions to improve productivity of small farms at, North, Northwest, Serrana Region and Coastal Floodplains of Rio de Janeiro.
The project Intecral will be held by the State Secretariat of Agriculture and Livestock of Rio de Janeiro (through Rio Rural Programme and the public extension and research corporations Emater-Rio and Pesagro), in partnership with six Brazilian and German universities, as well as European companies. The project will link science with practice, developing and adapting sustainable technologies such as a sugarcane harvester specific to small properties, adequate techniques for reversing land degradation, sanitation systems in rural villages, information technologies for monitoring water resources and meteorological parameters, among other actions.
Intecral activities include small rural localities at Cachoeiras de Macacu, Nova Friburgo, Teresopolis , Porciuncula, Varre-Sai, Carapebus, Campos dos Goytacazes, Quissama and Macae. The project will begin in 2014 and will be executed in three years. It will provide technical and operational support, in partnership with Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), INEA (State Environmental Institute) and RJ watershed committees.
The new investments in the agricultural sector will strengthen small farming and will contribute to maintain families in the field with quality of life. The cooperation agreement was signed on September 18 by the Vice Minister of Education and Research of Germany, Georg Shutte, and the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Sergio Cabral. From 16th to 20th September, researchers from German universities were in Rio to meet farmers and learn about its livelihoods of and production. The project will be coordinated by the Institute for Technology and Resources Management of Cologne University and Rio Rural.
Contact:
Nelson Teixeira – Sustainable Development Superintendent
Helga Hissa – Technical Coordinator
Secretariat of Agriculture and Livestock of Rio de Janeiro
+55 (21) 3607-6003 / 3607-5398
microbacias@agricultura.rj.gov.br
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