In Tocantins, community learns about cashew and gains new job and income prospects

Maria Aparecida Fernandes, a 47-year-old farmer, has lived in the Remansão Settlement, in Nova Olinda, Tocantins, for two years and participated in an initiative that strengthened her work and community action.

She and 39 other neighbors were beneficiaries of a project that sought to support the planting and management of cashew in the settlement, with the aim of increasing income and reducing economic vulnerabilities in the region. Activities included training on management, workshops on the role of women and young people in production processes, in addition to the acquisition and planting of 15,000 cashew seedlings

Maria Aparecida had an active participation in all activities, demonstrating enthusiasm in learning new techniques:

“What I liked most was learning about grafting [que permite a união de duas plantas diferentes]. It’s incredible how one plant gives life to another, it’s a God thing.”

“I loved everything, because it’s a learning experience in our lives”, she summarized, adding that she is always open to new knowledge and referring to herself as “Maria Desafio”, for her willingness to face and overcome obstacles.

The initiative in Nova Olinda was implemented by UNOPS, a United Nations organization specialized in project management, with resources from the inspection of labor legislation by the Public Ministry of Labor (MPT).

The workshops and training were carried out by the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT), which operates in the territory. The Remansão Settlement was created in September 2001, through an ordinance from the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA), to settle 157 families.

“The Remansão community, although they received the land, had no incentive to work on it and guarantee their permanence in the place. Therefore, they were selected to participate in the project”, explains Labor Attorney Cecília Amália Cunha Santos, who works in the municipality of Araguaína, in Tocantins, and was responsible for allocating resources to the project.

“The impact of the activities will be significant, as they will be able to benefit from greater nut production and a stimulus to collective production, ensuring their sustainability and permanence in the territory.”

Potential

Community leader Cícero Rodrigues also participated in the activities and highlighted the economic potential of learning:

“No one here knew the correct way to plant [o caju]. The impact of these workshops is that we attract more attention and bring more hope to the families, who now start working in collective efforts.”

The cashew produced in the settlement can be used to manufacture and/or sell a series of products, such as pulp, juices, soft drinks, cajuína, beer, cachaça, in addition to nuts in their various formats (dehydrated, fried, caramelized, powdered , etc.).

Throughout the partnership, four workshops were held with target families, covering cashew farming, seedling management, planting, fertilization, diseases and treatments, in addition to workshops on community organization and the role of women in production. The activities were planned in a participatory manner, with popular dynamics to facilitate understanding of the themes.

“The set of these actions, which range from training to planting seedlings, has a positive impact on the community, as families can and should replicate this knowledge and its practical results”, points out Evandro Rodrigues dos Anjos, who followed the work by the Pastoral Land Commission .

“The municipality itself is impacted, because there is an increase in the financial autonomy of families and more income in the region.”

For attorney Cecília, there are also gains from the point of view of access to rights:

“Strengthening the community prevents enticement into slave labor, which is the main objective of the action: to empower the community so that its members are not subject to precarious forms of work, allowing them to live in a sustainable and dignified manner in their territory.”