Santa Catarina Rural Development Project for Sustainability and Innovation

active

The proposed project is part of the Brazil Multi Programmatic Approach (MPA) “Agrifood systems transformation” that aims at enhancing resilience of family farmers in targeted States of Brazil. The MPA is organized around the following pillars, that each phase will contribute to: (i) Pillar 1. Financing the adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA); (ii) Pillar 2: Strengthening agriculture public goods and services for agrifood system development; (iii) Pillar 3. Repurposing and scaling innovative agrifood support policies and programs. The Santa Catarina Rural Development Project for Sustainability and Innovation (SC Rural), strongly aligns with the objectives and approach of the MPA. The objective of the SC Rural project is to foster the sustainable development of rural and fishing areas in the state of Santa Catarina by promoting competitiveness, innovation and social inclusion in the context of the climate change. The project will promote environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change of family farmers by strengthening the management of natural resources (water, biodiversity, forest areas) at the farm level, improving the adequation with environmental regulation and fostering the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices. The project will also support increased entrepreneurship and market integration of family farmers and their organizations, through direct support to develop and implement sustainable business plans and Productive Alliances, as well as support to start-ups to foster the development of innovation for the agricultural sector. The project will also foster an enabling environment for the sustainable development of family farmers and fishers, through the provision of last-mile public goods, such as rural roads, on-farm energy (no distribution or transmission lines involved), access to digitalization, to foster the connection of farmers to markets. Lastly, the project will strengthen the institutions that support the agricultural sector, improve the monitoring and evaluation of implementation of agricultural public policies and programs. The project has a statewide scope and includes specific actions to ensure inclusion of women, youth, Indigenous People and Traditional People and Communities.