revista4 - mma.gov.br · PDF filenando Henrique Cardosopromised to incorporate Agenda 21 nmental policy. The document should be a basis for nmental planning at the federal, state and

Sustainable production and consumption, against the culture of waste.

Ecological efficiency and social responsibility for business.

Return to strategic planning, regional infrastructure and integration.

Renewable energy and bio-mass.Information and knowledge for sustainable development.

Permanent education for work and life.

Promote health and avoid disease, making the

Single Health System (SUS) more democratic.

Social inclusion and income distribution.

Make sanitary sewage and garbage collection

universal to protect health and the environment.

Manage space and municipal authority.

Sustainable development of rural Brazil.

Promote sustainable agriculture.Promote the local Agenda 21 and integrated, sustainable development.

Implant mass transportation and sustainable mobility.

Preserve the quantity and improve the quality of water in water basins.

A forest policy, control of deforestation

and corridors for biological diversity.

Decentralization and a Federal pact; partnerships,

consortia and local power.Mobilization of the State: environmental

management and economic instruments.

International relations and global governing for sustainable development.

Civil culture and new identities in the communication society.

Pedagogy for sustainability: ethics and solidarity.

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.

8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.

17.

18.

19.20.21.

Brazilian Agenda 21: www.mma.gov.br

President Fernando Henrique Cardoso

promised to incorporate Agenda 21

suggestions in governmental policy.

The document should be a basis for

governmental planning at the federal,

state and local levels. The final text

of Agenda 21 will provide guidelines

for the discussions of Brazi l ian

r ep re sen ta t i ve s a t R io + 10 in

Johannesburg. More than 85% of

Brazilian businessmen adopt measures

to protect the environment and say

they are committed to implementing

Agenda 21. Page 18

Instrument of

change

After five years of discussion and negotiations amongrepresentatives of society, business and government all overthe country, the Brazilian Agenda 21 was ready to be officiallylaunched. The big question now is how to get the 21 objectivesset out to reach sustainable development off the drawingboard. Consultant Paulo Haddad followed the development ofthe Agenda step by step and compares the new phase to achess game, where there are many possible moves. Page 14

Building the futureThe Paraíba do Sul River Basin will be

the first in the country to charge for the

use of water. Beginning now, companies

like the National Steel Company inVolta Redonda and the water supply

companies will have to pay for the use

of water resources. The National Water

Agency will charge for it. Page 46

Charging for wateris going to begin

One of the greatest difficulties in drafting the Brazilian Agenda21 was showing that the final goal was not an environmentaldocument but rather one on sustainable development. Whilethe environment is just one of the dimensions of development,it is the environmental area all over the world that promotessustainable development. Specialists in the area and thoseresponsible for coordinating and consolidating Agenda 21, ReginaElena Crespo Gualda and Maria do Carmo Bezerra tell about theirexperience in conducting the democratic process. Page 8

“The environment is not the only pillarof sustainable development”

Regina ElenaRegina ElenaRegina ElenaRegina ElenaRegina ElenaCrespo GualdaCrespo GualdaCrespo GualdaCrespo GualdaCrespo Gualda

Maria do CarmoMaria do CarmoMaria do CarmoMaria do CarmoMaria do CarmoBezerraBezerraBezerraBezerraBezerra

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Article: José Carlos Carvalho....................6Interview...................................................8The challenge of Agenda 21...................14An instrument of transformation.............18Business bets on Agenda 21.....................20Time for good business...........................22The order is recycle...................................24RPPNs are expanding................................27The challenge of the third wave.............28Article: Fernando Almeida......................34New courses for the coast........................40Article: Rubens Born................................44Water: the charge is going to begin........46Family farming..........................................50An alternative to pig farming....................56Art generates income................................60

ENVIRONMENTSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

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Partnerships among producers, research institutes,government and the community make it possible to

find solutions for environmental degradation caused byswine wastes. Nearly half of the 36 million-odd pigs,

distributed on some two million farms, are found in thestates of Southern Brazil. Page 56

The number of companies that decided toinvest in Private Natural Heritage Reserves -RPPNs - is growing. In the João MonlevadeRPPN in Minas Gerais, the Belgo MineiraCompany is protecting 100 species ofanimals and 90 species of plants, manyof which are endangered. Page 27

With the support of the ComunidadeSolidária, artisans from all over the

country learn to appreciate their work,guarantee family income and salvagesecular Brazilian traditions. Page 60

Companiescreate privatereserves

Businessmen recognize that preserving theenvironment results in profits, leads to newand profitable business deals involving recyclingmaterials and they are increasingly investing inprojects that promote citizenship and contributeto improve workers’ self esteem. Page 22

Goodbusiness

ahead

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Brazil ofall the arts

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AGENDA 21AGENDA 21AGENDA 21AGENDA 21AGENDA 21

There was a historic moment in July ofthis year, when President Fernando HenriqueCardoso officially launched the BrazilianAgenda 21. After five years of exhaustivework involving all segments of society, itwas possible, with negotiation andparticipation, to build a reliable documentthat shows the way for Brazil in the 21st

Century. Thus, the country met one of themain commitments signed at the UNConference on the Environment andDevelopment, held in Rio de Janeiro, in 1992.At that time, the 179 Heads-of-State and ofgovernment who signed Global Agendapromised to re-think the current patterns ofdevelopment in the world.

Certainly, with the document in ourhands, we are not beginning from scratch.In the past 10 years, great changes havetaken place, in the actions of governmentand business and in the behavior of citizens,who are more aware of their role in the fightto improve the quality of life. With all thoseefforts going on, Brazil will participatein the World Summit on SustainableDevelopment in Johannesburg in acomfortable situation, although there are stillmany challenges ahead.

Building the agenda mobilized asignificant part of society. Nevertheless, it isfundamental to continue the effort to put inpractice what Agenda 21 means, since mostpeople still see it as something diffuse andcomplex. The discussion between the Stateand the institutions of society over thedocument should be permanent andtranslated into the different languages ofthose who govern, planning specialists,mayors, business leaders, community leadersand the common citizen.

JOSÉ CARLOSJOSÉ CARLOSJOSÉ CARLOSJOSÉ CARLOSJOSÉ CARLOSCARVALHOCARVALHOCARVALHOCARVALHOCARVALHO

MIN I S TER OFM IN I S TER OFM IN I S TER OFM IN I S TER OFM IN I S TER OFE N V I R O N M E N TE N V I R O N M E N TE N V I R O N M E N TE N V I R O N M E N TE N V I R O N M E N T This publication seeks to increase that

understanding. We talked to people whotook part in the development of thedocument, but did not want to limitourselves to that. We looked in theAdministration, in organized civil society andin business for experiences that are workingwithin the spirit of the Brazilian Agenda.Together with this publication, we areincluding a CD-Rom with the BrazilianAgenda 21 and the Priority Actions.

Undoubtedly, the process of draftingthe Brazilian Agenda 21 is the broadestexperience of participatory planningdeveloped in the country in the periodsince the 1988 Federal Constitution waswritten, even though there have been othermeetings where there was a great deal ofconsultation and participation. Some ofthose stand out, like the Rio-92 Report, theÁridas Project, the positive Agenda for theAmazon and the National Conference onScience and Technology.

The meaning of this experience isrevealed by the range of the target public -from small rural communities to the mostexpressive business organizations, by theextent of its geographical coverage (localities,states, micro and macro-regions) and bythe variety of themes discussed favoredby the concept of ample and progressivesustainability. Starting with the initialp roposa l s o f t he Commis s ion , w i thcontributions by specialists and with publichearings held all over the country, whichmobilized some 40,000 people, actions andrecommendations were defined and shouldbecome an ethical and political commitmentto be assumed by all Brazilians.

A participatory planning process the size of

commitmentof all

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The tasks thatthe Agendaproposes donot only affectgovernment,businessand civilorganizations.They demandintenseparticipationof the LegislativeBranch at theFederal, stateand locallevels, and ofthe PublicProsecutor’sOffice, andmust now bedistributed.

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the one carried out to develop Agenda 21should have practical consequences for thesustainable development policies, programs andprojects that are indispensable to promotethechanges demanded by Brazilian society.

Therefore, the Brazilian Agenda 21 isnot structured only as a set of generalrecommendations aimed at camouflagingeconomic and political-institutional tensionand conflicts, which will probably emergeupon its implementation.

Lack of understanding of this reality whileformulating and executing policies forsustainable development could become agreat obstacle in making the concept ofamplified sustainability a successful one.

The Braz i l ian Agenda 21 i s not agovernmental plan but rather a commitmentof society in terms of choosing futurescenarios. The federal contribution is decisiveas the proposals are introduced in the prioritiesof the next Multi-Year Plan. State and localgovernments should, equally, cooperate toimplement the actions recommended.

Brazilian business, which reacted pro-actively to the challenge of changingproduction patterns in the countrsy, will havea great deal to contribute to making theactions and recommendations in the BrazilianAgenda 21 viable.

Different organizations from civil societyhave already proven specific abilities andcompetence, and therefore have thecredentials to exercise in practice theimportant role of starting the ball rolling onrelevant actions to build the sustainabledevelopment of the country. The duties thatthe Agenda proposes do not only affectgovernment, business and social movements.They demand intense participation of the

Legislative Branch at the federal, state andlocal levels, and of the Public Prosecutor’sOffice. The duties now must be distributedaccording to competence, preference andability of the different institutions.

The strength of the Brazilian Agenda 21resides in the ample participation it reachedduring its formulation and in the constructionof a process of co-responsibility for thephase of implementing its actions andrecommendations. It is, indeed, a social pact.

Despite all the effort that has been made,the big chal lenge begins now: theimplementation stage. The Brazilian Agenda21 began to effectively exist when the phaseof defining priority actions and identifyinginstitutional mechanisms and economicinstruments essential for its exercise began.The Brazilian Agenda 21 is the Brazil thatrejects devastation and, at the same time,refuses the concept of sectar ian andimmobile policies.

brazilians

JOSÉ CARLOSJOSÉ CARLOSJOSÉ CARLOSJOSÉ CARLOSJOSÉ CARLOSCARVALHOCARVALHOCARVALHOCARVALHOCARVALHO

MIN I S TER OFM IN I S TER OFM IN I S TER OFM IN I S TER OFM IN I S TER OFE N V I R O N M E N TE N V I R O N M E N TE N V I R O N M E N TE N V I R O N M E N TE N V I R O N M E N T

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The discussionbetween theState andthe society overthe documentshould bepermanentand translatedinto the differentlanguagesof thosewho govern,planningspecialists,mayors,business leaders,communityleaders andthe commoncitizen.

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“AGENDA 21AGENDA 21AGENDA 21AGENDA 21AGENDA 21


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INTERV IEWINTERV IEWINTERV IEWINTERV IEWINTERV IEW

It was a long road that lasted fiveyears, marked by discussions thatwere not always easy, meetingsaround the states and the complexconstruction of a document thatshows the path towards a societywith more solidarity. Responsiblefor this coordination task, andlater, for consolidating theBrazilian Agenda 21, two peoplestand out at the Ministry ofEnvironment (MMA): Maria doCarmo Bezerra, a professor at theUniversity of Brasília (UnB), whocoordinated execution of the

National Agenda 21, from its firstdiscussions in 1997, and ReginaElena Crespo Gualda, who today isSecretary for Environmental Qualityat MMA. These two professionalswith a large experience in the areaof the environment, tell us in thisinterview about the road theyembarked on, the difficulties theyovercame, the victories and the fruitsof that democratic process. And theypoint to the real possibilities forimplementing Agenda 21: “It willonly happen if each Brazilian sees itas his own agenda of priorities.”

REGINA ELENAREGINA ELENAREGINA ELENAREGINA ELENAREGINA ELENACRESPO GUALDACRESPO GUALDACRESPO GUALDACRESPO GUALDACRESPO GUALDA

MARIA DOMARIA DOMARIA DOMARIA DOMARIA DOCARMO BEZERRACARMO BEZERRACARMO BEZERRACARMO BEZERRACARMO BEZERRA

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Agenda 21is a powerfulplanning instrument

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“The environmentis one of thepillars, but it isnot the only actorin the processof sustainabledevelopment.

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Was it complicated to reach the final textof the Agenda, with discussions that wereso broad that they covered the wholecountry?Maria do Carmo - It was hard work with upsand downs, especially because there was noprior experience in putting together aSustainable Development Agenda to help usdraw up our flight plan. The Commissionresponsible for the process slowly developed amethodology to arrive at the result we now have.It is important to stress that the Agenda 21 is,above all, a process of participatory planningand of co-responsibility. These are, by the way,completely new characteristics chosen by Brazilas the road to follow.What were the biggest difficulties theCommission faced?Maria do Carmo - The difficulties of the roadchosen were thought about and weighedbeforehand. We were aware that we had chosena difficult road, because we lacked tradition inworking in an inter-sectoral way, involvingsocial, economic and environmental issues.Broad participation had all the ingredients ofthe toughest road, but it would be, we believedfrom the very beginning, the best way toconstruct the sustainability of Braziliandevelopment. It was what made it different fromother processes and perhaps the only road thatcould lead to some transformation. The objectivewas to have a document capable of stimulatinga process of change that could lead tosustainable development, based on co-responsibility, because it isn’t enough to buildan agenda for action in a participatory manner,you also have to make a pact to implement it.What were the main conflicts?Regina Gualda - One difficulty and acontradiction which appeared throughout theprocess was making the participants understandthat the Agenda 21 was not an environmentaldocument but rather one of sustainabledevelopment. All around the world the area ofthe environment promotes sustainabledevelopment, even though it is just onedimension of development. The fact thatenvironmental agencies exercise that role makesthe process of involving different social andeconomic segments of society difficult since it istraditionally seen, especially by the economicarea, as a responsibility of the environmental area.

How did the concept of the environmentevolve into the concept of sustainabledevelopment?Regina - The Stockholm meeting in 1972 wasmarked by discussion of environmental issues,and the Conference on the Environment andDevelopment (Earth Summit, 1992) presentedthe world with the theme of sustainability. Theenvironmental issue arose as a new fact inStockholm because, before then, there was noenvironmental concern as the basis fordevelopment. At the Rio Conference, themeaning of sustainable development was added,that is, environmental management could notadvance if the social and economic dimensionswere not also moving in the same direction ofbuilding a society with more solidarity.Doesn’t that environmentalist perspectivestill prevail in many cases?Maria do Carmo - That was and still is oneof the obstacles to advancing the Agenda 21in Brazil. The creation of the Commission forSustainable Development Policies (CPDS),presided over by the Minister of Environment,to draft the Brazilian Agenda 21 differed fromthe international trend. Some sectors of societyquestioned the fact that CPDS headquarterswere at the Ministry, since Agenda 21 wouldnot be exclusively about environmental issues,while, on the other hand, other sectors ofsociety demanded that we assume coordinationof the process of drafting the Brazilian Agenda21. Society saw, and still sees, Agenda 21 asan environmental program. At the UN, wherethere is a specific Commission on SustainableDevelopment, CDS, they have the samedifficulty in interacting with other commissionsin the UN system, which treat other issues in asegmented way.Regina - Constructing sustainability meansnecessarily going through that change inperspectives. There was a very big effort on thepart of the people who conducted the processto keep reminding everyone that it was not anenvironmental agenda but rather a change in thecontext of development which today is seen aspredominantly economic. Creation of CPDS itselfwas a response to those difficulties, since it wascomposed of representatives from all sectors onan equal level. This Commission, charged withdrafting the national Agenda 21 was placed underthe MMA, at the time when Gustavo Krause was


REGINA ELENAREGINA ELENAREGINA ELENAREGINA ELENAREGINA ELENACRESPO GUALDACRESPO GUALDACRESPO GUALDACRESPO GUALDACRESPO GUALDA

MARIA DOMARIA DOMARIA DOMARIA DOMARIA DOCARMO BEZERRACARMO BEZERRACARMO BEZERRACARMO BEZERRACARMO BEZERRA

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“The discussionon sustainabledevelopmentbegan duringthe EarthSummit, aconferencethat many stillbelieve wasonly about theenvironment.

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Minister and Aspásia Camargo was ExecutiveSecretary. Maria do Carmo was in charge of itscoordination from the very beginning.Where was the strongest resistance to theAgenda 21 process?Maria do Carmo - I couldn’t point out onesegment of society; I suppose almost all of them.Within the Federal government, other ministriesresisted participation, thinking it was an issuefor the Ministry of Environment; in localgovernments, the same thing happened with theEnvironment Secretariats, although I should addthat they were our most sensitive partnersbecause they had the same difficulties ininternalizing the theme of sustainability withinthe structure of government.And how did the public respond to this call?Maria do Carmo - Businessmen were notmotivated at the beginning of the process.However, when we had concluded the firstround of discussions, they presented someexcellent contributions to the state debatesduring the broader consultations. Among thecivil society organizations, it was the NGOs thatalready dealt with environmental issues thatresponded first. As the process continued, thesocial and academic areas joined in. Thechallenge of our work was never to give intothe temptation of stopping the process beforewe had involved all segments of society. Wecontinually created conditions to involve moreagents so that we could draw up proposals onthe various issues that represented a consensus,which expressed the way society thinks.How did the proposal for wide scaleparticipation arise and what issue waschosen?Regina - In 1999 - during the first round, webrought together opinion makers, people whoare competent in different areas to preparethematic documents. There were representativesof civil society, from NGOs and from the privatesector. This was because we had perceived thedifficulty of having a broad consultation processwithout starting from concrete proposals onwhich we could build a consensus. At any rate,it was a great challenge within the context of acountry that has no tradition of participation inthe formulation of public policies nor ofcoordination among different sectors.Maria do Car mo - Be c au s e o f t h emethodology chosen, we selected six issues and

asked representatives of the different segmentsto present their proposals: natural resourcesmanagement; sustainable agriculture; sustainablecities; infrastructure and regional integration;reduction of social inequalities, and science andtechnology for sustainable development. At thebeginning, we imagined that those documents,once consolidated, would result in our Agenda21, but it didn’t happen that way.What changed things?Maria do Carmo - The changes came in theprocess of self-assessment and learning withinCPDS itself. The first assessment made us seethat the documents prepared on the basis ofthematic discussions were not Agenda 21 yet,because as we analyzed the profile of those whohad participated and saw that, while there weresome extremely interesting, strategic proposals,they provided a very academic viewpoint, oneof non-governmental organizations andenvironmentalists. It was not the result of a socialpact among different segments of Braziliansociety, aimed at a process of effective change.That was when the real challenge of how tobuild such a social pact truly began.And what was the major challenge at thatmoment?Maria do Carmo - Not to give in to thetemptation of concluding Agenda 21 at any cost.We were being pressured for a final product byeveryone, especially by the press. At this pointwe should underscore the generosity of theCommission members and of the Ministers whowere in charge of the process all this time. Theycould easily fall into the temptation of saying, “Ifinished the agenda the way I wanted it,”especially since they are constantly under politicalpressure. However, they preferred to make roomfor the process to follow its course. This is oneof their merits, to which we owe much.And the press was bearing down on you,saying the government had not done itshomework?Regina - At that critical moment we had excellentproposals but we did not have the viewpoint ofall sectors. Business had only minimumrepresentation and government itself was absent,especially governmental agencies from theinfrastructure area were reticent to participate andwe needed to win those people over. That waswhen we adopted the methodology of takingthe discussion to each Brazilian state.

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One goal weconstantly hadin mind wasalways to givepeople backsome of theenergy theyhad investedin the process.That gave uscredibilityto build truepartnershipsand to be seenas reliable.

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How was society mobilized?Regina - It was very interesting when weconsolidated all the thematic documents into onelarge reference document, it even strengthenedthe Commission. At that time, the conflicts thatare inherent to different sectors of society becameexplicit. Some wanted a document that expressedthe Administration’s viewpoint, alleging that theydid not agree with existing criticism, while others,like businessmen, could not see their perspectivesincluded in the document. Finally, we managedto draft a document in which the Commissionrelinquished its own interests as a segment ofgovernment in order to be able to produce adocument that would make it possible to broadenthe discussions.Maria do Carmo - This document, whichconsolidated the first stage of nationalconsultation, was called “Brazilian Agenda 21- Basis for Discussion”, and it was launched atthe height of the dissemination of agovernmental program called “NationalDevelopment Axes”, which included the Multi-Year Program for 2000-2003, which is the FederalBudget. As Regina said, when the decision wasmade to make conflicts explicit in order to makereal changes possible, the Commission and thechosen path were really consolidated, becausethe documents contained the criticisms thatsociety made at that time to the Administration’splan, as well as highlighting the parts of theplan that were working.How were those tensions resolved?Maria do Carmo - When CPDS arrived at theconsensus that the agenda would not representthe vision of any single segment but rather apact among them. Everyone would have to giveup some of their convictions to negotiate acompromise. The Commission believed that itwas important to broaden the discussion,because it was the duty of society itself to drafta proposal for sustainable development.Regina - That was the essential point. I hadthe opportunity to participate in what Maria doCarmo calls the most important moment, and Ibelieve it was the most important moment forthe whole country in recent years. To have thatgrandiose perception that the work was not ours,the governments’ or that of a small commission,even though it was representative, but rather ofsociety as a whole. It was a great exercise inparticipatory democracy in the country.

What was the proposal presented by theCommission?Maria do Carmo - In June, 2000, we finished“Basis for Discussion” and handed it to PresidentFernando Henrique Cardoso. He announced theprocess of national consultation would bebroadened to include public hearings on theproposals in the document in each of the 26 states.Regina - At the same time that those difficultieswere overcome, another very difficult stagebegun. How can you have a broad process ofconsultation and then consolidate it into aconsistent plan of action which is both coherentand expresses everyone’s viewpoint?What was the inspiration, what model wasadopted?Maria do Carmo - The objective was to putthe Agenda on the politica agenda of thecountry. Regina had had experience in workingwith the National Environment Program, whichhas the states as its main partner. We used thatexperience with the state environmentsecretariats to adopt a methodology ofpartnership, where every one could include,exclude or reformulate the actions proposed inthe “Basis for Discussion”.Regina - First, we evaluated the reasons whysome segments had not shown up for the firststage. Why had the productive sector beenabsent? And the political area? So, we went afterpeople to sponsor the discussions and peoplewho could help get the business sector involvedin the process and fill in other absences.Weestablished partnerships with regionaldevelopment banks, which particularly helpedus involve the business sector. In addition to theState Environment Secretariats, we establishedpartnerships with the Banco do Nordeste, theSuperintendencies for Development of theAmazon and the Northeast, the Banco do Brasiland Caixa Econômica Federal.Did the number of partnerships grow,increasing the level of awareness of thenew development model?Regina - The Banco do Nordeste had alreadybeen working in the area of sustainabledevelopment, but a partnership is a two-waystreet, because at the same time that theyfinanced us, they reinforced the conceptual basisof their projects.Maria do Carmo - The partnerships with banksand states generated sub-products, like greater

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The partnershipswith banksand stategovernmentsgenerated sub-products, likean increaseddemand forgenerating localagendas anda special lineof credit atthe NationalEnvironmentalFund to supportsuch initiatives.Some banksbecame agents inthose programs,such as Bancodo Nordeste.

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awareness in the different regions of the countryfor the development of the Local Agenda 21s.That even led the Ministry of Environment to opena special line of credit in the National EnvironmentFund to finance these initiatives. On the otherhand, banks like the Banco do Nordeste becameagents promoting the Local Agenda 21s.What is the best way to increasemobilization and involve all of society?Regina - The methodology for this phase wasconsolidated during the process and it becameanother great moment for learning. At theMinistry, we identified all the institutions thatshould be involved, like federations of industries,NGOs, universities and others. Then, togetherwith state agencies and our partner banks, weset up a preparatory meeting - in each state -with those institutions.Maria do Carmo - In the meeting to raiseawareness, we explained the process to thedifferent segments, creating a social controlmechanism so that the spirit that dominatedCPDS would predominate in each state - i.e.,so that no segment alone should conduct theprocess. We handed over a set of documentsto each sector representative, together with aform. It was prepared to guide discussions onthe document in their area and send ussuggestions for consolidation. We generated areport in each state. That material was the basisfor the 26 public hearings held betweenSeptember, 2000, and April, 2001.How did the states react to the call todiscuss the Agenda?Maria do Carmo - Maria do Carmo -Motivation varied greatly from one state toanother. Many imagined that there would begreat mobilization in São Paulo, the richest statein the country. On the contrary, the greatestmobilization took place in the poorest states ofthe Federation, which lack social integration andhave a desire for change. Those states are at agreat disadvantage because of the current rulesof the game. The Northeast was the region ofthe country where discussions around Agenda21 were first concluded and the area wheremobilization was greatest.Regina - In São Paulo there was little debate,with some 90 people, most of themenvironmentalists. Even MMA ExecutiveSecretary Aspásia Camargo herself took part inthe preparatory meeting held with the State

Federation of Industries, Fiesp, without greatsuccess. In the Amazon region, I believe theprocess was initially seen as undue interferencein regional development, since the region hasits own mechanisms for discussing publicpolicies. Only later was the process for buildingAgenda 21 understood, and we had extremelyinteresting discussions in the state of Amazonas,where communities that live on the river banksand far into the interior were involved. Amapádid not hold a debate, alleging that the statealready had a sustainable development plan,which was a mistake, because we were notmaking state sustainable development plans butrather discussing Brazil.Were the contributions good?Maria do Carmo - We often had to emphasizethe idea that we were looking for the viewpointof each state on the development of Brazil.We wanted discussions to bring up issues thathad not appeared during the first roundof consultations, which we knew werecontroversial issues in the country but whichwere essential to promoting sustainabled e v e l o p m e n t . A f e w e x a m p l e s a r edesertification, changing the course of the SãoFrancisco River, the model of occupation of theCerrado, all regional issues but ones that areextremely relevant to sustainable development.The confusion regarding the issues of local andnational interest consumed a lot of time andsome 60% of all discussions ended up on a statelevel, often even on the local level.Regina - From that we gathered a wealth ofmaterial for construction of the Local Agenda 21s.It is very difficult to go to a state which hasn’tidentified its problems and even those of themunicipalities. But we can guarantee that nationalthemes were covered in depth during thediscussions. A report on the contributions of eachof the 26 states was prepared as a way to givesociety a type of feedback. One goal weconstantly had in mind was always to give peopleback some of the energy they had invested inthe process. That certainly gave us credibility tobuild true partnerships and be seen as reliable.And from a political viewpoint, was theparticipation of governors important?Regina - The only state where the governorparticipated right from the beginning becausehe understood the importance of Agenda 21was the state of Santa Catarina. Governor

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The next step isto disseminate itand involvesociety evenmore. It shouldset off campaignsthat show how tosave resourcesof any kind,natural orhuman, sincethey are alllimited. That isthe challenge ofsustainability.

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Espiridião Amin opened the meeting in his stateand made a speech about the meaning ofsustainable development.Maria do Carmo - It was interesting becausethat event took place on September 12, the dayafter the terrorist attack on the twin towers inNew York. Everyone was under the impact ofthe tragedy, and he made a beautiful speechabout sustainability, especially about the needto change political priorities and to strengthenlocal, national and international government.And now? How will the actions proposedin the Agenda and presented to society byPresident Fernando Henrique Cardoso beimplemented? Since we are in the middleof an election, will it be seen as an essentialinstrument for each candidate?Maria do Carmo - The Agenda was consolidatedas a set of goals. The commitment undertaken byPresident Fernando Henrique Cardoso on the dayhe launched the Brazilian Agenda 21, July 16th,was that the document would provide inputs foractions included in the Multi-Year Plan for 2004-2007 (according to the Constitution, every fouryears the Executive Branch must present a planfor allocation of public resources and the plan mustbe approved by Congress).Regina - The Agenda offers a series of proposalsthat could become government programs, andothers that could be taken on by other segmentsof society. I believe that the Agenda 21 wemanaged to develop is a powerful planninginstrument, which brings a view of the wholecountry. But it will only happen if all those whohelped build it believe it is their responsibility toimplement it and achieve those goals. Thisobviously includes the new Administration andCongress to be elected this year.Is there a risk it will be kept in a drawer,as just another document?Maria do Carmo - If it is considered agovernmental document, and especially, if it isconsidered this Administration’s document, thenmost probably nothing will happen. It only willbecome a reality if each of the segments involvedbecomes engaged and consider that it reallyrepresents a social pact, and fight for itsimplementation. Whether in the trade unions,the universities, the Local Councils or in theNational Congress. It may sound utopian, butthis is the spirit that really guided the preparationof the Brazilian Agenda 21.

Does the Agenda show how to implementthe new proposed model of development?Maria do Carmo - The Brazilian Agenda triedto make progress on the means ofimplementation. During the Rio Conference, theapproved document emphasized what should bedone but not how to do it. Now, we are arrivingat the Johannesburg Summit with a negativeevaluation on implementation of the GlobalAgenda 21. The Brazilian Agenda 21 offers a setof instruments for implementation which werealso arrived at by pact. That is another differencein the Brazilian experience.Regina - It should also be noted that the processof implementation has already begun. In manyareas, we Brazilians have already been workingon sustainable development for some time.Agenda 21 records the entire national consultationprocess and the strategy formulated by listeningto society, but many proposals that were madeduring these five years are already being carriedout, both in the environmental and social areas.Is there a need for great changes, highinvestments?Regina - When speaking aboutimplementat ion, we are ta lking aboutprograms that are already underway. Muchof Agenda 21 can be implemented withoutnew money, simply moving the direction ofbudgets and altering priorities. This will makea big difference. Changing priorities ensuringharmony among economic growth, socialinclusion and environmental preservation,exactly what the Agenda proposes. Brazilcertainly needs more resources to promotedevelopment, but resources which were beingused to promote sustainability have migrateda long way towards creating a society withmore solidarity.Maria do Carmo - But for the process ofcompromise, co-part ic ipat ion and co-responsibility to advance it is essential that themedia also contribute. The great role thatBrazilian media should undertake is to makedifferent segments of society aware of theproject. The next step, therefore, is todisseminate it and involve society even more.It should set off campaigns that show how tosave resources of any kind, natural or human,since they are all limited and must be managedwith their finite nature in mind. That is thechallenge of sustainability.

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Agenda 21records theentire nationalconsultationprocess andthe strategyformulated bylistening tosociety, but manyproposals thatwere made duringthese five yearsare alreadybeing carriedout, both in theenvironmentaland social areas.

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The document is ready. So now what? Getting the21 objectives in Agenda 21 off the drawing board iscompared to something like a novel with severalchapters or a chess game with many possible moves.

Negotiation of conflicts. Commitment ofactors. After five years of discussion andexamining sustainable development proposalsfrom all over the country, those are the

ingredients that formerPlanning and Finance MinisterPaulo Haddad points out asindispensable for gettingAgenda 21 off the ground. Asconsultant for the Commissionon Sustainable DevelopmentPolicies (CPDS), Haddadguarantees that Brazil now hasits hands on a proposal foraction unlike any ever seenbefore in the country.

“Making it happen now isbasically a question of political decision andthe commitment of everyone involved,” addsHaddad. Having launched the challenge, hesays the mechanisms for action not only existbut are part of Agenda 21 itself. “Contraryto other countries, the Brazilian agenda isnot made up only of proposals, but rather itpoints out detailed ways to implement them,with plans for action occupying a third ofthe whole agenda.”

Haddad adds that there are five types ofmechanisms for action detailed in the agenda.On the one hand are the more traditionalinstruments of fiscal and financial intervention,which make up the mechanism of direct stateinterference in the economy. On the other aremore innovative instruments that use marketmechanisms to carry out environmentalpolicies, like some of those adopted by the

OCED (Organization for Cooperation inEconomic Development) countries, which inBrazil are just beginning.

The other instruments are: creation ofpartnerships between government and secondand third sectors; the so-called endogenousactions, planned and carried out by civil societywithin the local community itself, with thegovernment acting only as a support agency;and the use of international technical andfinancial cooperation mechanisms.

The former Minister underscores the fact thatpartnerships with the third sector are growingin Brazil, and that the second sector, made upof for-profit companies have also beenparticipating more in social, environmental andcultural policies, investing more in them inrecent years. Today those investments equal oneper cent of the GDP. “This is a good amount,and it’s growing, something that didn’t exist inBrazil on that level ten years ago. In many cases,it is even more than some Northeastern statesspend on their own social actions.”

According to Haddad, there are no setrecipes. “Each of these instruments for actioninvolves a problem or demands negotiation,either with Congress or with society at large,in order to find a balance between efficacyand justice. There is no easy solution, butone can’t just freeze in the face of difficulties,either,” says CPDS Consultant Haddad.Instead of outlining a specific path, he saysthere are many possible paths to take andfind the best alternative, “something like anovel with many chapters or a chessboardwhere many moves are possible.”

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Haddad saysthere is no recipe

to follow: “Youhave to negotiate”

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Haddad believes we should remember thatAgenda 21 is a complete and complex planwhich dives into issues that go from socialexclusion to food wastage, including issues likeenvironmental degradation, family agricultureand changes in rural production andconsumption, life in the urban environment andmany others. Also, the Agenda needs to be seenin the current Brazilian context of economiccrisis and elections for president and governors.

“It would be ideal if the new president andgovernors would take on the Agenda as theirworking plan for public policies. But in the shortterm we can expect localized, specific andtransitory gains. We do not expect the Agendato be implemented as a whole. It is a long-termdocument,” explains the former Minister. Headds that the Agenda is a program for society,which can generate many decentralized actionsby companies, NGOs and communities,including broadening their local agendas.

“From now on it all depends on political,social and cultural commitment andengagement of government and civil society.There is resistance from some economic, and

even cultural, quarters, but there is also a lotof room to advance,” he analyzes. Haddad addsthat public opinion is mobilized, and the proofis that more than 40,000 people participatedin drafting Agenda 21 and more than 6,000proposals were put forward. He says that therehas never been another experience in planningin Brazil with a greater degree of participation.

“This shows the level of motivation andpublic awareness of the issues on the Agenda,which offers a modern platform for action at atime when there is great dissatisfaction withBrazilian development indices,” says Haddad.Even though the 2000 Census showed someimprovement, 30% of the Brazilian populationstill lives below the poverty line.

He adds that, during the Real Plan, theaverage economic growth in Brazil was 2.4%,while the population grew 1.6%, so that theincome per capita grew 0.9%. “That is verylittle for a country with so much poverty. Nowwe must go through a cycle of economicgrowth that is sustainable in the long run,combining economic growth, social equalityand the environment.” 15

A working basefor administrators


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C H A N G E SC H A N G E SC H A N G E SC H A N G E SC H A N G E S

Agenda 21 isa complete andcomplex planwhich divesinto issues thatgo from socialexclusion tofood wastage(photo),environmentaldegradation,familyagricultureand changesin production.

The next steps to make Agenda 21 viable havedifferent deadlines and conditions. When talkingabout recovery of degraded areas, this requirestwo or three decades, foresees former MinisterPaulo Haddad. When talking about recycling solidwastes, it is a question of an immediate decision,and when talking about controlling air pollution,a measure can bear fruits within a year or two.

“That is why Agenda 21 is not a package, itis not a single road and there is no defined

schedule for results,” explains CPDS consultantHaddad. Implementation will also depend onhow complex the issues involved are and onthe demands for coordinated action. Foodwastage is one example since it happens in Brazilon all levels, from production, to distribution, tocommercialization, to consumption.

“This demands specific programs, fromenvironmental education for production andconsumption, to market mechanisms and savingresources in production,” observes the consultant,adding that slash and burn agriculture, for example,imposes an ecological price on food productionwhile, on the other hand, waste in the transportationsystem endangers rational distribution, etc.

Nevertheless, he believes there are someimmediate actions that can be undertaken in theshort term, like creating a school for citizenship,aimed at disseminating the principles ofsustainable development. That, according toHaddad, is the action which could move forwardfastest in Brazil. “The public education systemhas advanced a lot, with actors who are theworkers in education and are very aware andready to work with environmental education.”

“It is ethicsbetweengenerations.When we makea decisiontoday, we haveto think aboutthe well-beingof the currentgeneration andthat of thefuture one. Thisis the threadthat permeatesthe wholeAgenda.”

Paulo Haddad

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Economic interestOther more immediate actions could include:

a tax reform to encourage the sound use ofnatural resources, following the example ofsustainable management of forests and recyclingsolid wastes, among others; transforming theenvironment into an area of business, the so-called eco-businesses; increasing the value offamily farming; taxing water; better managementof existing preservation areas, usingconservation units that preserve the biodiversityof the Cerrados, of the Atlantic Forest and ofthe Amazon also for tourism and research intonew materials and germplasm banks , as hasbeen done in the Amazon.

“It has become clear that the more economicinterest created in preservation, the more protectionthere will be, as we are now seeing in the Pantanalwetlands because of the interest in fishing,ecotourism and the hotel industry,” says Haddad.

Family farming, which has a conservationisttradition in Brazil, is an ally of sustainableagriculture. In the long run, the family farmseven have greater productivity than predatory

agriculture. “Since the farm is usually the family’sonly asset, they tend to conserve it and use theproperty more rationally. At times, they fail todo so only for lack of knowledge, whichunderscores the importance of efforts inextension work,” Haddad points out.

The growing scarcity of water in the country,where river basins have disappeared, justifiesthe measure of taxing water used in activitieslike irrigation and mining. “This has been donein the Paraíba do Sul River Basin and it shouldbe extended to other areas through the riverbasin committees. Any asset that is free tendsto be used unsoundly,” Haddad believes.

According to the former minister, the moredifficult solutions for the questions in Agenda21 will take place when and where there is aconflict between sustainability and profitability,an example of which is the conflict in theAmazon between sustainable development andthe timber industry. “Therefore, this Agendais, on the one hand, a platform for action and,on the other, a platform for negotiation.”

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Negotiation, to administer conflictsSocial compromise, to obtain thecommitment of all actorsChoice, to identify the best alternativesamong the many possibilities.

HOW TO GET AGENDA 21 OFF THE DRAWING BOARDHOW TO GET AGENDA 21 OFF THE DRAWING BOARDHOW TO GET AGENDA 21 OFF THE DRAWING BOARDHOW TO GET AGENDA 21 OFF THE DRAWING BOARDHOW TO GET AGENDA 21 OFF THE DRAWING BOARD

THE THREE MAIN STEPSTHE THREE MAIN STEPSTHE THREE MAIN STEPSTHE THREE MAIN STEPSTHE THREE MAIN STEPS

FIVE BASIC MECHANISMSFIVE BASIC MECHANISMSFIVE BASIC MECHANISMSFIVE BASIC MECHANISMSFIVE BASIC MECHANISMSMore traditional instruments, such as fiscal andfinancial intervention, that involve direct stateintervention in the economy.More innovative instruments such as marketincentives to carry out environmental policies,like those used by OECD countries.Creating partnerships between government andthe second and third sectorsEndogenous actions of the community itself.International technical and financial cooperationmechanisms.

IMMEDIATE ACT IONSIMMEDIATE ACT IONSIMMEDIATE ACT IONSIMMEDIATE ACT IONSIMMEDIATE ACT IONSHaddad points out six actions in the agendathat could be adopted in the short term:Enhance the value and encourage a schoolfor citizens so that sustainable developmentbecomes part of children’s education.Enhance the value and encouragefamily farming with a conservationisttradition in Brazil, concentratingefforts in extension programs.Carry out a tax reform to encouragesustainable development projects.Transform the environmentinto an area for business.Increase the use of existing conservationunits, implementing tourism and researchof new materials and germplasm banks.Tax the use of water in activities likemining, irrigation, etc.


Proposals intended to implement a model forsustainable development in the country were discussedduring five years all around the country and resultedin a compromise among the more than 40,000representatives of civil society, government and business

When Brazilian Agenda 21 was launchedat a ceremony at the Presidential Palace onJuly 16th, President Fernando HenriqueCardoso promised to adopt the guidelinesof the document when formulating theproposal for the federal budget and inpreparing the Multi-Year Plan for the periodfrom 2004 to 2007. “We will incorporate theagenda in governmental policy,” guaranteedthe President of the Republic.

The promise follows a suggestion madeby the Minister of Environment, José Carlos

Carvalho, to use the document as a basefor governmental planning at the federal,state and local levels. It was also a responseto an appeal made by the representative ofthe National NGO Forum, Rubens Born. “Wecannot let this document sit on a shelf. Wemust ensure its implementation. It is aninstrument of transformation because itproposes policies for creating a betterBrazil,” said Born.

Agenda 21 was also well received bybusiness. The President of the Brazilian

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AGENDA 21 IS DIVIDED INTO FIVE BASIC THEMES:AGENDA 21 IS DIVIDED INTO FIVE BASIC THEMES:AGENDA 21 IS DIVIDED INTO FIVE BASIC THEMES:AGENDA 21 IS DIVIDED INTO FIVE BASIC THEMES:AGENDA 21 IS DIVIDED INTO FIVE BASIC THEMES:

Governmentand ethics forsustainability:definitionsof sustainabledevelopmentindicators,encouragingpartnerships andvoluntary work,increasing theparticipationof citizens withinternationalrelations.

Strategic naturalresources:water, biodiversityand forests.Management ofwater resourcesand control ofdeforestation.

Strategy forurban and ruralsustainability:policies fordevelopmentlike education,technicalassistance,management ofnatural resourcesand developmentof steering plans.

Social inclusionfor a society thathas solidarity:priorities likecombating illiteracy,professionaltraining, distributionof income andenvironmentalsanitation.

Economyof savingsin theknowledgesociety:issues likecombatingwaste of naturalresourcesand providingincentive forthe efficient useand conservationof energy.

A powerful

transformationinstrument for

World conferenceThe final text of Agenda 21 will be the

basis for discussion by the Brazilianrepresentatives at Rio + 10, the WorldConference on Sustainable Development tobe held from August 26 to September 4 inJohannesburg, South Africa. During theevent, countries from all over the worldwill evaluate the proposals approved duringthe 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro,and they will discuss what has already beenimplemented.

With its Agenda ready, Brazil will arrivewith confidence at the meeting. It will havearguments to defend the proposal that 10%of energy sources be renewable. Presentedby Brazil, the proposal was approved bythe Ministers of Latin American andCaribbean countries during the preparatorymeeting for Johannesburg, held at thebeginning of this year in São Paulo. Thecountry may also demand implementationof actions to preserve the environment as aprerequisite for international loans.

“With Agenda 21 defined, Brazil can discussopening international markets, transfer oftechnology for sustainable development andeven access to international resources,”commemorates Agenda 21 Coordinator, Mariado Carmo Bezerra. The Brazilian mission, shesays, will be backed by the results of mobilizing

some 40,000 peopleall over the countryduring the five yearsof work that resultedin the 21 nationalobjectives set forthin the agenda a spriorit ies for thecountry.

“They are veryprecise actions thattranslate the ethicala n d p o l i t i c a lcommitment of apact that should be undertaken by allBrazilians over the next ten years,” explainedMaria do Carmo. According to Ministry ofEnvironment Secretary for EnvironmentalQuality, Regina Gualda, who co-chairedthe Commission for SustainableDevelopment Policies and Agenda 21(CPDS) with Minister José Carlos Carvalho,the challenge has no deadline. She sayswhat is important now is to incorporatethe values and principles of sustainabledevelopment in the public policies offederal, state and local governments.

“For this purpose, it is necessary to see thisnew pact as a collective commitment capableof involving the whole nation,” states Regina.

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Business Council for SustainableDevelopment, Felix Bulhões, confirmed thata large part of Brazilian businessmen believein that social and financial profits can beachieved by implementing na efficientmodel for sustainability. “It is important nowto make Brazilian Agenda 21 happen,” hesaid. He also reminded us that manybusiness initiatives already follow the linesproposed in the document.

The same is happening within thegovernment. According to Minister JoséCarlos Carvalho, ecotourism, family farmingand distribution of the federal primaryschool scholarship are a few examples of

actions that meet the guidelines of the newnational pact for sustainable development.

“Businesses that today are re-usingthe wastes from their factories arealready adopting the measures proposedin Agenda 21,” Carvalho noted. “But itis of no use, for example, for governmentt o i n v e s t i ne n v i r o n m e n t a lactions like creatingsanitary landfills, ifthe common citizencontinues throwingg a r b a g e i n t h estreets,” he observed.

CPDS teamwatches PresidentFernando HenriqueCardoso launchBrazilian Agenda 21


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Business was one of the importantpartners for state and federal governmentswhen developing the Agenda 21.Businessmen should also be the most activeparticipants in implementing the guidelines

for sustainable development. So far,the country only has reason tocommemorate. According to a pollheld in 1998 by the BrazilianEconomic and Social DevelopmentBank (BNDES), the NationalConfederation of Industry (CNI) andthe Brazilian Service for Support toSmall Business (Sebrae), some 85%of Brazilian businesses adoptedsome procedure associated with

environmental management. It is expectedthat that percentage will rise after officiallaunching of Agenda 21.

For companies that already had a traditionin socially responsible stances, applying theorientation of the Agenda is just a naturalconsequence of actions developed overrecent years. However, even companies thatstill resist will perceive that without adoptingthe new standards, they will become lesscompetitive. Due to ideology or necessity,industries have begun to make theiroperations compatible with the concepts ofsustainable development.

“Brazilian industry has been adopting

Moreira Fereira (L):“Reducing waste.”

Bulhões: “Businesswill profit.”

More than 85% of Brazilian businesses adoptmeasures to protect the environment, and businessmensay they are committed to implementing Agenda 21.Business that doesn’t bet on sustainable developmentloses its competitive edge in the market

more and more practices that reconcileproduction with sustainable use of naturalresources, with significant results inreduction of pollution and waste,”guarantees National Confederation ofIndustry President Carlos Eduardo MoreiraFerreira. Furthermore, he says thatcontinuous improvement in productionmodels together with strategies forsustainable development can result inexcellent opportunities for business andaccess to new markets.

The Chairman of the Brazilian BusinessCouncil for Sustainable Development(Cebds), Felix Bulhões, states thatbusinessmen believe they will derive profitsfrom the sustainable development model.The Executive President of Cebds, FernandoAlmeida, is more incisive. He says thatcompanies must adjust to the new demandsof the internal and external market if theydon’t want to go bankrupt. And, among thosedemands, are practices of environmentalpreservation and sustainable development.“The social prestige of a company todaycomes from its environmental and socialresponsibility. If it has an environmentaldebt i t wil l not develop,” explainsAlmeida. Cebds represents more than 450companies and participated actively indrafting the text of Agenda 21.

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B Y B Y B Y B Y B Y PAOLAPAOLAPAOLAPAOLAPAOLAL I M AL I M AL I M AL I M AL I M A

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Despite overall good intentions, there areobstacles to implementing several points inthe agenda. For business, the diversity oflaws, regulations and technical standards inthe country makes it difficult to start up newcompanies and expand existing ones. “Westill need to perfect our environmentalpolicies and the regulatory action ofgovernment on all levels in order to offer afavorable environment for the sound use ofnatural resources,” says Moreira Ferreira.

Businessmen also insist that it is necessaryto train human resources for the new formof development. Both business and thegovernment should be involved in that effort.“The big bottleneck today is making people

understand that investment in sustainabledevelopment will bring profit in the long run.It is something to be calculated in decades,”argues Fernando Almeida.

During discussions on Agenda 21,businesses, represented by Cebds and CNI,prepared a document with recommendationsfor discussion during the World Conferenceon Sustainable Development, Rio + 10, inSouth Africa. Among the main themes in thedocument are sound use of forestryresources, management of water resources,social responsibility, concern for climatechanges and biological diversity, safemanagement of toxic products and increasingin energy supply.

Human resources

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Businessmeninsist that itis necessary totrain humanresources forthe new formof development.Both businessand thegovernmentshould beinvolved inthat effort.


Sustainableproduction andconsumption.Some actions:promote anational campaignagainst wastage,especially waterand electricity;restrict productionof disposableproducts.

Social inclusionand incomedistribution.Some actions:improvedistribution ofincome in thecountry; improveliving conditionsand social justice.

Forestry policyand the control ofdeforestation.Respect theenvironmentallegislation; do notpromote burning asan instrument of soilmanagement; usealternative sourcesof energy to reducethe indiscriminateconsumption ofbiomass.

Information andknowledge.Some actions:establishpartnerships withuniversities andpublic researchcenters; carry outresearch on and usealternative sourcesof energy to reduceindiscriminateconsumption ofbiomass.

Promotingsustainableagriculture.Some actions:adopt soilmanagementpractices thatcontrol erosion;adopt the principleof precaution inplanting and createa visible stampfor authorizedtransgenic products.

Renewableenergy.Some actions:encourage theefficient use ofenergy and itsconservation;promote researchon renewablesources of energy.

Preserve thewater of theriver basins.Some actions:disseminateawareness thatwater is a finite andbadly distributedasset; developand disseminatetechnologies to reusewater in industry.

Eco-efficiencyand socialresponsibilityof companies.Some actions:provide incentivefor corporate socialresponsibility;promotepartnershipsto improveproduction.

THE GOALS OF AGENDA 21

B YB YB YB YB YANA ALME IDAANA ALME IDAANA ALME IDAANA ALME IDAANA ALME IDA

Brazilian business has started doing itshomework. Many companies that would nowbe given an “A” in sustainable developmentare in a very different position in theclassroom than they were ten years ago, whenthe Earth Summit met in Rio de Janeiro. Or20 years ago, when Brazilian legislationcouldn’t stand on its own feet when it cameto environmental protection and when there

were no instruments for fining or imprisoningthose who harmed nature. Either in responseto pressure or to be awarded certificatesrecognized in both the internal and externalmarkets, like ISO 14,000, Brazilian businesshas proven on the balance sheet thatinvestments in environmental managementsystems bring short and medium term resultsthat are much more satisfactory than simply

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GOOD IMAGEGOOD IMAGEGOOD IMAGEGOOD IMAGEGOOD IMAGEThe need to comply with

environmental legislation is oneof the reasons for greaterinvestment by large industries insustainable development over thepast decades. The greatestmotivation, however, accordingto José Cláudio Junqueira, acounselor on planning at theMinas Gerais State EnvironmentalFoundation (Feam), are thedemands by the foreign parentcompanies, which want ISOcertificates and are highlyconcerned with preserving theirimage. In this effort, manycompanies go beyond what is

mining and extractive sectors, withthe exception of the majorcompanies, face an even greaterchallenge, complying withenvironmental legislation.

According to Feam studies, thesector that is most lagging behindis infrastructure. “The governmentstill has the bad habit of thinkingthat its undertakings should receivespecial treatment in environmentallicensing. The result is thatlicensing is hurried and theconditions are not met,” explainsJunqueira. One of the problems isthat environmental agencies do nothave enough people working inenvironmental licensing, asJunqueira points out.

needed for certification.According to Junqueira, the

sector which has advanced most -perhaps because it was the firstarea targeted by environmentalagencies - is that of thetransformation industries, likesteel, petrochemical, chemical andautomotive industries. However,there are areas of production thatare still lagging behind, he says.Junqueira gives as examples pigiron, textile and electroplatingindustries as well as tanneries, anddairies. “These areas, despite allthe technological and financialsupport that they have received,have not yet respondedsatisfactorily,” he claims. The

Companies take the lead in the race to meet thechallenge of sustainable development, discover thatit is profitable to recycle, and invest more and morein social and environmental protection projects

Time forgood business

PRODUCT IVEPRODUCT IVEPRODUCT IVEPRODUCT IVEPRODUCT IVESECTORSECTORSECTORSECTORSECTOR

doing what is necessary to reach a truce withinspection agencies.

“The benefits of a project like Xerimbabo(in environmental education), which hashelped thousands of children and adults tounderstand the importance of respectingnature over the past 20 years goes farbeyond the billion reals we have investedin the environment since our foundation,”says Usiminas CEO Rinaldo Campos Soares.He believes those awareness programs havebecome “one of the best forms ofcommunity integration.”

The CEO of the Cataguases LeopoldinaPower and Light Company, Manoel OtoniNeiva, who is part of the Minas GeraisIndustrial Federation’s (Fiemg) EnvironmentalCommittee, believes that business today isconcerned with the issues of managing solidwaste and water resources and of climate

change. He states that Fiemg has beensupporting implementation of environmentalmanagement systems in companies in thestate, discussing parameters for pollutantemissions and following environmental bills.“We no longer confront, but rather work aspartners with the environmental agencies andenvironmentalists,” Neiva guarantees.

Despite the fact that management is movingtowards practices of sustainable development,progress in creation of cleaner technology andmore palpable results on the bottom line ofthe social, economic and environmentalbalance sheets of companies who invest inthose areas, there are still great challenges.This is because most investments have beenmade by the big companies, especially thosewith international parent companies. Thereare, however, also examples of excellence incompanies that are entirely Brazilian.

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JambreiroForest: RPPNprotectsbiodiversity

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Located in Betim, the industrialarea of Greater Belo Horizonte,F ia t Automóveis , the f i r s tBrazilian automotive industryto r ece i ve the I SO 14001env i ronmen ta l ce r t i f i c a t e ,breathes recycling 24 hours aday. All of its 9,000 workers areinvolved in the process ofseparating used material, fromoffice paper to styrofoam boxesfor motors (photo). The companyhas saved 30 million reals justby recycling water during the firsthalf of this year. During the sameperiod it made seven million

reals from selling residues.By recycling residues and re-using

water, the company reached extraordinaryprofits. Over the past five years, the

The command is to recycle

company has invested 80 million dollarsin equipment and installations to recycleliquid, solid and gaseous eff luentsgenerated by its industrial processes. TheEcological Island inside the factory hasbecome a reference in Latin America.

“Now we are exporting know-how bothto our clients and to our suppliers, as wellas to other companies that come to us,”commemorates the man responsible forenvironmental management. Ceuti Nakano.More than 90% of all the daily solid wastefrom vehicle production is taken to theEcological Island.

Each car produces an average of 300 kilosof waste - a third of its weight. Paper,cardboard, plastic, styrofoam, wood, oil,plating, leftover steel, iron, aluminum, steelshavings and other residues become rawmaterial for other industries.

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According to the man responsible formaintaining and operating the environmentalcontrol systems, César Brant, Fiat Automóveishas been seeing residues as material witheconomic value for a long time. However,the current level of excellence was reachedbecause of the challenge presented by theastronomical volume of styrofoam motorpackages coming from Argentina. “To giveyou an idea of the volume of styrofoam,which is 60 tons a month - you could fill thewhole area of the factory, 2.25 million m2,three times over. We were literally drowningin styrofoam,” Brant remembers.

With no solution in sight, technicianswent into the field to find an industry thatcould recycle styrofoam into some form ofhandicraft. Fiat Automóveis financed a studyand developed equipment capable ofgrinding up the styrofoam and submitting itto a heating and cooling process. Then itreturns to the form of polyethylene, the rawmaterial, which is converted into pellets andsold internally to make new products, likepens, shoe heels, spools and the like.

Wi t h an environmental concern,Minerações Brasileiras Reunidas (MBR

The Belgo Mineira iron company, locatedin João Monlevade, 110 km. from BeloHorizonte, sells all the slag from its blastfurnace - 20,000 tons a year - as raw materialfor cement. The rest of the steel slag (12,000tons a month) and grease are sold for paving.The mud resulting from water treatment in theblast furnace is sold to the ceramic industry,and the hydraulic oil goes to recycling firms.

The company, which produces 4.5 milliontons of steel for construction and industrialuse and has 7,000 employees, spent 652 milliondollars in the past 20 years on plantmodernization. Of that total, 165 million wereinvested in development of programs andinstallation of equipment for the environment,explains Engineering, Utilities and EnvironmentManager Augusto Espechit.

Economic value

Debt paid

mining), which produced 28.1 million tonsof iron ore last year, also sells oil, used tiresand scrap. Usiminas, the first and largestBrazilian steel company and the secondlargest in the world, also received the ISO14001 certificate for its correct disposal ofsolid waste, one of the three pillars of itsenvironmental management system,together with recycling water and creatinggreen areas.

The idea, according to UsiminasEnvironmental Manager José EustáquioWanderley Costa, is to generate the smallestpossible volume of residue, re-use it or makeit economically competitive. Thus, from 2000to 2001, the amountof disposed wastesf e l l b y 1 3 . 5 % ,reaching 4.5%, after51.2% were sold and44.3% recycled. Oneexample of a residuethat is sold is steel slag.Used instead of gravel,up to 600,000 tons ayear of slag is sold forasphalt paving.

With those investments, Belgo Mineira paida debt it had with the community. “Before 1985,the situation was very serious. The streets werepolluted and the Piracicaba River becameuseless. Today, we are recognized as one ofthe cleanest cities in the country,” Espechitsays proudly. The air filters installed to complywith environmental legislation reduced theemission particulates by 95% and a system toseparate water from contaminated oil,patented by the company, is being sold toseveral companies all over Brazil. Thecompany manager guarantees that investingin the environment brings returns, and highones. “It is our responsibility to have theenvironment as an ally. We have a cleanfactory, a healthy community and a recoveredriver,” he commemorates.

Recyclingstyrofoam boxes:making moneywith newproducts


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Water is a cause of great concern becauseof its scarcity and its unequal distributionaround the planet. It is therefore targeted byindustries who are concerned with havingefficient environmental management systems.They invest in processes of recirculation torationalize use, and in effluent treatment, toreduce the pollutant load in the rivers.

Fiat Automóveis, for example, saved 30million reals during the first half of this

year alone, as a resultof having installed ar ecyc l i ng s y s t em ,accord ing to Ceu t iNakano, responsiblefor the environmentalmanagement system.T h e c o m p a n yrecirculates 92% of itswater, a savings of 1.3b i l l i o n l i t e r s p e rmonth. To do th is ,N a k a n o e x p l a i n s ,

Special care with waterbiological treatment is used, so that the wateris purified by colonies of bacteria without theuse of chemicals. The plant’s sewage is alsotreated, and the resulting mass is transformedinto 60 tons of biofertilizer a week.

Certified by ISO 14001 and BS 8800, theBelgo Mineira steel mill also drasticallyreduced its water consumption and increasedits level of recirculation from 57% in the midnineties to 97%, with the resultingreduction in emissions into the river. The 5,400m3/hour of water used from the PiracicabaRiver during the mid nineties fell to 950 m3/hour to replace internal loss and evaporation,and 330 m3/hour for use as drinking water.

According its environmental manager, JoãoEustáquio Wanderley Costa, Usiminasrecirculates 91% of all the water it consumes.To have an idea of that consumption, if therewere no system for recirculation, it would beenough water to supply a city with 11 millioninhabitants, with an average dailyconsumption of 250 liters.


Usiminas’Xerimbabo Project:forest preservationand environmental

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MORE GREEN AREASMORE GREEN AREASMORE GREEN AREASMORE GREEN AREASMORE GREEN AREAS

Since water preservation cannot bedissociated from conserving greenareas, the two actions always go hand-in-hand in investment plans bybusinesses, and they fuel manyenvironmental education programs.Preserving the green around mills,factories and assembly plants canbe considered one of the mainlinks between companies and thecommunity, which is invited to take partin hiking around their paths, replantingciliary forests and other activities.

Even the companies that are stillworking to meet environmentallegislation and getting ISO 14000certification have advanced in thatarea. This is the case of the Soeicomcement factory, which produces100,000 tons of cement per monthin Vespasiano. Located in themetropolitan region of Belo Horizonte,

the company wanted to find solutionsfor its environmental problems. Oneaction it adopted was transforming16,000 m2, where there had once beena farm, into a community center.

According to EnvironmentalConsultant Eduardo Mota, an orchard, avegetable garden and trails to observethe native Cerrado vegetation are beingbuilt at the center. “Our policy is todiscuss all actions with the community,”he explains. A recognizably successfulproject is led by Usiminas at its Usipafactory in Ipatinga. It is the 18thXerimbabo Project, visited this year by95,000 students from more than 500schools in Eastern Minas Gerais. Theproject takes place in a preserved area.Also, the Ciliary Forest Project wasresponsible for planting 243,000seedlings along 22 kilometers of thePiracicaba River. The goal is to plant

380,000 by 2005, affirms EnvironmentalManager João Eustáquio Wanderley Costa.

Planting trees is also one of theactivities of Alcoa Aluminio S.A., one ofthe largest subsidiaries of Alcoa Inc, a UScompany with a turnover of 23 billiondollars around the world. The publicrelations director of the production unitin Poços de Caldas, Elisabeth Russo, sayssome 330,000 seedlings were plantedaround the country, 500 of which wereseedlings of Brazil wood. In 2001 alonethe company invested six million dollarsin environmental, educational and healthprojects in Brazil. The One Million TreesProject, launched in 1998, calls forplanting all those trees at Alcoasubsidiaries around the world by 2008.“The environment is part of the tripod ofAlcoa special projects, together witheducation and health. They reflectpositively on the company image in thecommunity and add value to ourproduct,” explains Elisabeth.

Transforming areas into Private NaturalHeritage Reserves (RPPN) is an activity growingamong businesses. Today the country has404,815.84 hectares protected in 361 RPPNslocated in 10 different biomes of the country.In Minas Gerais alone, 48,000 hectares arepreserved, and at least half of that area is undercontrol of the private sector, which gives anidea of what is happening all over Brazil.

At the João Monlevade RPPN, which belongsto Belgo Mineira, 100 tree species and 90 plantspecies, many of which are endangered, are beingprotected. One of those is the Indian crow(Pyroderus scutatus), a large bird identified in fewparts of the country. There is an EnvironmentalEducation Center at the RPPN, which develops aprogram with primary students from the schoolsin Monlevade and neighboring municipalities.“Some 490,000 kids have come through here,”states Environmental Manager Augusto Espechit.

Recognized by Ibama as an RPPN in 1999,an area of 313 hectares, 280 of which are AtlanticForest, is being preserved in Itamarati, in theRainforest Zone of Minas Gerais, by theCataguases Leopoldina Power and LightCompany. According to the man responsiblefor the reserve, Ricardo Aguiar da Silva, theyhave found 220 species of birds in the area,

some of which areendangered, like the harpyeagle - one of the largest birdsof prey in the world - as wellas mammals like the manedwolf, the otter and the ocelot.But the big stars are the orchids and bromeliads.Thirty-five species of orchids and 22 ofbromeliads have been identified.

One of the oldest RPPNs in Minas Gerais isthe one at Mata do Jambreiro, an area of9 1 2hectares some 10 kilometers outside BeloHorizonte and owned by MBR Mining. Thecompany also hopes to have its reservesat Capitão do Mato and Morro doChapéu, covering 810 hectares, andAndaime Farm in Itabirito (175hectares) declared as RPPNs. “Thereturn on this investment is veryimportant, because it benefits thecommunities and shows it ispossible for a mining activity to livein harmony with environmentalprotection,” says EnvironmentalManager Carlos Eduardo Leite dosSantos. At the Jambreiro reserve, 18species of large trees, 16 mammal speciesand 174 bird species have been identified.

Hedgehog and rareplants at CataguasesLeopoldina RPPN:species saved

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RPPNs, a growingbusiness

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B Y B Y B Y B Y B Y MEMÉL IAMEMÉL IAMEMÉL IAMEMÉL IAMEMÉL IAM O R E I R AM O R E I R AM O R E I R AM O R E I R AM O R E I R A

Brazilian business has become an integral partof the project to promote sustainable developmentin the country and is a step ahead of the proposalto implement corporate social responsibility

Aloof when the 1992 World Conferenceon the Environment and Development washeld here, Brazilian business has joined theinternational movement that allies profit toenvironmental protection. Three weeksbefore the World Summit in Johannesburgon August 26, the Brazilian Business Councilfor Sustainable Development (Cebds), which

represents 60 big business groups in thecountry, met in Brasilia to debate issues likenew paths for sustainability, social andcorporate responsibility, reduction ofpoverty and the role of different factors insustainable development.

“Sustainable development is more than aniche reserved for environmentalists. It is part

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Business condemnsaggressions to

land that result indamage such aserosion: losses

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third waveThe force of the

of business,” claims Fernando Almeida, theCEO at Cebds and a professor at the Rio deJaneiro Federal University. He believesbusiness is really doing its homework. One ofthe best indicators that the global market ismoving irreversibly in that direction is the DowJones of sustainability. The value of stocks incompanies that invest in sustainabledevelopment is 20% higher than the value ofthose that do not.

Almeida refers to sustainability as if theywere waves. The first, which swept the worldduring the 60s, 70s and 80s, after theBrundtland Report, created a new concept. Thesecond came after the international agreementswere signed at the Rio Conference. He believesthat mankind is now feeling the effects of thethird wave, resulting from the challenge ofimplementing those agreements and makingquantitative and qualitative leaps forward inthe social, economic and environmental areas.

The businessman guarantees that now andsince Agenda 21 was formulated, “the businesssector was without a doubt one of the onesthat most evolved got most and adapted itselfto the new vision proposed for thedevelopment of society.” The key-word for

convincing the sector, according to Almeida,was “eco-efficiency”, a term that began tocirculate after the 1992 Earth Summit and thatwon over many people in Brazil.

“We adopted that concept in order tosurvive, because the future of the economicworld will only be ensured if there aremechanisms capable of conciliating theproduction of goods and services with thepreservation of natural resources and socialwell-being,” Almeida justifies. Proud of havingbeen one of the pioneers in the area ofsustainable development, Almeida says that“two items (from Agenda 21, Chapter 3) arealready being consolidated in business - eco-efficiency and corporate social responsibility.”

The big discovery made by business, inAlmeida’s opinion, was to realize that it ispossible to obtain economic gains and, at thesame time, to reduce the environmental impactof production, by making a series ofinterventions in the productive process,rationalizing the use of raw materials andenergy, recycling waste and even decreasing,

A GROWING PHENOMENONA GROWING PHENOMENONA GROWING PHENOMENONA GROWING PHENOMENONA GROWING PHENOMENON

The other item of Agenda 21 thatthe Cebds president is also proudof fulfilling deals with “corporatesocial responsibility”. Business iscollaborating to carry out theproposal of reducing socialinequalities in Brazil, formulated inAgenda 21. According to data fromthe Institute of Applied EconomicResearch (IPEA) cited by FernandoAlmeida, Brazilian businesses “havebeen promoting social actions”, andthe Southeast is the region with thebest record in that area. Sixty-sixpercent of all businesses in theregion invest in social programs. In

the Northeast, thenumber falls to55%, in the Mid-West to 50%, in theNorth to 49% and inthe South to 46%.

That situation was almost“unthinkable” in 1992, saysAlmeida, when businessmen weresuspicious of environmentalistmovements in society. “But now,the number of businesses whobet on the two pronged approachof production and environmentalp r o t e c t i o n i s a g r o w i n gphenomenon”, he adds, repeating

his prophecy that those who do notadapt to it will drop out of themarket by the next global meetingto discuss survival of the Earth.

While businessmen are notd i r e c t p a r t i c i p a n t s a t U Nconferences, they will be presentat Johannesburg, where there willbe a seminar to debate the role ofbusiness in constructing Agenda 21.

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Multibrás Projectpays attention towomen: socialawareness


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in the administrative area itself, the use ofpaper. He is convinced that the businessesthat refuse to reconcile production andenvironmental quality “will be out of themarket in 10 or 15 years.”

In Almeida’s opinion, this reconcilingcontributed, for example, to making Braziliansteel companies more profitable than theircompetitors. Many of them are re-using thewater and producing electricity from the heatproduced by their coke plants. In the servicessector, big hotel chains and restaurants haveinstalled equipment to guarantee energy savingsand are encouraging their clients to followcorrect procedure to reduce waste. They alsoadopted the system for separating garbage, anexample being followed by thousands ofrestaurants in the South, Southeast, Mid-Westand Northeast. The Amazon area of the Northhas incorporated this trend in the past four years.

One exemplary case of business adoptingAgenda 21 philosophy comes from CoronaMills in São Paulo. One of Brazil’s largest sugarexporters, the mill has a special sector forenvironmental protection and research. It treatsthe effluents from its industrial process and

has even begun avoiding burning theplantations by adopting mechanizedharvesting. Part of the energy used in thecompany is generated by sugar cane bagasse,but the goal is to increase the system to coverthe whole industry. That is why its researchdepartment has been studying ways to increaseenergy production from cane-bagasse and alsoways of making cellulose from it.

Besides those initiatives Corona preserves20% of its lands and has its own nursery,where thousands of seedlings of nativespecies are produced for reforestation. Inagriculture, the company’s main activity, theoption adopted to protect the soil wasplanting in strips, which avoids erosion.

Even industrial wastes have their role.Both the sugar cane liquid and solid wastesare reused as organic fertilizer used in theplantations with the advantage that it keepsborers away, without the use of pesticidesas elsewhere in the country. It was preciselythe use of organic fertilizers that made thedifference. Some of the countries to whichCorona exports do not use products treatedwith pesticides.

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Results of investments by Brazilianbusinessmen who bet on sustainabledevelopment are pointed out by theBrazilian Business Council for SustainableDevelopment (Cebds) in its Report onBusiness Sustainability, published this year.Cebds represents 60 business groups in thecountry, which have 450 productive unitsin their various production sectors and areresponsible for 500,000 direct jobs. TheCouncil participates in internationaldiscussions on sustainable development anddecisions on global standards.

The document, which was given toPresident Fernando Henrique Cardoso earlyin June, includes social, economic andenvironmental indicators and shows how thecountry has advanced in the search forsustainable development. Thermoelectric

plants, which have created compensatoryfunds for reforestation and environmentalrecovery to compensate for their greenhousegas emissions, are one of the mainexamples. Another important advancepointed out is charging for water use in theParaíba do Sul River (see more on page 46).

According to the Cebds data, six statesare redistributing funds raised by the Taxon Merchandise Circulation (ICMS) usingenvironmental criteria. The document alsopoints out the growing number of areasregistered in federal and state agencies asPrivate Natural Heritage Reserves (RPPNs).Furthermore, the number and size of theforest management units certified by theForest Stewardship Council (FSC) more thandoubled in 2001, when six operationsregistered 295,000 hectares.

A new sourceof profit


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Accordingto the Cebdsdata, six states areredistributingfundsraised bythe Tax onMerchandiseCirculationusingenvironmentalcriteria.


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Another poll showed that after Rio92, there was a great leap forward inthe level of social-environmentalawareness of the people. Accordingto a study by the Superior Institute ofReligious Studies (Iser) and theMinistry of the Environment, thenumber of Brazilians involved involuntary work. All around thecountry. “One can see a growingdisposition to participate in work likecampaigns against wasting naturalresources,” claims Carvalho.

Environment, José Carlos Carvalho.The advances, he says, are

registered both in the realm ofenvironmental management and inthat of social programs Of a total of9,140 companies polled this year bythe Institute of Applied EconomicResearch (IPEA), 59% invested insocial programs during 2000. Thatmeant a total of 4.7 billion reais, oraround 0.4% of the GDP. The countryhas 782,000 private companies,according to IPEA.

B r a z i l i a nb u s i n e s sq u i c k l y

unders toodthe changes brought

about in the country after Rio-92, beginning with the Braziliancommitment to find ways to promotesustainable development. “An importantparcel of our productive sector hasalready shown it understands its role asan agent of economic and socialtransformations,” explains Minister of the

Transformation agents

The data in the Cebds report was gatheredby researcher Maria Cecília Lustosa, from theFederal University of Rio de Janeiro, togetherwith the São Paulo State System for DataAnalysis Foundation. According to thedocument 47.1% of a total of 41,000 companiescovered in the research believe thatenvironmental preservation is a crucial factorfor technological innovation. Another 31.7%believe that preservation is important,compared to 21.2% who are indifferent orbelieve it is of little importance.

The Report on Business Sustainability alsoincludes the results of a study on theCompetitiveness of Brazilian Industry, carriedout by the National Confederation of Industry(CNI), the Service to Support Small andMedium-sized Companies (Sebrae) and theBrazilian Economic and Social DevelopmentBank (BNDES), covering 1,158 companiesin 16 states. The data reveals that there isstill a great deal to do, especially regardingthe smaller companies, which represent20% of Brazilian GDP.

As results which should be commemorated,the study shows that the investments intechnological and operational improvements,management and control have optimized useof raw materials, reducing emissions of air

pollutants and improving control of liquideffluents in almost half the companies. Some30% have reduced their solid wastes.

During 1998 and 1999, 63% of thecompanies made investments to reduce lossesand rejects of raw materials and final products.Other areas, like energy conservation,treatment and control of liquid and solideffluents and noise, received investments inmore than half the companies.

To commemorate

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Lumberbusiness:entrepreneurswant control


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Launching of Agenda shows the newawareness in Brazil with regard to the need toassociate the principles of sustainability todevelopment. It is no coincidence that socialissues permeate the 21 objectives of thedocument which resulted from a compromiseamong the more than 40,000 people whoparticipated in its development.

Pointing to that set of objectives, however,does not mean that the country is starting fromscratch in deciding what path to take to achievethe goals for sustainable development. Manycompanies, non-governmental organizations andinstitutions have already set their own pathswithin the new concept of progress. Such is thecase of the Integrated Center for Manufacturingand Technology (Cimatec), in the NortheastRegion, which was implemented by the NationalTraining Service for Industry (Senai).

Resulting from the actions of the group knownas System S, the center is made up of eight

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teaching and professional training institutions,which follow the orientations of the tradeassociations linked to learning in the areas ofindustry and commerce. Some 16 million realswere invested in this unit alone, which will focusits work especially on the automotive,transformation and electro-electronic areas.

In truth, what makes System S (the “S” standsfor “social”) a group of winning entities isprecisely the view of associating education tothe supply of jobs and to the level of personalincome. “Our real intention is not to prepareimportant businessmen but rather to help peoplehave their own source of income. We do that byteaching how to develop a profitable activity,”explains Luiz Carlos Correa, coordinator ofEducation at the Social System of Commerce(Sesc) in Brasília.

Correa indicates, among other courses forsocially enhancing value, the ones in basketweaving, waiters and rug weaving. Besides

The concern with training and insertionin the job market are the main points in theagendas of agencies within the S System

Priority for

education

c ompan i e s t h a t h a v e mo r eexperience and positive results.

Founded 60 years ago, Senai isone of the Brazilian agencies thatare already working to fulfil theobjectives of Agenda 21. Since itscreation, it has trained 33 millionstudents in courses in 28 differentareas. The courses offered by Senaiare professional training coursesand their quality is recognized allover the country.

In harmony with the Agenda 21

Planning the futureproposals, Sesc plans to mark its nextfive years of work encouragingpermanent education for work andlife. The first step will be to build itsown buildings, avoiding theexpenditure of renting classroomswhich it now has in many places.“Another idea for the very near futureis for different units to interact, withmore regional support for youth andadult education, always givingspecial emphasis to basic education,”says the coordinator.

Some System Sa g e n c i e swork with aneye on the

future, planningthe next steps. This is the case

of Senai, which will give moreemphasis in its next actions toencourage competitiveness. Thiswill be done through technologicalrestructuring and making industriesadapt to global standards, carryingout exchanges with multinational

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helping people increase their family income, Sesccontributed to the social improvement of thecities where it acts. That is because, accordingto Correa, people leave the streets once theylearn other activities and can become “betterprepared people to sustain a family.” There is abig difference between the courses offered bySenai and Sesc. While Sesc courses are aimed attraining low-income people, Senai offersprofessional training courses that are recognizedall over Brazil.

Sesc also acts in the areas of child educationand complementary education, as well as health,leisure, culture and social welfare. CurrentlyCorrea’s favorite program is the preparationcourse for college entrance exam, which hasbeen working in several cities in Brazil as anexperiment for the past two years. “This is wherewe have made most progress on a national scale,”he admits. “It is gratifying to see people whodid not think they would be able to finish highschool getting into university.”

These students, according to Correa, wereadmitted to highly sought universities like Brasília(UnB) and the Federal University of Goiás (UFG).He figures that the biggest deficiency in Brazilianeducation is in primary school. “For a long time,Brazil has been most concerned with its highschool and college courses.” Basic education,

according to Correa, should be seen aspermanent and continued education, “from pre-school to high school”.

Correa warns that there are still a largenumber of adults who do not know how to readand write, and he agrees with the priority theBrazilian Agenda 21 gives to education. Objective16, part of the chapter called social inclusion fora society with solidarity, points to the need todevelop actions for permanent education forwork and life. He also defends investment inpractical knowledge, “which our system hasalways ignored or disdained.”

Third Meeting ofBands at Sescin Minas Gerais:culture and income

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TRAINING FIGURES

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TRAINING FIGURES33 million33 million33 million33 million33 million workers have attended technical

and professional training courses.2 million2 million2 million2 million2 million students enroll annually.270270270270270 training and professional education centers.

2828282828 areas covered.1,8001,8001,8001,8001,800 programs offered.122122122122122 international partnerships.4343434343 certificates of excellence in ten international

tournaments for professional training.

During formulation of Agenda21, the business sector wasundoubtedly one of the sectorsthat bes t adapted to thenew v iew proposed fo rdevelopment of soc ie ty .Historically, we can cite the UNSummit held in Rio de Janeiroin January, 1992, or the EarthSummit as it came to beknown, as the launching padfor mobilizing businessesand businessmen. Duringthat conference, where 170Heads-of-state were present,Swiss businessman StephanSchmidheiny launched the keyword: “eco-efficiency”. The

concept, then almost unknown, gainedsubstance in his book Changing Course.

From that point on, the elite ofbusinessmen around the world began tounderstand that the new concept was no merefad, but rather a pragmatic vision that survivalof future generations — and of the economicmarket itself — could only be ensured byadopting mechanisms capable of reconcilingproduction of goods and services with thepreservation of natural resources andsocial well-being. In less than five years,

FERNANDOFERNANDOFERNANDOFERNANDOFERNANDOALMEIDAALME IDAALME IDAALME IDAALME IDA *****

the concept of sustainable development wasconsolidated. And that was the compass thatguided the discussion of the issues andproposals now incorporated in the final textof the Brazilian Agenda 21.

The Brazilian Business Council forSustainable Development (Cebds) wascreated in 1997. Representing large businessgroups in the country (there are currently60), Cebds representing the private sector,became partner of government and organizedcivil society to disseminate the concept ofsustainability. Thus, the Council joined theCommission for Sustainable DevelopmentPolicies and Agenda 21 and participated, asone of the organizers, in a series of publicmeetings promoted all over the country andopen to society to discuss the drafting ofAgenda 21. It is estimated that during 1999and 2000 at least 40,000 people, representingthe most varied segments of society,participated in those hearings and thuscontributed to producing the content of thisimportant document.

Last June, at the request of the Ministryof Environment, a meeting was held atCebds to prepare business response toAgenda 21. Representatives of the NationalConfederations of Industry, Agriculture andCommerce took part in the meeting. The

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* Fernando Almeida isExecutive President ofthe Brazilian Business

Council for SustainableDevelopment – Cebds

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in Agenda 21

Businessparticipation

Historically, we can cite the UN Summit held in Rio de Janeiro inJanuary, 1992, or the Earth Summit as it came to be known, as thelaunching pad for mobilizing businesses and businessmen.

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stance taken by the sector is based on thebasic precepts approved during the 1992 RioConference, especially regarding the greatinternational conventions, like the ClimateConvention and the Biodiversity Convention.Last July 16, Cebds Chairman Felix de Bulhõesspoke on behalf of the business sector duringthe ceremony to launch the Brazilian Agenda21, at the Presidential Palace in Brasília.

Besides with participating in the theoreticaldiscussion and mobilization work aimed atproducing a Brazilian Agenda 21 we could beproud of, the country’s private sector has beendoing its homework. Aside from formalitiesand protocols, the largest business groups inthe country have been adopting a series ofpractices provided for in Chapter 3.1 of Agenda21, which proposed 21 objectives. Amongthese objectives, we can highlight thefollowing: sustainable production andconsumption, eco-efficiency, corporate socialresponsibility, implementation of renewableenergy projects and dissemination ofknowledge on sustainable development.

Among these objectives, two areconsolidated and practiced ever more widelyamong large business groups in Brazil. Oneis eco-efficiency. Big business has perceivedthat it is possible to make profits and, atthe same time, reduce the environmentalimpact of production through a series ofinterventions in the productive process,rationalizing the use of prime materials andenergy, recycling wastes, etc. Brazilian steelmills have set an example for the world.Brazilian steel is highly competitive in theworld market. One of the reasons for itsincreased competitiveness is in the projectsdeveloped by steel mills to reuse water andproduce energy from the heat of its coke

plants. To disseminate the concept of eco-efficiency among smaller businesses, Cebdshas worked together with governmentalagencies and the UN to administer theBrazilian Cleaner Production Network. Today,there are units operating in eight states, andanother 10 are being implemented. TheNetwork was created especially for the smalland medium enterprises in the country.

Another objective seen in Agenda 21,Chapter 3.1 that should be emphasized iscorporate social responsibility. A growingnumber of Brazilian companies aredeveloping social programs. The Institute ofApplied Economic Research (Ipea) recentlypublished this year’s research showing that67% of the companies in the Southeast Regioninvest in social actions for the benefit of thepopulation. In the other regions of thecountry, the percentage falls, but it is stillsignificant: 55% in the Northeast, 50% in theMidWest, 49% in the North and 46% in theSouth. The Banco do Nordeste is a significantexample. The bank created a line of creditfor small businesses that has financedthousands of self-employed professionals,artisans and the like, incorporating all thoseworkers in the market.

Whether by applying these conceptswithin their own companies or working todisseminate them within society, business haseffectively shown that it can change thecourse of economy from a social andenvironmental perspective. The Cebds willpresent the Report on Business Sustainability,containing the actions of business in the areasof eco-efficiency and corporate socialresponsibility, in Brasília, on August 6. Thisdocument shows that Brazilian business canbe used as an example of results.

FERNANDOFERNANDOFERNANDOFERNANDOFERNANDOALMEIDAALME IDAALME IDAALME IDAALME IDA*****

The Institute of Applied Economic Research (Ipea) recently publishedthis year’s research showing that 67% of the companies in the SoutheastRegion invest in social actions for the benefit of the population.

““

Big businesshas perceivedthat it ispossible tomake profitsand, at thesame time,reduce theenvironmentalimpact ofproductionthrougha series ofinterventionsin theproductiveprocess

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The initiative of building an Agenda 21 instates and municipalities is already spreading allaround the country. The Department ofInstitutional Coordination and Agenda 21,responsible for guiding and supporting theprocess of drafting Local Agenda 21s, issupporting 214 experiences that are in differentphases of execution this year. Last year, therewere 124, nine times more than in 2000, whenonly 15 local governments had begun the work.The number of municipal governments interestedincreased rapidly after a special line of resources

for developing the Local Agendas was openedin the National Environment Fund.

The work is supported by a primer indicatingthe steps necessary to put together arepresentative document. The text explains thata local Agenda 21 should be created by aparticipatory, multi-sectoral process, bringingtogether different social groups to proposeactivities that imply in changing the pattern ofdevelopment. By reflecting on its own history,the community learns to identify its problemsand, above all, to plan its future.

In August, when the state ofPernambuco launched its Agenda 21,the result of wide scale participation bygovernment, business and society, itbecame a reference for the other statesof the Northeast. Created in September,1999, the Pernambuco Forum forAgenda 21 defined the following issuesfor discussion: sustainable cities;management of natural resources;combating desertification and living withdrought; reduction of social inequalities;sustainable infrastructure and economy.

The first version of the PernambucoAgenda 21 was discussed in the 11administrative regions of the state. Thefinal document was consolidated in July,2002, with eight goals to be reached by2015: eradication of extreme povertyand hunger; guaranteed primaryeducation; promotion of gender equalityand strengthening the role of women;reduction of infant mortality; improvingmaternal health; combating infectiousdiseases; guarantee of a sustainableenvironment and creation ofpartnerships for development.

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Goiânia, the capital of the state of Goiás, extended the

experience of discussing the budget with the community to the

elaboration of a local Agenda 21. The work is based on

desirable scenarios and information from the 11 administrative

regions of the city. It also has interactive dynamics that

guarantee permanent discussion. The Forum for the Agenda

now includes 72 governmental agencies and non-governmental

organizations, and it is hoped the number will rise to 100 by

the end of the work. Financed by the National Environmental

Fund, construction of the Goiânia Agenda 21 coincides with a

review of the city guidelines (for zoning, etc.).

Goiânia reviews guidelines

Living withdrought: themeof Pernambuco

Agenda

AgendasState and local

governments build local


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Streetcarcirculates inSanta Tereza:tradition

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The presence of women in formulating,managing and monitoring public policiesaimed at sustainable development wasespecially apparent in Rio de Janeiro,where there is a project to consolidatefemale leaderships within this process. InRio, discussion on the Local Agenda 21began in 1997, when the councilmenapproved creation of the Forum 21 for theCity of Rio de Janeiro.

Responsible for drafting the city’sAgenda 21, the Forum began to gatherinformation for social, economic,environmental and participatorysustainability. Some five years later, theRegional Committees and ComissãoMacrofuncional 21-21, organized duringthat time, are working on finishing thedocument, which will be presented to thepeople in Rio.

Five regional committees are workingon elaborating the Rio Agenda 21. Theygathered information from meetings,lectures and seminars. In meetings of the18 representatives of the executive group,diagnoses of problems and possiblesolutions are systematized. The activitiesare disseminated in an information bulletinand sectoral meetings.

Rio defends femaleleadership

The Agenda 21 of Aldeia, also in Pernambuco, is different

because it covers parts of seven municipalities located along

PE-27 state highway. They have in common stunning natural

beauty, which attracts visitors and rural and ecological tourism.

A consultancy is concluding a pre-diagnosis with an integrated

view of the region for the municipalities of Camaragibe, São

Lourenço da Mata, Abreu e Lima, Araçoiaba and Paudalho and

for parts of Recife and Paulista. The objective is to provide

inputs for the discussions to be held with the population. This

pre-diagnosis will be distributed among the residents of the

municipalities, which will work to mobilize the people to

participate in the local seminars.

United by tourism

The oldest neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro will be the first to

have a Local Agenda 21. The Viva Santa non-governmental

organization, with support from the National Environment Fund

(FNMA), began mobilizing the 41,000-odd residents in the old

neighborhood of Santa Teresa, creating a Consultative Council made

up of 21 technicians and specialists, all with strong ties to the area.

The idea is to enhance the value and protect the

environmental and cultural heritage while improving the living

standards of the residents, integrating the various segments of

society and encouraging local leadership. Twenty-six

representatives from different sectors of life make up the nucleus

of the Local Agenda 21. They gave priority to strengthening

sociability among the neighborhood leaders and sectors before

investing in the formulation of the document.

Pioneering spirit in Santa Teresa

One of the pioneers in preparing a localAgenda 21, launched in April, 1998, theJoinville municipal government gathered34 entities that represented society -resident associations, public agencies,environmentalists, universities,businessmen, workers - to elaborate thedocument. The first step was given bythe Municipal Secretariat of Agricultureand the Environment, which offered theseminar “Sustainable Development andCitizenship”. All the meetings were opento the community. The work was widelydivulged, step by step, guaranteeing thatpeople could participate. To arrive at thefinal text, the work groups responsiblefor preparing the Agenda carried out adiagnosis of the county, with orientationby specialists and debated 18 basicissues parting from a systemic vision.The issues covered all aspects of life inthe county in an integrated manner.Another four items were observed:working with the idea of results on theshort, medium and long run; adoptingthe principle of modelling for action;defining scenarios, and obtaining a self-regulating document.

Joinville makes adiagnosisThe debate Rethinking Volta Redonda, promoted five years ago by the local

Commercial and Industrial Association, was the starting point for construction of theVolta Redonda (Rio de Janeiro) Agenda 21. Since the municipality shares itsindustrial nature with its neighbors, the document has a regional scope. ThisAgenda 21 therefore includes the municipalities of Barra Mansa, Piraí, Pinheral,Resende, Quatis, Porto Real and Itatiaia. There are big companies in the region likethe National Steel Company, Tupi Cement, Clariant, Light and Barra Mansa SteelCompany. The process of building the local Agenda 21 has already brought resultslike creation of the Association of Users of the Waters of the Paraiba do Sul River.

Rethinking the city

A large seminar, to be held at the end of the year,

will mark the end of another stage in the building of

the Preliminary Agenda for the state of Santa Catarina,

a type of preview of what the final document in the

state will be. Two years ago, Governor Espiridião

Amin and 16 civic and business entities signed a

protocol of intentions, promising to respect consensus

proposals and ensure broad participation of society.

The Agenda 21 executive commission has

representatives from 34 public and business

institutions. In all, 120 entities participate in the

discussions: commercial and industrial federations,

universities, city halls, NGOs and the government.

Among the main challenges for sustainability are the

water issue and the management of river basins.

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Childrenin Joinville

learn topreserve theriver source:

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wants consensus

“Piracicaba will be a model city forsustainable development in Brazil and anexcellent place to live.” This sentence startsthe Agenda 21 of that São Paulo municipality,in a lovely book that also has old and newphotographs of the main points of the city. Topublish the book, the municipality formedgroups of encouragement, with representativesfrom the community who joined thegovernment to try to put the actions proposedin the document into practice.

Building an Agenda 21 was part of strategicplanning and received support from businessand a consultative group with 33representatives of entities and institutions. Morethan 1,200 people participated. An NGO calledPiracicaba 2010 - Reaching the Future, becamea corporation. The working groups ensuredbroader participation of people linked to eachtheme, and the City Council participated in thethematic seminars, receiving ideas andsuggestions from the community. The Agendawas launched in August 2001.

Piracicaba wantsto implementthe Agenda

The Plan for Sustainable Developmentof Victoria, capital of the state of EspíritoSanto, was readjusted in a revision of theLocal Agenda 21, which called forconstruction of a desirable future by 2010.The community, through a council,analyzed errors and correct points so thatadjustments could be made maintaining theprojection for growth and reduction of thepoverty index in the capital.

Companies from the private sectorsponsored construction of the Agenda 21and also took over the cost of this revision,working with two scenarios, one forregression and the other for progress,baptized “The Crab Walk” and “The Jumpof the Blue Merlin”. During the revision,new strategic procedures will be defined.Four years after implementation of theLocal Agenda 21, the city has seeneconomic growth and a drop in infantmortality as a result of higher investmentsin programs for social insertion.

Victoria revisesits project

Business participation was one of theoutstanding points in elaboration ofthe Agenda 21 for the municipality ofSerra, in Espírito Santo. The main stepto prepare the document was taken bycity hall, which based itself on theprinciple of strategic planning as aninstrument to increase participation ofsociety in defining the destiny of thecity. The measure worked. Religious,union, party, business, community andeducational leaders met with localauthorities to make a diagnosis of thesituation, build new scenarios, identifystrategies and projects and formulatethe local Agenda 21. The work wassupported by 25 consultants andlasted 11 months.

Piracicabawants to be themodel: a goodplace to live

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Marked by stunning landscapes that attract tourists fromBrazil and abroad, the northern coast of Bahia is the targetof OndAzul Foundation, which is working with localcommunities to introduce concepts of sustainable developmentand find a better quality of life for the population

The nearly 200 kilometers of the Northerncoast of the state of Bahia are host to some ofthe most beautiful beaches in the country. TheCoconut Palm Coast, which extends from Laurode Freitas to Jandaira, on the border with thestate of Sergipe, has a clear tourist potential.Besides the scenery and the warm water, thebeaches in that region are part of the country’siconographic memory. There are variousscenarios, from the coconut palms ofArembepe - a beach made famous by hippiesin the 1970’s - to the dunes of Mangue Seco,where the famous soap opera Tieta do Agreste

was filmed. In between them, we find Praiado Forte, which is the headquarters of one ofthe most successful programs on Earth forpreserving sea turtles and one of the mainplaces for ecological tourism in the state.

As a direct result of its attractions, the regionunderwent great growth based on tourism. Thefishermen’s villages, which were the mainoptions for lodging, are being replaced by innsand tourist complexes. However, together withthe economic bonanza, this development,which has proven unorganized and irregular,has produced forms of environmental and

and they do not fail to pay back loans.One of the points of consensus in

formulating Agenda 21 was giving priorityto actions destined to reducing povertyand social inequalities. The documentproposes, among other measures,mobilizing partnerships by using the socialresponsibility of business; adoptingintegrated management of public policiesof sustainable development; and investingheavily in human capital, especially inprimary and secondary education, and inprofessional training.

only on the fiscal resources of thethree levels of government, thechances of implementing the Agendawill be reduced.

The work of the OndAzulFoundation is a positive example ofpartnerships in projects to combatpoverty and generate income andjobs, associated to environmentalpreservation. The projects carried outaccording to the pr inc iples ofsustainability have a lower cost andmake it possible to exercise citizenship,

The big questiontoday , a f t e ro f f i c i a l l y

l a u n c h i n g t h eBrazilian Agenda 21, with its

21objectives for sustainable developmentin the country, is how to implement it.According to the team that worked onconsolidating Agenda 21, the answer tothat question depends, necessarily, onbuilding partnerships among the federal,state and local levels of government andcivil society. If there is dependence

Partnerships

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coursesfor the coast

New

cultural degradation affecting the naturalresources and the landscape.

The highway through the Northern coast ofBahia is called the Green Line, because it wasplanned and built according to the concepts ofenvironmental preservation. But that was notenough to guarantee that the concepts ofsustainability were implemented along the road.According to Juca Ferreira, a councilman inSalvador from the Green Party and vice-president of the OndAzul Foundation, if thecurrent pattern of occupation continues, thecomparative advantages of the micro-region asa privileged place for human habitation will beendangered. “The environmental problems arestill in an incipient stage, but they could becomereally serious if the process of growth continuesspontaneously,” says Ferreira.

Among the forms of environmentaldeterioration seen in the region, one of themost threatening is the disposal of organicwaste, especially in the Joanes River Basin,which has been polluted by untreated sewagefrom the cities of Salvador, Lauro de Freitas

and Camaçari. Fishing and other economicactivities of the local population have beenaffected by river pollution.

Many of the beaches suffer from thepredatory action of weekend tourism. This isdue to the excessive demand, and alsobecause of lack of planning and infrastructurefor tourism. While it has a beautiful coast,the traditions in these cities are curiouslyinland oriented, which not only reflects inthe way tourism is treated, but also in theextractive activities of fishermen and artisans.“They lack understanding of coastalprocesses,” Ferreira claims.

The Coconut Tree Coast also has theCamaçari Petrochemical Center, the largest inthe Northeast, which increases opportunitiesfor employment and income, but is also apotential polluter. According to Ferreira, thesituation in the region presents, simultaneously,great opportunities and great dangers, makingenvironmental management a joint challengethat needs cooperation among the variousmunicipalities to be dealt with appropriately.

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POLLUTIONPOLLUTIONPOLLUTIONPOLLUTIONPOLLUTION

Amongthe forms ofenvironmentaldeteriorationseen in theregion, oneof the mostthreatening isthe disposal oforganic waste,especiallyin the JoanesRiver Basin,which hasbeen pollutedby untreatedsewage.

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Looking for comfort

Residents makea living by

fishing and intourist trade

Besides the homes, there are plans for urban

infrastructure, with educational, health, security

services and convenience shopping, all provided

in a way which is not aggressive to the

environment. The complex will offer conditions

for direct contact with nature and the natural

landscape and will have low energy consumption.

Therefore, the natural topography, vegetation and

drainage will be maintained wherever possible,

avoiding leveling the ground.

CONTACT WITH NATURE

CONTACT WITH NATURE

CONTACT WITH NATURE

CONTACT WITH NATURE

CONTACT WITH NATURE

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A study carried out by the OndAzulFoundation indicates that the population ofthe Coconut Tree Coast, which today is notmore than 350,000, should reach a millionby 2020. Unless new solutions are adopted,the tendency is for the model of occupation

to pressure traditionalpopulations that livefrom extractivism, familyagriculture and smallshops for tourists.Installation of touristcomplexes like theone in Costa doSauipe, in Mata deSão João, create newopportunities forinves tmen t , bu ta l so run the risk ofd e s t r o y i n g t h e

environmental heritage.In 1999 the Ministry of Environment (MMA),

the Caixa Econômica Federal (CEF) and theOndAzul Foundation began a partnership tofind joint solutions to implement a process ofsustainable development in the region. The firstconcrete result appeared in April, 2002, when

five of the seven municipalities in the regionsigned an agreement to implement theIntermunicipal Consortium of the Coconut TreeCoast. One of the main objectives of thepartnership is to put a break on problems likesocial exclusion of the local inhabitants.

The MMA is providing resources andtechnical assistance so that the consortium canbecome an instrument for formulating publicpolicies that will make sustainabledevelopment of the region possible. One ofthe main projects will be the DemonstrativeEnvironmental Model for SustainableSettlements, a housing complex with 200homes planned in such a way as to preservethe natural characteristics of the terrain. Thehouses will be built in Abrantes Village, in themunicipality of Camaçari.

The definition of living areas andcomplementary services, open areas for commonuse and environmental protection areas will bedetermined by the terrain. The architecture usedin the buildings should help reduce the energyand water consumption, as well as offer betterthermal and acoustical comfort, unobstructedvisibility and ventilation, by making good use ofthe characteristics of the terrain.


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Created in 1990 by singer and composerGilberto Gil, the Ondazul Foundation hascarried out many environmental educationprograms and publicity campaigns, withslogans like Beautiful Beach - Clean Beach andDon’t let the ocean die on the beach, whichhad great impact on people in the early 1990s.The NGO has participated in mobilization todefend the Baía de Todos os Santos, the SãoFrancisco River and to change the course ofthe Green line on the coast of Northern Bahia.Between 1993 and 1996, its activities weresuspended, only to be re-activated a year later.

Its priorities are preservation, conservationand optimized sustainable use of Brazilianwaters and associated ecosystems. But it alsoinvests in urban ecology projects, like the oneto recycle pet soda bottles in Vigário Geral.The Vigário Geral shantytown is one of thepoorest in Rio de Janeiro.

The place has been known internationallysince 1993, when the assassination of 21 peopleby military policemen who said they wererepressing drug traffic shocked Brazilian society.Now the slum may get back into the news, butas the headquarters of a successful experienceto re-use pet bottles. Currently 55,000 plasticbottles that might have been blocking drainagesystems or polluting river banks are beingtransformed into some 2,500 pieces of furniture.

In the shantytowns,furniture made from pet bottles

The metamorphosis is taking place in thePilot Waste Recycling Plant. The objective is togenerate opportunities for employment andincome and, at the same time, contribute toenvironmental education in the community.According to Ondazul Vice-President JucaFerreira, the project is a showcase of what canbe done to get the plastic bottles out of nature.

He explains that the process should beunderstood as part of a bigger strategy toreintegrate the bottles into the productiveprocess, with research on new possibilitiesfor using the material that are not solelybased on recycling. Another advantage isthat it makes the population aware ofgarbage problems.

The project involves implementing the PilotPlant and forming teams of monitors and wastecollectors, made up ofmembers of the community,who are paid as a team. Theseteams will later continue theprocess, establishing aproduction cooperative. Theyreceive on the job training,beginning with involvement ofapprentices in the dailyactivities of the plant and thenin a two-month training periodfor each group.

Gilberto Gilgathers residents:actions to combatexclusion

Re-using the bottles begins by washingthem and cutting the top. Then they arejoined together, making cylindrical blocksused as the structure for furniture. Onceunited by high resistance adhesive tape,these structures are covered with foamrubber. Finally the pouf or chair receivesfinishing with fabric or other material suchas vinyl, canvas or rubberized material.

The furniture produced with the bottlescollected by the project team is sold, andthe money is invested in creation of the

cooperative and multiplying experiences.But the community of Vigário Geral benefitswithout paying anything. Therefore, asystem of exchanges was established,whereby 185 pet bottles give you the rightto a piece of furniture. If the buyer prefersto turn in the bottles little by little, the personaccumulates credits until he reaches thenumber of bottles needed. Acceptance ofthe project can be seen by the growingnumber of families in Vigário Geral that havefurniture made with bottles in their homes.

ZERO COST SYSTEMZERO COST SYSTEMZERO COST SYSTEMZERO COST SYSTEMZERO COST SYSTEM

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RUBENSRUBENSRUBENSRUBENSRUBENSHARRY BORN*HARRY BORN*HARRY BORN*HARRY BORN*HARRY BORN*

The development of the NationalAgenda 21 was a special, very importantmoment for all Brazilian society.Undoubtedly, the process by which it wasprepared is a relevant example of collectiveconstruction of a new political, social,economic and environmental project: thesustainability of human development inBrazil. Just to have an idea, all interestedsegments of society were mobilized todevelop the Brazilian Agenda 21 withpublic debates in 26 states. The text ofBrazilian Agenda 21: Basis for Discussionreceived some 6,000 suggestions. And,according to the Commission forSustainable Development Policies (CPDS),at least 40,000 people read and analyzedits contents. But it should be noted thatthe country only began this work in 1997.Therefore, if it had made that decision rightafter Rio-92, it could be at a much moreadvanced stage now, seeing some of thefruits of its Agenda 21.

If we want a clear vision of the NationalAgenda 21, we should see it as an instrumentwith a double character (both process andproduct are important), and as having

multiple functions. The Agenda made itpossible to aggregate proposals for actions,guidelines and strategic ideas to formulatepublic programs and policies, giving voiceand responsibility to actors from the varioussegments of society. Another function ofthe Brazilian Agenda 21 is to provide theopportunity of making all of society awareand mobilized to transform structuralaspects that are perverse in our currentdevelopment model. Its development andimplementation can also contribute torecovering ethical values and a practice ofauthentic social solidarity.

We cannot, however, forget that whatwe have today is a document, inheritedfrom a participatory process and from goodpromises that resulted from a cycle of UNdebates on human development - a cyclewhich began at the 1992 Earth Summit.Implementation of Agenda 21 proposalswill depend, in part, on making it areference instrument for Brazilian societyas a whole, and especially for leaders fromvarious sectors, including those at the threelevels of government and those inlegislative institutions. In that sense,

The Brazilian Agenda 21:

to be built nowa future reality

We cannotforget thatwhat we havetoday is adocument,inherited froma participatoryprocess andfrom goodpromises thatresulted froma cycle ofUN debateson humandevelopment -a cycle whichbegan at the1992 EarthSummit.

““

Agenda 21 should be made known to all candidates topublic office: from state governments to the presidency, fromstate deputies to representatives in the National Congress.


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Agenda 21 should be made known to allcandidates to public office: from stategovernments to the presidency, from statedeputies to representatives in the NationalCongress. Agenda 21 should, from ourpoint of view, be a reference for thepreparation of the government’s Multi-Yearplans (PPAs), for the federal, states andmunicipal budgets, which could best bedrawn up through participatory processesin order to avoid propagating errors of thepast into the future (notably, suggestingzero-base budgets). It should also be usedto establish steering plans for developmentor organizing use of territory, both in citiesand in river basins. Overcoming the“voluntary tone” of Agenda 21 and makingit part of the dynamics in decision makingis the challenge to its implementation.

It should definitely be noted that theprivate sector should use Agenda 21directives with the same engagement,changing the form and content of economicactivity and not simply restricting it to meetthe standards of eco-efficiency, since theBrazilian Agenda 21 also calls for effectivechanges in the current patterns ofproduction and consumption. On the otherhand, organized civil society shouldpersevere so that ethical values anddemocratic processes are employed, as wellas to ensure the means to strengthen theorganizations of the Third Sector in thedecision making process, to implement andevaluate public policies and programs.

Toward that end, we must also haveindicators that can show lay citizens,specialists and those who govern if our

society is undergoing the transformationsthat will lead it toward sustainability and aprogressive improvement in the quality oflife. A set of indicators that, without loosingthe specificity of what is to be evaluated,enable a systemicanalysis of our reality,with due credibility,will certainly dependon the engagementand invo lvementof many d i f fe rentorganizations.

Final ly , publ icauthorities need tocoordinate efforts tomake the BrazilianAgenda 21 popular,without making itcommonplace. They need to make theidea of sustainability so well-known andfeasible that any citizen from any pointin the country can easily understand itssocial and political importance anddemand its implementation. Above all,we need to make the Brazilian Agenda21 a reality to be built in the present,with effects on the short, medium andlong term, not seeing it simply as thepromise of a distant future.

RUBENSRUBENSRUBENSRUBENSRUBENSHARRY BORN*HARRY BORN*HARRY BORN*HARRY BORN*HARRY BORN*

(*) Civil engineer specialized in environmentalengineering, with a master’s degree in public health, PhDin international environmental regimes, executivecoordinator of Vitae Civilis Institute for Development,Environment and Peace (www.vitacivilis.org.br) andmember of the Commission for Sustainable DevelopmentPolicies and the Brazil ian Agenda 21 (CPDS),representative of the Brazilian Forum of NGO and SocialMovements for the Environment and Development.

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Organized civil society should persevere so that ethicalvalues and democratic processes are employed, as well asto ensure the means to strengthen the organizations.


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The target of environmental aggressionsintensified during the forties, when it beganto receive chemical effluents from industrieslike the National Steel Company in VoltaRedonda (RJ), the Paraíba do Sul River willbe the first place in Brazil where the use ofwater is to be charged from factories andurban water supply companies.

With the innovation, which should begin inNovember, the river will have a new source ofincome to finance projects for environmentalrecovery. During the first 12 months, the Paraíbado Sul River Basin Integration Committee(Ceivap) expects it to raise 14 million reals.

The charge, following the model adopted inFrance in 1965, is provided for in Federal Law9.433/97, which defines river water as an

economic asset. The Water Act, as it is known,determines that the revenues coming from sounduse of rivers be invested in the environment inthe river basin where they were raised.

The payment system, proposed by Ceivap,which is responsible for the participatorymanagement of the water resources of theParaíba and its tributaries, was approved inMarch by the National Water Resources Council(CNRH), at the Ministry of Environment. Chargeswill be made by the National Water Agency(ANA) a Federal agency created in 2000.

The Paraíba do Sul River Basin covers 55.5square kilometers in one of the most urbanizedand industrialized regions of the country, inthe states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro andMinas Gerais, in Southeastern Brazil. More than

From now own, companies and water supplycompanies will pay for the use of water resources.If you pollute, you pay more. The new systemwill begin in the Paraíba do Sul River Basin

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ecosystems. A fundamental instrumentwas ensured when the Law ofEnvironmental Crimes was enacted in1998. The law makes companies andcitizens responsible for activities thatharm the environment and make itpossible to charge for the preservationof crucial resources like water. “It isthe legal support that the countryneeded to enforce the resolutions ofthe National Environment Counciland defend the process of sustainabledevelopment.”

Summit. “These are examples of theprogress we managed to achieve in adecade of important advances towardsustainable development.” We cannotunderestimate the work of the past tenyears,” states Carvalho.

According to the Minister, while itis still too early to evaluate the results,it is a consensus that, without thesupport of a modern regulatorystructure, it will not be possible toimplement the goals of conservationand preservation of urban and rural

A great deal to commemorateWhile it still hasa long way togo to becomeeconomically,

socially andenvironmentally sustainable, Brazil

already has a lot to commemorate. Thecreation of the National Water Agency(ANA) and of economic instruments forenvironmental management, like theRiver Basin Management Committees,are some of the measures that havebeen implemented since the 1992 Earth

are beginningCharges

GOVERNMENTALGOVERNMENTALGOVERNMENTALGOVERNMENTALGOVERNMENTALACTIONACTIONACTIONACTIONACTION

five million people live in the 180municipalities in the basin, which provideswater to 7,000 industries and part of the 10million inhabitants of Greater Rio de Janeiro.

The second largest metropolis in thecountry, Greater Rio receives water from theParaíba River through the Santa CeciliaPumping Station in Barra do Piraí (RJ), whichsends it to the Atlantic side of the Serra doMar mountain range. The metropolitan regionalso uses water from the Piraí River Basin. Inall, 180 m3 of water per second are suppliedto Greater Rio.

Another objective of the charge is to induceusers to the sound use of water by reducing wasteand pollution. The criteria and amounts of thecharge were established by Ceivap in December,2001, after debates with representatives of allsectors that use the basin’s water resources.For each cubic meter of water captured,industries and water companies will pay 0.008of a real, if it is consumed or sent back intothe river clean. If it is sent back polluted, thecharge goes up to 2.8 cents.

“Those who pollute more will pay more,”says Ceivap Executive Secretary Edilson de

Paula Andrade. Users must declare to ANAthe volume of water captured and thetreatment it is given after use, and thatinformation will be checked out by ANA andby state environmental control agencies.

While legislation would also make itpossible to charge for water used in farming,mining and electricity generation, thesebusinesses will only pay in the future, aftercriteria for use and amounts have beenestablished by Ceivap. In the case of ruralactivities, Ceivap Technical Office CoordinatorCláudio Serrichio explains that the charge willbe much lower than that stipulated forindustries and water companies, so that theimpact on the cost of agricultural products isnot more than 1%.

To begin charging, ANA and Ceivap areformulating a plan for use and conservationof water resources and constituting the WaterAgency for the Paraíba do Sul Basin, whichwill carry out actions to recover the area andfor the sustainable development of the basin,including providing support to administratingthe water payment system. The water resourceplan for the period from 2003 to 2007 is being

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C O S T SC O S T SC O S T SC O S T SC O S T S

For each cubicmeter of watercaptured,industriesand watercompanies willpay 0.008 ofa real, if it isconsumed orsent back intothe river clean.If it is sent backpolluted, thecharge goes upto 2.8 cents.


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drawn up by the Hydrology Laboratory at theCoordination of Graduate Programs inEngineering (Coppe) at the Federal Universityof Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), based on programsfor environmental investments in the basin,with federal, state and local funds.

Environmental investments in the Paraíba doSul River Basin amounted to 48.6 million realsin 2001, according to Ceivap. Almost 80% camefrom the ANA Program for Cleaning Up RiverBasins (Prodes), which includes federal and statefunds intended for work on sewage collectionand treatment systems in counties likePindamonhangaba (SP) and Volta Redonda (RJ).

The other funds came from the Federal Budgetas amendments presented by Rio deputies inCongress. These sums together with state andlocal counterpart funds, are paying for sanitationwork in Rio de Janeiro municipalities like Resendeand Campos dos Goitacazes.

Total recovery of the Paraíba do Sul Basinwould, nevertheless, require investmentsestimated at 2.6 billion reals, over a period of20 years, since the damage to the environment

Ceivap, created by Federal Decree 1,842/96,is an example of this new concept in watermanagement in Brazil. The committee is formedby 60 members. Three of them are federal,representing the Ministries of Environment, ofMines and Energy and of Planning. There are 19representatives from each of the three statesdrained by the basin, including representativesof state and local governments, private sector,civil society entities and users.

Committee President Eduardo Meohas, whois also Mayor of Resende (RJ), testifies to theincreased interest in solving environmentalproblems in the region. “I am pleased to seethe attitude adopted by some industries, whichare becoming aware and installing equipmentin their facilities to decrease the pollution ofthe Paraíba Basin,” he says.

The biggest private investment inenvironmental recovery of the Paraíba do SulBasin is being carried out by the National SteelCompany (CSN), which was the biggest polluterof the river for five decades. After making acommitment to the Rio de Janeiro EnvironmentalEngineering Foundation (Feema) in 2000, it

began putting into practice130 actions forenvironmental control, and so far CSN has spent60 million reals to contain water pollution.

“That means that our contribution toParaíba do Sul pollution became minimal,”ensures CSN General Manager of theEnvironment, Luiz Cláudio Ferreira Castro. Heclaims that most of the pollution of the rivernow comes from raw sewage.

1,100 kilometers long, the Paraíba do Sul hasbeen important for Brazilians since the 18thCentury, when it was the site of a gold rush. Inthe 19th Century, the pre-industrial economyalong the stretches in Rio and São Paulo was atits peak, with the Coffee Cycle. The river sourceis in the Serra da Bocaina National Park, at 1,800meters above sea level, in the country of Areias(SP), where it is known as Paraitinga River.

When it joins the Paraibuna River, they formwhat is called the Paraíba do Sul. Its valley, betweenthe Mar and Mantiqueira mountain ranges,extends in the interior of Rio de Janeiro anddelimits the border of that state with Minas Gerais.The mouth of the river is located at Atafona, inthe Rio county of São João da Barra.

increased in direct proportion to the urbangrowth of the region. Industrialization, since the1940s, led to an accelerated and unplannedurban occupation of the Paraíba Valley. In thepast six decades, the river and many of itstributaries received raw sewage, untreatedindustrial effluents, leachate from garbagedumps, destruction of ciliary forests, soil erosion,by indiscriminate extraction of sand and use ofpesticides in agriculture.

Rio de Janeiro contains 37.7% of the areadrained by the Paraíba do Sul basin. It needs1.4 billion reals of these long term investments,with the rest divided between São Paulo andMinas Gerais. Each state has an investmentplan drawn up with resources from the Ministryof Planning, financed by the World Bank,intended to formulate a global program ofactions to clean up the river. This model ofmanagement, uniting federal and state effortstogether with those of local governments andcivil society entities, is based on the principlesof Federal Law No. 9,433/97, which establishedthe National Water Resources Policy.

Modern management concept

48 ENVIRONMENTSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

& o


PARTNERSPARTNERSPARTNERSPARTNERSPARTNERS

The Paraíbado Sul RiverBasinIntegrationCommitteeis formed by60 members,includingrepresentativesof stateand localgover nments,private sector,civil societyentities andusers.

In São Paulo, the area known as theMid Paraíba Valley, one of the mostindustrialized and urbanized regionsof the state, the river receiveschemical effluents and sewagedischarges. Covering 35municipalities, the region hasundergone accelerated economicand urban growth over the past fivedecades. In 1950, the region had anurban population of 202,980inhabitants (or 45% of the totalpopulation of 490,722 inhabitants).According to the 2000 Census, theurban area now has 1,631,994inhabitants (or 91.4% of the totalpopulation of 1,765,778 inhabitants).The population growth kept pacewith the industrial boom in theregion: from 751 industries in 1960to nearly 4,000 in the nineties.

In Rio de Janeiro between the FunilDam, on the border with São Paulo,and the Santa Cecilia Pump Station,in Barra do Piraí, the water is mostly

used to provide drinking water,including for human consumption inthe Metropolitan Region of Rio deJaneiro, where 10 million of thestate’s 12.8 million inhabitants live.With the majority of industries in theRio de Janeiro Bay, this part of theParaíba River has one of its mostcritical points passing through thecounties of Barra Mansa and VoltaRedonda, where the National SteelCompany (CSN) is located. Industrialpollution is seen in the concentrationof phenol, cyanide and heavy metals.Pollution has been reduced in recentyears due to controls adopted byCSN and other industries.

Between Santa Cecilia Pump Stationand the municipality of Carmo, theParaíba do Sul River has a low flowduring a great part of the year. Thisphenomenon requiresenvironmental control policies toprotect the river from discharges ofpollutant loads. The main sources ofpollution in a large part of this

stretch are practically restricted tosewage from small towns like Barrado Pirai, Vassouras and Paraíba doSul. However, once the Piabanhaand Paraibuna tributaries join it inTrês Rios, the Paraíba Riverincreases in size and flow, as wellas in pollution. There, the riverreceives all the domestic andindustrial wastes from that city andthe neighboring cities of Petrópolisand Teresópolis.

Along the stretch between Carmoand its mouth, in Atafona, in themunicipality of São João da Barra,farming activities dominate theeconomy, as they do in the areasaround the main tributaries of theriver in this stretch - the Pomba andMuriaé Rivers, which make up partof the sub-basins in Minas Gerais,and the Dois Rios River. From thelatter, the Paraíba receives all theindustrial and domestic pollutionfrom the municipality of NovaFriburgo. Although there is a greatdeal of organic pollution in thisstretch, the quality of its waters isconsidered satisfactory.

49

VERTIGINOUS GROWTHVERTIGINOUS GROWTHVERTIGINOUS GROWTHVERTIGINOUS GROWTHVERTIGINOUS GROWTH


PARAÍBA DO SULPARAÍBA DO SULPARAÍBA DO SULPARAÍBA DO SULPARAÍBA DO SULRIVER BASINRIVER BASINRIVER BASINRIVER BASINRIVER BASIN

Funil DamFunil DamFunil DamFunil DamFunil Dam

Mid-sectionMid-sectionMid-sectionMid-sectionMid-sectionof the Paraíbaof the Paraíbaof the Paraíbaof the Paraíbaof the Paraíba

River ValleyRiver ValleyRiver ValleyRiver ValleyRiver Valley

Atlantic OceanAtlantic OceanAtlantic OceanAtlantic OceanAtlantic Ocean

Barra do PiraíBarra do PiraíBarra do PiraíBarra do PiraíBarra do Piraí

AtafonaAtafonaAtafonaAtafonaAtafona

CarmoCarmoCarmoCarmoCarmo

Families from small farms will be theprotagonists, from the beginning this year, ofthe first big program to r ecover degraded areasin the country - For est Pr onaf. Pronaf is anabbr eviation for the National Pr ogram ofIncentive to Silviculture and Agr ofor estry

Systems for Family Agriculture , c reated bythe Ministry of Environment (MMA) and theMinistry of Agrarian Development. The workwill begin with the Atlantic For est, a rich anddiversified biome that covered the coast ofBrazil from Rio Grande do Norte to Rio Grande

50

Farm families are to have a guaranteedincome and will learn silviculture and fore strysystem practices. Ten thousand will benefit in 2002.Next year, the number will double. The pr ogramwill begin in degraded ar eas of the Atlantic Fore st

Family offarmers in the

South: r esourcesfor replanting

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AGOVERNMENTALGOVERNMENTALGOVERNMENTALGOVERNMENTALGOVERNMENTAL

ACTIONACTIONACTIONACTIONACTION

CHANGESCHANGESCHANGESCHANGESCHANGES

The proposalis to changethe pro fi le ofactions to r ecoverdegraded are as,encouragingreforestationfor trade andmultiple useof small familyfarms byofferingprogramsthat generateincome andemployment.

do Sul but which today is r educed to just 7%of its original size. Over the next five years,some 120 million r eals will be invested in theprogram. Over the next five years, R$ 600million will be applied to the program.

Forestry Pr onaf invests in diffusingsilviculture and agr ofor estry systemtechnologies, with the support of the NationalEnvironment Fund (FNMA) and the NationalForest Program (PNF). The pr oposal is to changethe profile of actions to recover degraded are as,encouraging re forestation for trade and multipleuse of small family farms by of fering pr ogramsthat generate income and employment.

The farmers will have access to specifictechnical assistance services and will betrained in silviculture and forestry systemswhile the project is being implemented. Inthe technical assistance stage, the generalconditions of the property will be analyzed,with emphasis on environmental issues,conservation of natural r esources andrecovery of the land and water.

To promote r efor estation, the pr ogramoffers special credit to small for mers, whocan r eceive up to R$ 6,000 at 4% intere stper annum. They will have 12 years to payoff the loan, and the first eight years (orsix months after the first felling) will be

free of payments. The far mers who pay ontime will receive a special r eduction of 25%in the inter est due.

Forestry Pr onaf will benefit ten thousandfarmers now in 2002. During subsequent years,the number will double, reaching 20,000families, who will have their occupation andincome guaranteed. “Everyone will learnsi l vi cul ture and forestry system practices,” addsMinister of Environment José Carlos Carvalho.He believes the program is the most importanteconomic instrument cr eated so far forsustainable development.

51


GROUP AGROUP AGROUP AGROUP AGROUP ABeneficiaries of theAgrarian ReformProgram who havenot received fundsfrom the SpecialCredit Programfor AgrarianReform (Procera).

LINES OF CREDITLINES OF CREDITLINES OF CREDITLINES OF CREDITLINES OF CREDITPronaf has four different groups of beneficiaries

GROUP BGROUP BGROUP BGROUP BGROUP BFarmerswhoseannualincome isR$ 1,500.

GROUP CGROUP CGROUP CGROUP CGROUP CFarmerswhose grossincome isR$ 8,000 perannum.

GROUP DGROUP DGROUP DGROUP DGROUP DFarmerswhoseannualincome isR$ 27,500.

ENVIRONMENTSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT& o

Sustainable agricul tureAmong the recommendations in the Agendato help reach those objectives is theestablishment of a group of indicators ofsustainability for agriculture. The proposal isto have comparative monitoring of differentcategories of productive systems andencourage environmental management offarms and ranches.

Another important goal is to build aninformation system that can show thetrue health conditions of the rural populationso that prevention and treatment can be madepossible. Training health professions from thepublic health system should also beencouraged so that it can work in harmonywith the reality of rural work.

During the stage of discussionand raising suggestions forthe Brazilian Agenda 21,n o n - g o v e r n m e n t a l

o rgan i za t ions p resen tedproposals to strengthen family farming

and enhance the value of local developmentprocesses. The NGOs also believe that theparticipation of working rural women in theproductive and social process shouldincrease in value and that they should beassured access to credit.

The proposals are part of Objectives 11and 12 of the Brazilian Agenda 21, which dealwith sustainable development in rural Braziland promotion of sustainable agriculture.

52

“With this specific credit pr ogram, we areencouraging r efor estation of the Atlantic Forestand also supporting conversion of smallfarmers to or ganic agricultur e,” announcesPlanning Manager of the program, AluízioLopes. Small family farmers who own the landor work it as squatters, sharecr oppers ortenants working an area of up to four taxmodules are eligible for the loan.

They should also live on the property or innearby villages, occasionally hire labor andhave a maximum of two full-time employees.They will r eceive the appr opriate seedlingstogether with resources from the NationalEnvir onment Fund and the Gr een GrantProgram. Besides far mers, traditional

fisher men, extractivists and those who workwith aquaculture (breeders of fr ogs, mussels,fi sh, e tc.) a re also eligible for the pr ogram.

The services will first be hired by a specificcall for bids from the National EnvironmentFund, open to NGOs and state and municipalcompanies in partnership with universities,foundations, associations, farm co-ops andforestry companies. Among the actions calledfor in the Forestry Pronaf is installation of septictanks on the farms. The objective is to improvethe standard of living and also to preserve theenvironment. They will be built under theresponsibility of the Ministry of Envir onment.

Farm families that fall into Pr onaf gr oupsC and D (see table) will be eligible for thecredit. That includes pr operty owners,squatters, tenants or share croppers who makeat least 80% of their family income fromfarming and ranching on the pr operty or otheractivities on the land. Up to 40% of the totalloan can be r eleased during the first year forimplementing the project and plantingseedlings. The 4% inter est rate also includes a25% bonus for each payment made on time.The loans will be made available at the Bancodo Brasil and Banco do Nordeste.

Artisanal fisher men, extractivists and thoseengaged in aquaculture, whose tanks do notcover more than two hectares or 500 cubicmeters are also eligible for the loan. It is expectedthat the pr ogram will recover ar eas ofenvir onmental preservation and encouragereforestation for commercialization, in order togenerate employment and incr ease family incomeby making multiple use of small farms.

Preparing the population of rural Brazil

for sustainable development is one of the

challenges proposed by the Brazilian Agenda

21. The more than 40,000 representatives of

society at large, business and federal, state and

local government who discussed the document

during five years arrived at a consensus

reflected in Objective 11. It clearly points to

the potential for sustainable development of

rural Brazil as a powerful instrument to reduce

the nation’s social debt. The document calls

for non-predatory exploitation of the country’s

natural resources as a means of giving an

impulse to the national economy while

reducing the exodus from rural areas.

SOCIAL DEBTSOCIAL DEBTSOCIAL DEBTSOCIAL DEBTSOCIAL DEBT


Land owners,squatters,tenants andsharecroppers.

Family farmersfrom Pronafgroups C and Dlocated in thepriori ty areasof the AtlanticForest.

WHO IS CONSIDEREDWHO IS CONSIDEREDWHO IS CONSIDEREDWHO IS CONSIDEREDWHO IS CONSIDEREDA FAMILY FARMERA FAMILY FARMERA FAMILY FARMERA FAMILY FARMERA FAMILY FARMER

Gross annualincome of up toR$30,000, excludingretirement pensions.

Uti l ization offami ly labor;may have up totwo permanentemployees anduse hired handsoccasionally.

At least 80% ofincome comingfrom farming,ranching andother activi tieson the land.

Area covering upto four tax modules.

Residentson the farmor in nearbyurban or ruralsettlement.

BENEFICIARIESBENEFICIARIESBENEFICIARIESBENEFICIARIESBENEFICIARIES

53

Forest Pr onaf is part of the NationalProgram to Str engthen Family Far ming(Pronaf-Plant Brazil), a program from theMinistry of Agrarian Development, whichinvested R$ 4.1 billion in the 2001-2002Harvest Plan. Some 1.5 million loans weremade in the 2000-2001 period alone, whenR$ 4.13 billion were invested. Pr onaf haslines of credit for overhead and investment,but is not limited to cr edit. It also off erstraining for family far mers, as well assupport, thr ough agr eements, for theinfrastructure in municipalities where familyfarming is pr edominant.

”The program takes care, simultaneously,of environmental management, animalhealth, training and organization of thefarmer,” explains the Pr esident of the RuralTechnical Assistance and ExtensionCompany (Emater) of the state of Paraná,Rubens Er nesto Niederheitmann. In Paraná,Emater specialists work with this concernin 85% of the 108,524 contracts signed in

2002 and developed in partnership betweenthe agricultural worker and owner unions.

One of the pioneering states in theadoption of silviculture and agr ofor estrypractices outlined in For est Pr onaf, Paranáis commemorating the r esults of investmentin family far ming. From 1996 to 2000, thenumber of far mers in Paraná unable to repaytheir debts did not go over 0.3%, while thenational average was 1.78%.

In Rio Grande do Sul, work supportingdevelopment of family far ming was alsosuccessful. Out of the R$ 4.2 billion releasedby the Ministry of Agrarian Developmentlast year, the state carried out a little morethan 52% of the contracts, giving its far mers250,000 letters of acceptance. The Emater-RS President, Lino de David, expects toincrease investments this year. He makes ademand, however: “If they want to incr easecommunity or ganization and ensure thesuccess of environmental actions, they haveto place a priority on rural extension.”

POTENTIALPOTENTIALPOTENTIALPOTENTIALPOTENTIAL

Objective 11

clearly points

to the potential

for sustainable

development

of rural Brazil

as a powerf ul

instrument

to reduce

the nation’s

social debt.

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Goodsresults

Familyfarming:

moresupport

Defor estationand predatory

use cause er osion

54

Sugarcane, soybeans, oranges, coff ee,maize and the production of fowl, cattle andswine are the so-called giants of Brazilianagribusiness. And they are among the larg estconsumers of natural r esources in theecosystems of Southern and SoutheasternBrazil. Agricultural practices together withclimatic conditions are the main causes of soilerosion and degradation in the country, andthey are targeted by actions r ecommended byAgenda 21 under the objective of promotingsustainable development in rural Brazil.

The concern shown in Agenda 21 findsan echo in the large volume of resourcesthat are wasted due to envir onmentaldegradation. Pronaf estimates that 5.9 billiondollars (or 1.4% of the Gross DomesticProduct) are lost as a r esult of degradationof soils used for agriculture and fore stry.W orse, if this imbalance goes unchecked,the thr eat of desertification incr eases. Bybetting on training family farmers to developnon-pr edatory practices, Pr onaf hopes tochange that picture .

Family farms have 4.1 billion r eals toplant for the 2001-2002 harvest. These

resources will meet the needs of 1.3 millionfarm families. The Harvest Plan deter minesthey should be invested in or ganicproduction and in the professional trainingof the youth of the rural area. The far merscan also develop vegetable, fruit and dairyfarming. W omen far mers r eceive 30% of theresources for rural cre dit.

W ith that support, farm women managedto make around 450 r eals a month by sellingeggs, fr ee-range chickens, cheese, br ead,sweets, garden gr eens, fruits and vegetables.That is the case in Fátima do Sul. Located237 km from Campo Grande, Mato Grossodo Sul, the municipality became a nationalreference when its model for diversificationof activities improved the income of 650farm families. They incr eased their activitieswith dairy far ming, and planting maize,soybeans, rice, gr eens and cotton.

“The program can be a model for othermunicipalities,” says the Pronaf stateexecutive-secretary, Carlos Gonçalves.The pr oduction is sold at the Far mer’sMarket installed with 60,000 r eals thatPronaf invested in the site.

Threat of desertification

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INCOMEINCOMEINCOMEINCOMEINCOME

Fátima doSul becamea nationalreference whenits model fordiversificationof activitiesimpr oved theincome of 650farm families.They increasedtheir activitieswith dairyfarming, andplanting maize,soybeans,ri ce, greensand cotton.

55

At the same time as it creates For estryPronaf, Brazil is commemorating a total ofmore than four million hectar es, in the pasteight years, added to the total of 15.2million hectares of protected ar eas, whichthere were at the beginning of the 1990’s.The numbers don’t stop there. More than11.2 million hectares of protected areas willbe created by the end of this year, thusdoubling the hectares in pr otected areaswhich existed in 1990.

“It is a surprising leap forward. Ourpriority could be no other. The land generatesriches which repr esent human survival,”commemorates the pr esident of the BrazilianInstitute for the Environment and RenewableNatural Resources (Ibama), Rômulo BarretoMello. Pr eserving these areas, according toMello, means ensuring immense economicand social benefits for brazilians. It is not atrite conclusion. The Ibama President reminds

Surprising leap forward

With the motto Lear ning fromReality , the Rural Family House(CFR), which exists in 30 countrieson five continents, gives youngfarmers access to professionaltraining. Currently the 83 PronafFamily Houses involve 250,000people directly or indirectly. Bringingtogether from 60 to 80 youngsters(from 14 to over 25 years of age),each one involves 3,000 people. Withthe new units, 952,000 people shouldbenefit. Each youngster mobilizes hisfamily and ten neighboring families,involving 40 people.

Created in France in 1937 onthe initiative of a group of families,who adopted the method calledalternance pedagogy, this projecttrains future rural entrepreneurs.Integrated into Pronaf in 1998, theRural Family House offers

professional training and educationfor farmers’ children. Youths over14 years of age who havecompleted the fourth grade canreceive their primary schooldiploma together with professionaltraining, while others can receivetheir high school diploma.

The pioneer stage began in 1987,in the municipalities of Barracão andSanto Antônio do Sudoeste, in thestate of Paraná. In 1991 the programarrived in Santa Catarina, RioGrande do Sul and other states.Seventy-five children of smallfarmers in Ituporanga (SC) benefitedfrom the first of the five FamilyHouses built along SC-302 highway.Built in partnership with themunicipalities, the houses cost180,000 reals. Other houses will bebuilt in the west of the State (Seara),

the south (Armazém), the northernplateau (Major Vieira) and theextreme west (São José do Cedro).More than 250 associations arepreparing to create CFRs. TwoMarine Family Houses are alreadyoperational in São Francisco do Sul(the oldest) and Laguna, SantaCatarina. The state recentlyincreased its training program toinclude fishermen’s families.

National production of fishcurrently has stabilized at around700,000 tons, with some 500,000 tonsfrom the sea and 200,000 fromcontinental waters. The AmazonBasin provides 60% of the freshwaterfish. Fish sales have a turnover ofover a billion dollars a year. Inassociations or co-ops, the youngsterslearn commercialization of fish. Thesocial results show solidarity and aperceptible improvement in therelationships with families, friendsand the community.

FAMILY HOUSE TRAINS YOUTHFAMILY HOUSE TRAINS YOUTHFAMILY HOUSE TRAINS YOUTHFAMILY HOUSE TRAINS YOUTHFAMILY HOUSE TRAINS YOUTH

JU

AN

PR

AT

GIN

ES

TÓ

S


us that the damages caused to the countryover decades by the pr edatory use of naturalresources are as incalculable as the benefitsfrom preserving them.

Defor estationin the Amazon:more contro l

Research institutes, gover nments, producersand the community in Southern Brazil jointogether to find solutions to envir onmentaldegradation caused by pig wastes

Farmer V aldeci Vito, from Concórdia, in thestate of Santa Catarina, is a man worried aboutthe environmental pollution caused by swinewastes and believes that the farmers union cansolve the problem. The detail is that Vito raiseschickens and not pigs. But he believes thateveryone has to be concer ned. “The issue ismore urgent for pig farmers, and they are tryingto solve the problem of waste. But we all haveto worry, everyone has to work together onthe problem. Otherwise it will cost us all agreat deal,” he says.

Eight hundred kilometers away, inGuarapuava, central Paraná, the owner of a

farm with 1,200 sows had very seriousproblems with the pollution caused by theanimal wastes, beginning with the silting ofthe lake on his property. He sought helpand with very little was able to solve mostof his problems. “Our mate only needed alittle guidance. All he had to do was solve ahydraulic problem, fix the roof on his stiesand fix the manure piping to eliminate upto 80% of the waste produced by theanimals,” says Romeu Carlos Royer, a pigraiser in Mar echal Cândido Rondon, inW estern Paraná, and Pr esident of the PigFarming Association of Paraná (APS).

Alternativesto pig farming

Swine herd inthe South is

the largestin the country

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Although they live in diff erent regions andraise diff erent animals, V aldeci V ito, RomeuRoyer and the far mer from Guarapuava havesomething in common. They all take part incourses, lectures and debates aimed at makingpig raisers aware of a problem that is becomingfrighteningly large in the country:environmental degradation caused by swinemanure. W ith a herd of 36 million animalsdistributed in ar ound two million farms,Brazilian pig far ming is one of the tar gets ofthe National Environment Program (PNMA II)at the Ministry of Environment.

Financed by the W orld Bank, the pr ogramproposes implementing a new model ofenvir onmental management for Brazilian farmsthat raise pigs. The essence of the model iscontrolling environmental degradation causedby pig far ming. Implementation of the pr ojectbegan in April of this year on farms in thestates of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grandedo Sul. A series of meetings for far mers, visitsby specialists, courses and debates were heldin the r egion before implementation.

So far, even before there is any structuralintervention in the farms, it is obvious thatthe issue is one of the farmers’ daily concern s.This, undoubtedly, helps implementation of

the project, which calls for a case by casestudy of technologies used to controlenvironmental degradation and thetechnologies each far mer can af ford.

Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarinatogether have 47% of the swine herds in thecountry. The absolute majority (80%) of pigfarmers in the South are small farmers who workwithin a family economy. “The technology exists.What we are looking for are al ternatives thefarmer can af ford. The idea is to support smalland medium-sized far mers who do not have thefunds to find a solution on their own,” says MaricyMarino, coordinator of the Management ofEnvironmental Assets Module under PNMA II.

According to Maricy Marino, each Brazilianstate chose a priority to act within PNMA II. Inthe South, the three states decided to work onpig far ming using the same general lines ofcontrol and r eduction of the pollution causedby wastes and carrying out the project accordingto the specific situation in each r egion.

Coordinated by the State EnvironmentalSecr etariats, with a gr oup of sponsors thatincludes envir onmental and r esearchinstitutes, universities, state rural extensionagencies, the Brazilian Agricultural ResearchEnterprise (Embrapa), city halls, farmer

57

Attention to small farmers

those with great power to r edistributeincome and to bring the ecosystems ofeach r egion into equilibrium. Thus,projects like pig raising in SouthernBrazil, and others ofthe type that benefitsmall farmers, will r eceive support sothat they can become successful.

The document also warns that one ofthe biggest challenges posed by Agenda21 is the conception and implementationof public policies capable of ensuringcompetitiveness for micro, small, andmedium-sized Brazilian companies. Animportant step has already been taken withsimplification of the tax system and taxreduction in the system known as Simples.

The Brazilian Agenda 21 hasa special r ecommendationto the development banks.It is essential, according to

the documents that financialagents like the Brazilian Economic and

Social Development Bank (BNDES),Banco da Amazônia (Basa), Banco doNordeste (BNB), Caixa Econômica Federaland Banco do Brasil (BB) systematicallyadopt the objectives of Agenda 21 andobserve its social and environmentaldimensions when defining criteria forloans and incentives. The idea is toprovide access to loans and incentives toprojects that best meet social policies:

CONTROLCONTROLCONTROLCONTROLCONTROL

The essence

of the model

is controlling

envir onmental

degradation

caused by

pig farming.

Implementation

of the project

began in April

of this year

on farms in

the states of

Paraná, Santa

Catarina and

Rio Grande

do Sul.



unions and far mer associations, the pr ojectis carried out in river basins pr eviouslyselected by each state. The objective, Maricyexplains, is to seek solutions according to thesituation on each farm. Once tested andvalidated, these solutions can be applied toother pig breeding farms around the country.

During its first year of execution, PNMAII is allocating a million and a half dollars to

each of the three states in the pr oject tocontrol environmental pollution caused by pigfarming. If the r esults are appr oved at theend of the year, another seven million canbe allocated to Paraná, four million to SantaCatarina and four million to Rio Grande doSul. Between 100 and 200 farms in each stateare now involved, and the goal is to r each1,000-2,000 farms in each state.

W ith a total of 4.6 million swine, Paranábegan implementing the project to controlenvironmental pollution caused by pigfarming in May of this year. One thousandeight hundred farms in the W est andSouthwest of the state, where 70% of all theswine in the state are located, were analyzedand mapped. There are 12 municipalities inthose r egions. There are a total of 180,000farms in the state, the gr eat majority (80%)of which are small far ms, with 36,000dedicated to swine breeding. Nevertheless

the gr eat majority of the farms keep swinefor their own consumption.

Sandra Maria Per eira de Queir oz, PNMAII Coordinator in the state, explains that theselection was made according to the amountof pollution and the location of the pig sties,many of which are in ar eas of per manentpreservation. All the r egistered farms havetheir pig sties at a point where water flowsinto the Toledo, São Francisco, Marr ecas, PatoBranco, V itorino and Longra River Basins.“Often Sanepar (the Paraná Sanitation

Not even the curr ent crisis in pig far ming(the far mer is r eceiving 34 cents of a dollar foreach kilo of live pig, when 64 cents is consideredsatisfactory) is r educing the rush some far mersfeel. “We have to begin now, start changes now,to gain cr edibility, show that it works,” saysRomeu Carlos Royer, President of the ParanáPig Far ming Association.

“If we talk about costs now, the far mer runsaway, because the activity is loosing moneynow, but the pr ogram is ef ficient and pr omisesto invest r easonable r esources,” he states. Theproblem, he says, is that if the pollution causedby the wastes is not r esolved, the activity itselfwill be compromised. In the Basin of Lajeadodos Fragosos, in the municipality of Concórdia(SC), Artanir Vargas says the farmers are waiting.“There is still a lot to discuss, to see what willbe implemented in r eality, which system is bestfor each farm, how it will all work out, but thefact is that we have no alternative. If we don’t

do it, don’t control pollution, what will happen?Our lives depend on our far ms,” he explains.

Artanir has added up the costs and seemsinter ested in adopting bio-gas – a systemwhich pr oduces gas from manurefermentation. “Here we can pr oduce 10 m3per day. That’s a gas cylinder a day,” he says.Since he keeps 600 head of swine, he needsto find a solution for the 1,200 tons of manurethe animals pr oduce each year.

“Bio-gas won’t completely solve theproblem of what to do with the pig waste, butit’s a help, it’s savings.” The solution that hewill adopt on his property still needs to be“well thought over”, but he has no doubt thatsomething has to be done. “It is sad to seeeverything being lost, there is no other solution.The problem is that it is hard to take out aloan. In this case the producer’s investment(30%) can be paid in labor or land, whichmakes things easier. ”

In a hurry

PROJECTPROJECTPROJECTPROJECTPROJECT

Paraná beganimplementingthe projectto contro lenvir onmentalpollutioncaused by pigfarming in Mayof this year.One thousandeight hundredfarms wereanalyzed andmapped.

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PIGPIGPIGPIGPIGFARMINGFARMINGFARMINGFARMINGFARMING

Xavantina,swine capital


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NO WASTAGENO WASTAGENO WASTAGENO WASTAGENO WASTAGE

The Rio Grande do Sul EnvironmentSecr etariat is implementing the pr oject tocontrol pollution caused by pig far ming inthe basin of the Turvo, Santa Rosa and CantoCristo Rivers. The state has a total of 3.9million heads of swine. According to theDepartment of W ater Resources in theEnvir onment Secr etariat, 4,000 farms havegone through the diagnosis and there will besome sort of intervention in 1,135 of them.

Among the factors that led the state toopt for swine far ming in PNMA II is theproduction of no less than 37.8 million litersof swine wastes a day in the state, according

to infor mation found on the stategover nment’s of ficial web site.Among the goals are to end thegreat wastage of water used incleaning and feeding theanimals and in r ecoveringdegraded are as.

The Rio Grande do SulEnvir onment Secr etariat believes inadequatemanagement or absence of a wastetreatment system, high concentration andinadequate placement of buildings andincorr ect disposal of manure in the soilmake pig farming a big source ofcontamination and pollution, especially ofthe soil and water.

Company) has to suspend water supply insome r egion due to the high level of waterpollution,” she says.

The agr eement with the Ministry ofEnvir onment was signed last December. Thefirst five months of the year were dedicatedto mapping the properties, studying theneeds case by case and monitoring the waterin the rivers of the two r egions. “Noweverything is r eady and equipped and weare debating each point with the farmers,trying to define what will be done with eachone,” says Sandra Queiroz.

W ith the lar gest herd of swine in thecountry - almost five million head - SantaCatarina is implementing the project in thebasins of the Lajeado dos Fragosos River inConcórdia and the Coruja/Bonito River inthe Braço do Norte municipality. Datafrom Embrapa, published on the sitewww.suino.com.br, show that Braço doNorte has the second highest concentrationof pigs per square kilometer in the world,coming in only behind Br etagne, in France.

Most of the state’s herd is in the We st,which has one of the highest rates of animalsper square kilometer. Xavantina County,according to Embrapa, has 5,000 inhabitants,who raise 130,000 pigs, giving it the title ofhighest number of pigs per capita.

“On the first foray, we trained 60 far mersin Concórdia and 30 in Braço do Norte”, saysCícero Juliano Monticelli, a r esearcher atEmbrapa Swine and Fowl, which executes theproject in that state. No less than 65 specialistsfrom partner and supporting entities are alsoreceiving training, ensuring thateach far mer gets the maximumassistance.

Monticelli explains that thefirst step in implementationis mobilizing both far mersand their communities. Theprogramming of courses andlectures is intense and everyoneis following the project step bystep. The first step, making aninventory of the situation in eachfarm, made it possible todevelop a precious data bank.

Furthermore, the pr ojecttries to involve the lar gestpossible number of companies, cooperatives,agro-industries and institutions representativeof the activity and the community. In thestate, the project is coordinated by the StateSecr etariat of Urban Development and theEnvironment, and, as in the other two statesin the project, dozens of institutions areinvolved as partners or sponsors.

Brazil’s lar gestswine herd is inSanta Catarina

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following addresses:www.cnpsa.embrapa.brwww.porkworld.com.br

www.suino.com.brwww.embrapa.br

www.mma.gov.br

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Able hands weave the straw, the silk, thestem, transfor ming the buriti palm and thelives of 5,000 r esidents of Urucuia, in thesemi-arid r egion of Minas Gerais, a placewhere there was just a charcoal kiln andsubsistence far ming. In 1998, looking atthe local culture itself for options formaking a living in regions hit by drought,consultants from the ComunidadeSolidária Council found in nature andin century-old handicrafts a proposal fordevelopment adapted to the climaticconditions of the region.

Urucuia is also the name of a river- a tributary of the São Francisco. Itsbanks are covered with buriti palms(Mauritia vinifera), the raw materialfor local artisans. Today or ganized in

the Urucuia Association of Artisans, they producefruit deserts, packaging, baskets, hammocks andeven furn i ture. As they find a new source ofincome, they strengthen their self-esteem,salvage cultural memory and encourages theyouth in the community to perceive the workof their elders as art.

Young people are called to participatethrough the school, where master artisanspresent their work with explanations on thetechniques used to execute them. Then thestudents work on the theme producing poems,stories and sketches, and studying the scientificaspects of the raw material. They all learn torespect the work and the correct way of

preserving the raw material used in itsproduction, with techniques for r eplanting andrespecting life cycles for extraction.

Out of that experience arose the SolidarityHandicrafts Program, which makes this type ofwork possible in 60 Brazilian municipalities,without public funding, in partnership with theBrazilian Service to Support Small Business(Sebrae), the National Folklore and PopularCulture Center, the Caixa Econômica Federal,NGOs and city halls. Consultants from thoseagencies work a year and a half in thecommunity, enough time for the artisans to getorganized and start seeing the changes.

The consultants hold workshops to improvequality, cr eativity and new techniques whilealso working on actions to bolster citizenship.They also provide guidance on health andliteracy and promote cooperativism. At theother end, the Solidarity Handicrafts Programlooks for markets to sell their products.

Beginning in September, all the co-ops inthe program will have a place to sell in SãoPaulo at the ArteSol Center. Besides resellingto shops and other points of commercialization,the center will be a new space to guaranteesustainability of the groups. The first 26municipalities from the North and Northeast toenter the pr ogram already have a catalogue ofproducts with descriptions of the materials,techniques, infor mation about the community,addr ess and telephone, so that inter ested partiescan buy dire ctly from the association.

With the support of Comunidade Solidária, communitiesexcluded from development find sour ces of income usingthe raw materials that nature provides them, learn toappr eciate their work, str engthen their self-esteem andsalvage century-old Brazilian traditions

Everythingfrom the

buriti palmcan be used:art and food

60 ENVIRONMENTSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT& o

Art gains valueand becomes income

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W ovenbaskets

and toys:unlimitedcreativity

Artisans in Abaetetuba, Pará, use the miritior buriti-do-bre jo (Mauritia flexuosa) palm tre e,from the same family as the one used in MinasGerais, to make toys which they sell at the Círiode Nazaré religious festival in October. Foundedin the early 17 th Century, Abaetetuba has120,000 inhabitants and is located 60 kilometersfrom the state capital. The toys are alsoproduced in Bahía do Gujará, where the “toymen”, as they are known, spend hours on aboat to arrive in the str eets of Belém, wherethey twirl their wheels full of miniature s.

Some 70 families with 300 artisans, mostlymen, make the toys. The or ganization of the

work involves the whole family, eitherhelping to paint or putting the finaltouches on a piece. It is also withinthe family nucleus that the traditionand the skill are perpetuated,following the characteristics oftraditional handicrafts.

When Sebrae came to help theartisans in 2000, they made itpossible to develop new designsfor decorative objects, openinga new market. T oday the workis also being sold in the majorcities of Southeast Brazil.

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In the state of Paraíba, the doll Esperança(Hope), which is the name of the municipalitywhere it was cr eated, gave rise to a big familyof dolls, transfor ming the life of the smallcommunity of Riacho Fundo, which has 250inhabitants. Made of cloth, rags, thread, ribbons,lace and a lot of decorations, it is sewn together,stitch by stitch, one part at a time. One of thefirst projects that r einforced the conviction that

Point to point

The pieces woven by the lacemaking and embroidering women ofNisia Floresta, a town 43 kilometersfrom Natal, capital of Rio Grande doNorte, guard the tradition of makinglace with bobbins that was broughtfrom the Azores and Madeira Islands,which colonized the region.However, during the 1980s thetraditional lace and embroideredlinen in the trousseaus gave way toindustrialized products and the levelof activity fell sharply.

Although the region has greattourist potential, few people have jobsin this activity. Most live fromsubsistence fishing and agriculture,home made products and handicrafts.

Revitalized when SolidarityHandicrafts arrived, the work is nowpracticed again as a profitable activity,attracting young women to the art ofmaking lace with bobbins and to theart of embroidering.

The apprentices - daughters,nieces, grandchildren and godchildren- develop their abilities following thesame stages of lace making: the clothmade of linen or rustic cotton isunraveled and stretched out on a grid.Then it is filled by embroidering themodel selected. The final stage iswashing, ironing and taking off the gridbefore the borders are cut. Formerly,production was only made on order bywomen who acted as intermediaries.Today the artisans organize productionto find new places to sell.

TRADITION SAVEDTRADITION SAVEDTRADITION SAVEDTRADITION SAVEDTRADITION SAVED Handicrafts, especially “boanoite” embroidery, are one of themain economic activities in thecommunity of Ilha do Ferro, located18 kilometers from the city of Pão deAçúcar in Alagoas. This unique workin Brazil was revitalized andperfected, incorporating influences ofmodern life.

Today the Art-ilha Cooperativecongregates the embroiderers. Besidesshowing one of the most beautifultechniques of embroidery, the co-opunites and gives value to the wholecommunity, as an alternative forincome that contributes to improvethe living standards of the artisans andtheir families, with work they like todo. “Boa noite” is the name of aflower in the region.

Rag dolls fro mEsperança: a

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it was possible to promote citizenship and opennew paths for communities to find their placein the productive process is the production ofdolls, they were originally the work of just twoartisans – Socorro and Derita. T oday, it hasbecome the source of income for 40 womenin the small town, who work at the House ofHope and sell their families of dolls all overBrazil and abroad.

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sunrise to sunset. They sell it all at a store bui l tbeside the T ransamazonian Highway (BR-230).They produce 500 pieces a month.

In Jequitinhonha Valley, the women ofCampo Alegre and Coqueiro Campo, in thecounty of Tur malina, Minas Gerais, have theirday full of fire and clay. In domestic kilns, theyfire their vases, pots, water jars, decorative piecesand dolls. Some 100 women from the two townswork with clay, using their cr eativity when theymake figures of brides and gr ooms, nursingwomen, women, twins, and figures that are halfox-half frog, half man-half dog. What is surprisingis the technique for using colors, which are al lobtained by the texture and varied tones of theclay itself and by the way it is fired.

W omen fro mJequitinhonha andtheir cr eatures (inthe same position):clay artists

The “Community of Pots”is f ormed by 35 familiesthat make a living fromsmall farms and fro martisan production of a

type of utilitarian ceramic inthe county of São João da V arjota, in the

semi-arid region of Piauí. Descendants of slavesfrom the old sugar mills, the artisans usehands, feet, corn cobs, knives, hoes and piecesof gourds as work instruments.

The matriarchal figure and master artisan isAntonia Maria de Souza, 75, who has been makingpots since she was seven years old. In her family,eight children and 11 grandchildren continue theskill, making pots, pans, pitchers and the like from

Earth, fire, hands and feet

Poverty and inequalityBrazil has managed to improve its social

indicators as a result of business participationand the growth of voluntary work aroundthe country. According to the BrazilianInstitute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE),the 2000 Census reveals substantialimprovements in the social area during theperiod from 1992 to 1999. Infant mortalityrates, for example, fell from 44 to 29 deathsper 1,000 births. The average years of studyamong the population from 15 to 55 yearsof age increased by 16%, from 5.7 in 1992to 6.6 in 1999.

During the same period, the illiteracy ratefor those over 15 years of age fell from 23% to13.3%. And the number of homes with basicsanitation rose from 50.3% to 59.4%. Accordingto IBGE, social inequality is harder to combatthan poverty, and those rates remainpractically unaltered. During that period, the

number of families living with up to oneminimum wage per capita fell, but

the proportion of blackfamilies in that situation

(26.2%) continued higherthan that of white families

(12.7%). Agenda 21 should,influence the formulation of

public policies capable of reducingthese inequalities.

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Some 700 Brazilian small towns arediscovering the for mula to win over newbusinesses that generate jobs and incomeamong their own r esidents and within their owngeographic ar ea. This pr oposal for combatingpoverty by cr eating alter natives suggested bythe community itself is the basis of the ActiveCommunity Program, linked to the ExecutiveSecr etariat of the Comunidade Solidária. Thenovelty is in the involvement of the communityand the discovery of its talents, which meansthe pr ogram is alr eady working according to

the Brazilian Agenda 21perspectives, with thepopulation influencing theprocess of planning sustainabledevelopment.

The program works like this:the inter ested town joins theprogram and soon r eceives thevisit of a development agent -a consultant from ComunidadeAtiva- who will discuss theways to promote developmentin that place with communityleaders, councilmen, peoplefrom city hall and whoeverelse wants to participate. Thatis how the Forum for Local,Integrated and Sustainable

Development (DLIS) is cr eated.Those meetings give rise to an agenda of

priorities, later pr esented at the local, stateand national levels of gover nment. Thatassure s residents that the work and pr ojectsselected for the place where they live willbe the ones they themselves chose. Some ofthe ideas pr esented at the DLIS Forum canbe put into practice immediately and leadersare encouraged to execute them.

That was how a group of 80 women fromthe town of Campo Redondo, 144kilometers from Natal (RN), organized theAssociation of Mothers of Campo Redondoand began managing a textile factory. Thefactory produces cloth wrappers for a candyfactory in Natal that exports its products tothe US and Canada.

The equipment - 22 sewing machines andtwo industrial irons - was bought withresources from the program to Support SmallProducers and Senai trained the seamstr esses.

This small business changed theperspectives of families who lived fearingtheir children would leave in search of abetter life. “I want my kids her e,” dr eamsCicera Aderita da Silva, 53, who saw five ofher children leave to find jobs in Rio deJaneiro. She hopes to see other newbusinesses and jobs appear in her hometown.

Acquiring new business

In Campo Redondo, cleaning the weirgave residents a way to cr eate a smallhandicraft business that helps support 30families. The mud taken from the bottom ofthe weir called the attention of a group ofresidents, who transfor med it into clay.Trained by Sebrae technicians, they learnedto produce vases, pans, ashtrays and otherobjects. The sale of those objects brings alittle extra money home to the families. “Theproblem became the solution,” says the localmanager of the DLIS Forum, Maria daConceição Araújo Mor eno, 21.

In the small town, the Association of Mothers

also have a school for teaching computing, with60 students and an Artisan’s House which helpssell the pieces produced by the 300 localartisans. The computers were donated by localcompanies and the National Service for IndustrialLear ning (Senai) trained three people to act asinstructors in the school.

“We really want to see this gr ow,” saysMaria da Conceição. Part of the plan fordevelopment of the city is improving the watersupply, rural electrification, cr eation ofagroindustries, small factories and capacitybuilding of labor, as well as technicalassistance in raising animals and planting.

The bottom of the weirCreation of vases

and utensils inCampo Redondo

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High season at Araguacema beach in thestate of Tocantins, on the banks of the AraguaiaRiver, is in July, when the level of the riverlowers and r eveals islands of sand. Thatspectacle attracts some 30,000 tourists to thesmall city of just 6,000 inhabitants. But the townhall had budget problems, because it wasgetting no r eturn on the infrastructureinvestments during the high season.Looking for a solution to his problem, MayorJoão Paulo Ribeiro Filho went to the DLISForum, which decided to pr omote raff les, t oobtain business support and to chargesomething from the traders that put up tentson the sand islands near Araguacema, and fromthe boatmen who charge to take tourists ontours between the city and the islands.

The r esidents make their living from theAraguaia River, and after their discussions atthe Forum, they discovered the importance ofpreserving it. The boatmen were trained toserve tourists and fisher men better and taughtnot to help those who want to practicepredatory fishing. They asked for installationof an Ibama inspection post.

Little by little, the community is lear ningwhat it can do to impr ove the place wherethey live. And it is deciding together with the

Mayor where the r esourceswill be applied, what thepriorities are and who arethose who need more. “Foreach mistake of the Forum,there are nine correctmoves,” declares Mayor JoãoPaulo Ribeiro Filho.

Araguaia River:boatmen aretrained. Below,patchwork quiltfrom Cajueiro

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Trainingfor tourism

65ENVIRONMENTSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT& o

In Alagoas, there are also forums at work.The quilts produced by women in Cajueiro,Alagoas, are sold in stores in Northeasterncapitals, in Brasília, in Rio de Janeiro and inSão Paulo. They make 100 quilts a month, whichbring at least 100 r eals for each of the 100seamstr esses who are members of the MunicipalHandicrafts Association.

This initiative r eceived incentive from theDLIS Forum, which encouraged the artisans toinvest in what they know how to do - bedquilts and quilted pillows. The work becamegood business once they began to view it aslucrative production and began to ask for scrapsof cloth from companies, betting on quality.

Forumencouragesartisans

Residents in search of a better life

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reinforced self esteem and promotionof citizenship to combat poverty andsocial exclusion.

Solidarity University involves 180institutions of higher learning and13,100 students in 910 cities. By theend of 2002, it is foreseen that 17,210students and 1,415 professors will bemobilized. It also develops activitiesin Mozambique.

The Solidarity Literacy programis present in 2,010 municipalities in21 states and in the metropolitanareas of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiroand the Federal District, costing thegovernment 34 reals per student.

Defending social inclusion markedthe work developed by the ComunidadeSolidária Council, created in 1995,beginning a heretofore unknownprocess of mobilization in Brazil, andone which integrates all types ofresources - human and financial - fromthe state, private sector and thecommunity. And all not for profit.

Council President Ruth Cardosoexplained that the programs coordinatedby Comunidade Solidária - SolidarityHandicrafts, Solidarity Literacy, SolidarityUniversity, Solidarity Training - all havethe same characteristics of partnership,decentralized decision making,

From the shack(L) to the house

made with woodseized by Ibama

Since the beginning of the program,114,000 literacy teachers were trainedby 204 universities.

Solidarity Training was created in1996 and has prepared 115,000youngsters for the work market. At thebeginning of 2001, the programbecame part of Alvorada Portal, whichis part of the Alvorada Project that wascreated by the Secretariat for SocialPromotion of the Presidency of theRepublic. Through that partnership,the program administered 87 coursesfor 3,324 participants, mostly youngpeople, from 225 municipalities in theNorth and Northeast, where theHuman Development Indices arelowest in Brazil.

In Rondônia, Palmerinda Souza, 45, from thecity of Pimenta Bueno, was privileged to receivethe first house built in a community effort withwood seized by Ibama. With 50 square meters- living room, kitchen, bathroom and twobedrooms - the house is just the beginning of aprocess to improve the life of Mrs. Souza.

The partnership between Ibama andComunidade Ativa will provide 70 more housesfor people indicated by the DLIS Forum. “Thepriority is for single mothers and old peoplewho take care of their grandchildren,” explainsMaria do Reis, a Forum member. Another four

municipalities inthe ComunidadeAtiva p rog r amparticipate in the“o w n h o m e ”project - whichdoes not imply in

donating the land, but rather replacing the landused previously. The work helps mobilizecommunity residents, who are assisted inbuilding their own houses. The system adoptedby Comunidade Ativa attracted state governorsand in less than three years has found partnersfrom North to South.

In Acre it is working in 22 municipalitiesand resulted in the creation of association ofcarpenters and extractivists. The Governmentof Bahia incorporated the semi-arid region intothe program and will benefit 11,500 people. InSanta Catarina, the state government completedthe work, expanding the program to another154 municipalities.

The Executive Secretariat of the ComunidadeSolidária created partnerships with the WorldBank to expand program actions. One of theresults was creation of the World Bank

Citizenship Prize. It also gotsupport from the Institute forSocial Studies and EducationalDevelopment to distance trainlay teachers in Paraná, Rio deJaneiro, Santa Catarina, SãoPaulo, Bahia, Espirito Santoand Rio Grande do Sul.

MOBILIZATION GROWSMOBILIZATION GROWSMOBILIZATION GROWSMOBILIZATION GROWSMOBILIZATION GROWS

ANTÔNIO A. NEVES


Documents

revista4 - mma.gov.br · PDF filenando Henrique Cardosopromised to incorporate Agenda 21 nmental policy. The document should be a basis for nmental planning at the federal, state and