4th Meeting of the Cerrado Mineiro Women’s Network strengthens collective action for water

Event closes the 2025 agenda with a focus on sustainable entrepreneurship and women’s leadership in territorial care

Meeting reinforces female leadership as a component of the transformation of the Cerrado Mineiro landscape.

By Cerrado das Águas Consortium  

On December 11, the Cerrado das Águas Consortium (CCA) held the 4th Meeting of the Network of Women Builders of Regenerative Landscapes in the Cerrado Mineiro - Rural Entrepreneurship: women building sustainable businesses at the Casa da Cultura in Serra do Salitre-MG. The last meeting of 2025 is part of integrated actions coordinated by the CCA that strengthen women's participation in the territory and reaffirm the role of women as agents of innovation, care, and environmental transformation, marking the end of this year's program. 

The meeting brought together rural women producers, leaders, and institutional partners in a space for listening, exchange, and collective learning. Throughout the program, participants discussed the region's hydrographic reality, shared practical experiences, and reflected on how to transform knowledge into concrete action to protect watersheds, strengthen production, and ensure the sustainability of life in the countryside. 

The fourth meeting of the Women's Network is the conclusion of a series of meetings that took place in 2025. We closed this meeting with the theme of sustainable entrepreneurship, which precisely addresses how we can continue in this territory where we are, in the Cerrado Mineiro, in a sustainable way, which will enable us to produce and also preserve the natural environment that we so desperately need," says Letícia Silva, project analyst at the Cerrado das Águas Consortium. 

With the theme of Sustainable Entrepreneurship, the meeting brought reflections and lessons on how to remain, produce, and undertake business in the Cerrado Mineiro in a responsible manner, reconciling economic development with the preservation of the natural environment. The proposal reinforced that caring for water, soil, and biodiversity is essential to ensure the continuity of production and the quality of life for future generations. The keynote speech was given by Lorena Mangabeira, a mentor in balance, well-being, and a culture of trust in agriculture, who pointed out ways to strengthen women's leadership for the sustainability of rural businesses. 

“Today, for me, participating in this moment here with the CCA is so relevant, so important to me, because of everything I believe in and because of this legacy for future generations,” says Lorena. 

The meeting also included practical and strategic training in rural entrepreneurship for women. The initiative was highlighted as a well-planned process with the potential to generate concrete results in the region, promoting greater production efficiency, better use of natural resources, and positive impacts for the entire community. 

“Cerrado das Águas brings us meetings, events, and actively participates with us in a synergy to care for the Cerrado biome. We are learning about rural entrepreneurship in a training program for women, which is very well planned and, I am sure, will bear fruit. I would like to extend a sincere invitation to all producers, to everyone who has a piece of land in the Cerrado Mineiro, to join the Cerrado das Águas consortium," says Izabel Carvalho, a producer from Coromandel. 

Partnership for resilient production 

The Cerrado das Águas Consortium has been recognized as a fundamental partnership for building regenerative landscapes and strengthening more resilient agriculture. 

Although it marked the end of the 2025 meeting agenda, the moment was reaffirmed as a starting point. The Women's Network continues as a living space for learning, connection, and female leadership in the field, with prospects for continuity and expansion of actions in the coming years. 

“I think we will have to continue, keep going with this, because it is very good work, it will be useful for everyone, because here there will be more water, more use of everything,” says Alda Cardoso, a producer from Serra do Salitre. 

At the end, the Cerrado das Águas Consortium thanked all the women for their trust and participation throughout 2025 and reinforced the invitation for producers in the Cerrado Mineiro to be part of this collective initiative, committed to a legacy of sustainability, water, and future for the territory. 

“And we at Cerrado das Águas would like to thank all the women who trusted in our work in 2025. This is not the end, but only the beginning of our journey toward sustainable entrepreneurship in the Cerrado Mineiro,” said Letícia.

The initiative is supported by CEPF – Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund and IEB – International Education Institute of Brazil. CEPF is an international initiative that brings together the French Development Agency, Conservation International, the European Union, the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Canada, the Government of Japan, and the World Bank, with the aim of strengthening civil society participation in biodiversity conservation. The IEB acts as CEPF's regional implementation team, promoting training, institutional strengthening, and knowledge dissemination in favor of a more just and sustainable society.