Agroforestry immersion with Cerrado das Águas producers

Producers from the Cerrado das Águas region participate in agroforestry systems training in Uberlândia.

A technical mission carried out by the Cerrado das Águas Consortium with the support of the Cargill Foundation reinforces the integration between production, environmental conservation and climate resilience in the territory.

By Cerrado das Águas

Patrocínio-MG, March 3, 2026. On February 27, the Cerrado das Águas Consortium (CCA), in partnership with the Cargill Foundation, promoted a technical immersion in Agroforestry Systems (SAFs) at the headquarters of Cultiva Agroecologia, in Uberlândia (MG). The initiative brought together rural producers from the Conscious Producer Investment Program (PIPC), as well as associates, partners, and guest producers seeking knowledge about the practice that unites production and nature in a harmonious environment.

Running from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the meeting aimed to strengthen the technical training of producers in productive strategies that integrate environmental conservation, climate resilience, and income generation. The activities were conducted by the Cultiva Agroecologia team, who shared practical experiences on the implementation, management, and economic viability of Agroforestry Systems adapted to the reality of the Cerrado Mineiro.

“We visited the Videiras eco-site to learn about the agroforestry system. This initiative was made possible by the Cargill Foundation as part of a larger project for the agroecological transition of producers in Patrocínio and Coromandel. During the visit, we learned a lot about these strategies and how an agroforestry system is managed, so that we can pass this knowledge on to our producers and they can also drink from this source, practicing these initiatives in our region. The immersion was a great learning experience. We pruned and distributed banana trees along the coffee trees, and all this knowledge is being accumulated to be applied in our territory," explains Fabiane Sebaio, executive secretary of the Cerrado das Águas Consortium.

Throughout the day, participants were able to experience fieldwork, understand the logic of ecological succession applied to agricultural production, and discuss how SAFs can contribute to soil protection, improved water infiltration, increased biodiversity, and productive diversification on rural properties.

Initiatives such as this demonstrate that the transition to more sustainable production systems requires applied knowledge, the exchange of experiences, and collective engagement, strengthening producers and the entities that support them, such as Expocacer, a coffee growers' cooperative associated with the CCA.

"With the cooperative bringing this new content on regenerative practices, learning about SAF was fundamental, as it enables us to pass on knowledge to producers and, as they adopt these practices, we are able to achieve more sustainable, more regenerative management on a larger scale, encompassing the entire chain, from the market side, and above all reflecting on commercial issues, due to new requirements,"

José Henrique, Sustainability Technical Agent at Expocaccer. 

Cerrado das Águas remains committed to expanding training opportunities and promoting practices that contribute to water and climate security in the region by connecting partners who share the goal of connecting productive landscapes for water and climate resilience. 

"For us, opening the doors to farmers interested in this new proposal means that we are fulfilling our role. It is a source of joy to see that awareness is growing for this type of work, for this type of perspective. At the same time, it reinforces the idea that agriculture needs to be practiced, rather than just being put into a formula. It needs to be a direct relationship between the producer and their processes, within each reality,"

Says Henrique Lomônaco, representative of Cultiva Agroecologia.

About Cerrado das Águas

The Cerrado das Águas Consortium is a collaborative platform that includes various sectors, such as companies, government, and civil society. The CCA is an initiative of the coffee production chain that seeks to build water resilience in the Cerrado Mineiro region through strategies that promote better land use, ensuring the continuity of coffee production in the region and mitigating the impact of climate change.

Through the Conscious Producer Investment Program (PIPC), the CCA team guides, supports, and encourages producers to implement strategies for the provision of ecosystem services, with a focus on improving the supply of water resources to all producers whose properties are adjacent to a given basin, making the region resilient to climate change. As a result, the CCA has 202 hectares of conserved native vegetation, 4,000 hectares of agricultural land in transition to regenerative agriculture, and 150,000 people benefiting from its work.  

The initiative's associate members include the following companies: Nescafé, Expocaccer, Nespresso, Lavazza, Cooxupé, Cofco International, Volcafe, NKG Stockler, Daterra, Cerrado Coffee Growers Federation, CerVivo, Starbucks Farmer Support Center, JDE Peet's, EISA, X-Farm, and Fondazione Ernesto Illy. In addition, the platform has key partners such as the Serra do Salitre Municipal Government and the Coromandel Municipal Government.