Biodiversity and Coffee Workshop marks Cerrado Day in the Cerrado Mineiro

CCA event brings together producers and partners to discuss ecological restoration and sustainable coffee production.

Biodiversity and Coffee Workshop: This initiative takes place on Cerrado Day and aims to strengthen the restoration production chain through training, supplies, and incentives for job creation in rural areas. It is supported by the Floresta Viva Grant Program.

Patrocínio (MG). The Cerrado das Águas Consortium (CCA) is advancing to another stage of the project “Ecological Restoration and Coffee: building biodiverse and productive landscapes,” which foresees the restoration of 202.32 hectares in strategic areas of the Minas Gerais Cerrado.

The initiative involves three fundamental hydrographic basins for agriculture and for supplying municipalities in the region: the Santo Inácio River (Coromandel), the Ribeirão Grande (Serra do Salitre), and the Córrego Feio (Patrocínio).

As part of the actions, the CCA will hold the Biodiversity and Coffee Workshop: Strategies for Sustainable Production on September 11th, the day celebrating National Cerrado Day, at the Coffee Excellence Center in Patrocínio/MG. The event will bring together producers, public institutions, and project partners to discuss solutions for ecological restoration, water management, and the integration between production and conservation.

Objectives for Strengthening the Production Chain

The project “Ecological Restoration and Coffee: Building Biodiverse and Productive Landscapes” is funded by Petrobras and BNDES through the Floresta Viva (FUNBIO) grant program. The initiative promotes the restoration of Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) and Legal Reserves (RLs), also strengthening the restoration production chain with training, supplies, and incentives for job creation in rural areas.

The project's main goal is the restoration of 202 hectares, and the main planned activities include the implementation of ecological restoration practices, training for rural producers, monitoring of environmental indicators, promotion of seed collection and production of native seedlings, and the implementation of organic composting structures, aiming to reduce costs and strengthen the restoration production chain. In an integrated way, the initiative intends to reconcile the maintenance of ecosystem services, the improvement of climate resilience, and the generation of rural income, with attention to gender equity and the socioeconomic inclusion of the families involved.

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Program Schedule

The workshop will begin at 8:00 AM with a welcome reception and breakfast provided by Lidi Cafés Especiais, followed by a presentation of the Study of the Regenerative Landscape of the Cerrado Mineiro and the Ecological Restoration Plan.

The program also includes a lecture by the State Forestry Institute (IEF) on restoration and the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), as well as a roundtable discussion between producers and the public.

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Project Progress

Among the results already achieved, the following stand out: the Climate Adaptation Plans (CAPs) developed for each participating property, considering local and productive characteristics; the production of organic compost, in partnership with Fazenda 5 Estrelas and SANA Consultoria Agroecológica, with a forecast of 1,000 tons for use in restoration plantings; mapping of the restoration chain, which identifies actors linked to seeds, seedlings, biological inputs, labor, and communication, strengthening the network of environmental services in the Cerrado; and the implementation of water monitoring systems, including limnimetric gauges and meteorological stations in the three priority basins.

Next steps

In addition to the September workshop, the project includes individual consultations with producers later in September and training in water resource measurement and monitoring on October 23rd and 24th.

About the CCA

The Cerrado Water 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 in implementing strategies for the provision of ecosystem services, focusing 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 benefited.

The initiative has the following companies as associate members: Nescafé, Expocaccer, Nespresso, Lavazza, Cooxupé, Cofco International, Volcafe, NKG Stockler, Daterra, Federação dos Cafeicultores do Cerrado, CerVivo, Starbucks Farmer Support Center, JDE Peet's, EISA, and X-Farm. In addition, the platform has key partners such as the Municipal Governments of Serra do Salitre and Coromandel.