Córrego Feio is a focus of environmental preservation and recovery

Córrego Feio brings together coffee producers from the Cerrado region for sustainable management and conservation initiatives.

Source: Globo Rural

Coffee Producers in the Cerrado Region of Minas Gerais Unite to Preserve Watershed: The Feio Stream, a source of water supply for the city of Patrocínio and irrigation for farmers, is now a point of contention in the region.

The Feio Stream, a source of water supply for the city of Patrocínio (MG) and for the irrigation of approximately 30% of the more than 2,700 rural properties in the municipality, is currently considered a point of contention for water resources between the urban population and agricultural producers.

In 2017/18, below-average rainfall led producers in the region to experience firsthand the effects of the lack of policies to preserve the watershed. That harvest season, due to low water availability, irrigation was prohibited, reducing productivity by up to a third.

Coffee farmer Ricardo Bartholo is one of 24 producers in the region who have joined a consortium with coffee processing companies and non-governmental organizations to recover native vegetation and adopt management practices to mitigate the effects of agricultural activity on the watershed.

“I have been following some spring restoration projects, and we can clearly see that in five or seven years we will have real changes in water availability,” he assesses. To guarantee the future availability of water on his and other properties, Bartholo needed to contain a gully, a phenomenon caused by soil erosion that, if left uncontrolled, contributes to the silting up of rivers and streams.

"For our business, water is a basic necessity. The plant doesn't eat, it drinks. It needs water for its nutrient solution. Without water in the soil, it can't do anything."

"To achieve this, we planted tree seedlings at the top of the stream, in addition to containing and retaining rainwater so that it doesn't flow to that location," says the producer, who also had to rethink the distribution of pastures on his property to increase riparian vegetation along the stream and prevent silting, as well as create mechanisms to increase rainwater infiltration into the soil.

"Soil management is very important because it directly influences water management. If the region has exposed soil, without vegetation cover, rainwater, instead of infiltrating the soil, can run off into the rivers, causing silting," explains Marco Alexandro André, coordinator of Implementation of Inducing Projects at the National Water Agency.

According to him, the problem becomes even more serious if producers use chemicals in their crops, which increases the costs of treating water for human consumption.

"As important as preventing erosion is ensuring it doesn't occur and that water infiltrates the soil and is immediately available in the water table. This makes it possible to extend the flow of larger streams and rivers that are nearby," concludes André.

According to Fabiane Sebaio, executive secretary of the Cerrado das Águas Consortium, a project that coordinates investments made with coffee growers in Patrocínio (MG), the project has already restored approximately 166 hectares in the region across 36 properties.

Technical Visits

Based on technical visits, the consortium indicates the necessary actions to adapt the producers' management practices, who commit to maintaining the restored area for at least three years via contract.

“The producers are aware because the investment is for their own property, with improvements in the quality of their restoration areas and in crop management,” explains Sebaio, revealing surprise at the level of participation from these producers.

“Our main objective is to restore the functionality and provision of ecosystem services so that, over time, these producers will have better growing conditions, greater productivity and also stability in access to water resources,” concludes the project's executive secretary.