Cerrado das Águas strengthens gender equality and female leadership in the field.

Cerrado das Águas advances in gender equality policies with actions to encourage and include women in governance.

The CCA's Gender Action Plan is available for consultation and its main objectives are the creation of a women's leadership network in the field with representatives from organizations and rural producers.

The Cerrado das Águas Consortium (CCA) is taking another important step towards building productive and sustainable landscapes in the Cerrado Mineiro region. Aligned with the global agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 5 Gender Equality, the CCA announced its structured plan of affirmative action aimed at strengthening women's participation in the governance, production, and leadership of initiatives supported by the organization.

The Gender Action Plan (2025–2030) integrates the goals of the partnership established with CEPF and IEB, setting out short-, medium-, and long-term commitments ranging from the creation of the Network of Women Builders of Regenerative Landscapes to the implementation of the institutional gender policy in the CCA's strategic planning. Through the women's network movement, which has already held two regular meetings and a Field Day up to September, the proposal seeks to recognize and value the essential role of women in agriculture, environmental restoration, and the management of natural resources, as well as strengthening the female figure in decision-making and in the management of the environments in which they are involved.

According to the document published by CCA on its website, one of the main objectives is the creation of a women's network of rural leadership, with representatives from organizations and individual producers. To this end, five exclusive training workshops will be held for rural women focusing on sustainable entrepreneurship and territorial leadership. Another important objective is the increased female participation in CCA events and programs, such as the PIPC – Conscious Producer Investment Program, as well as ensuring women hold leadership positions on the CCA's Deliberative Council by 2030, since this body is currently predominantly male. Part of the plan's goals and objectives includes allocating specific financial resources for gender-related actions and creating a position responsible for monitoring the issue within the institutional structure.

According to Fabiane Sebaio Almeida, Executive Secretary of Cerrado das Águas, the initiative consolidates a milestone in the trajectory of the collaborative platform, which has been active since 2019.

We want gender equality to be more than just a guideline for our governance; we want it to become part of our organizational culture and the way we implement our actions in the territory, integrating our efforts to build biodiverse and productive landscapes. In the meetings we have held so far, we have highlighted the fundamental role that women play in regenerative agriculture and how their sensitivity and holistic vision are essential to strengthening the Cerrado biome and all the life that inhabits it. Therefore, we are motivated to implement the action plan, connecting, engaging, and valuing the women of the Cerrado Mineiro region.

The action plan is available for public consultation on the CCA website via the button below:

CCA GENDER PLAN

This initiative has the support of CEPF – Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund and IEB – International Institute of Education 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. IEB acts as the regional implementation team for CEPF, promoting training, institutional strengthening, and knowledge dissemination for a more just and sustainable society.