Productive Backyards Project – Quem Quem, Janaúba
The Productive Backyards project focuses on encouraging family farming, promoting food security and income generation. Through the training of families and the installation of production systems, Elera Renewables and Minerva Foods sought to create conditions so that residents of the Quem-Quem community in Janaúba (MG) can grow their own food and, when possible, sell it. The initiative also includes partnerships with SENAR to conduct training on sustainable cultivation techniques, promoting the improvement of local agricultural practices. In addition to contributing to the strengthening of the rural economy, the project also encourages sustainable production and the empowerment of the families involved.
The Productive Backyards program empowers rural families to produce their own food, generate income, and strengthen the local economy in a sustainable way.
Methodology
Elera Renováveis is one of the largest renewable energy generation companies in Brazil and is present in 12 Brazilian states with generation assets from solar, wind, and hydro sources, including the Janaúba Solar Complex, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and the Americas. The Janaúba Solar Complex is located approximately 2 km from the Quem Quem Community, a rural district in the municipality of Janaúba. Among the company's socio-environmental initiatives, a participatory socioeconomic diagnosis of the project's area of influence was developed to support decision-making regarding the development of social projects and private social initiatives in the region. As a result of this study, an opportunity was identified in the Quem Quem community to develop a project that contributes to improving the quality of life through the enhancement of agriculture, by implementing technologies appropriate to the local reality that serve to assist in the food security of the beneficiaries, as well as in the generation of a surplus that can be marketed. The project was executed in five main stages: technical planning and preparation of the work plan; community mobilization with an opening meeting; selection of beneficiaries based on socioeconomic and technical criteria; installation of 23 productive structures adapted to the local reality; and technical training in poultry farming and horticulture. The selection of beneficiaries was carried out based on technical and socioeconomic criteria, aiming to prioritize families in situations of greater vulnerability and with favorable conditions for the implementation of the structures. The process sought to guarantee equity, transparency, and alignment with social responsibility guidelines, considering aspects such as per capita income, degree of food insecurity, family composition, and spatial availability on the properties. In addition to the physical implementation of the production structures, the project incorporated training actions aimed at improving the technical skills of the beneficiaries, through training in horticulture and poultry farming management. These activities aimed to expand the participants' practical knowledge and promote their autonomy in conducting productive activities, contributing to the sustainability of the intervention in the medium and long term. At the end of the project, an official closing event was held, which included representatives from the companies Elera, Minerva Foods, Seteg, and SocialX. During the ceremony, participants in the Poultry Farming and Horticulture Management training courses were certified, as part of the project to install productive backyards in Quem-Quem. A total of 24 residents were certified, as detailed previously.
Elera Renováveis connects renewable energy and social impact, operating in 12 states and notably with the Janaúba Solar Complex, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.
Results
Among the 23 selected participants, 11 presented some level of food insecurity and 22 declared a per capita income lower than the minimum wage. In total, 17 poultry houses, two (02) vegetable gardens (one of them equipped with a fish farming tank) were installed, and four (04) strategic punctual interventions were carried out. All structures were delivered fully completed, without any pending issues, equipped and fully operational: the vegetable gardens with planting completed, the poultry houses stocked with 52 birds each, and the irrigation and rainwater harvesting systems implemented. In addition, the fish farming tank was delivered filled with 15,000 liters of water and 50 tambaqui fingerlings. The beneficiaries also received sufficient inputs for at least one production cycle, including seeds, fruit seedlings, and feed for fattening free-range chickens. It is worth highlighting the project's relevance to local socioeconomic development, especially considering its direct correlation with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are part of the contemporary global development agenda. In this regard, the project strengthens: SDG 1 (No poverty) and SDG 2 (Zero hunger and sustainable agriculture), by offering income-generating alternatives and combating food insecurity; SDG 3 (Good health and well-being), by promoting access to natural foods produced in people's own backyards; SDG 5 (Gender equality), due to the majority of the target audience being female, as well as prioritizing the inclusion of female-headed households in the selection process; SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth), by fostering sustainable economic activities in rural areas; SDG 10 (Reduced inequalities), through selection criteria that prioritized residents in situations of greater socioeconomic vulnerability; SDG 11 (Sustainable cities and communities), by valuing solutions adapted to the local reality; SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), by encouraging agroecological practices and the efficient management of natural resources.
Elera Renewables presents the Productive Backyards Project.