feature story Chevron Brasil supports social project to boost family farming in São João da Barra

Chevron Brasil is supporting another social project in the municipality of São João da Barra, in Rio de Janeiro state. The initiative aims to strengthen the productive chain of small agricultural entrepreneurs of Alto do Cardeiro community, promoting sustainable development in the region and, consequently, greater income generation for producers. 

The project is a partnership signed between Porto do Açu Operações and the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFFRJ). Lasting a year and half, the project will receive investments around US$40,000 – where 58% of resources will come from Chevron Brasil and 42%, from Porto do Açu. 

“We are very pleased in being part of this partnership. Supporting initiatives that promote the development of small entrepreneurs, we are contributing for empowering the productive chain in the region and, consequently, for the local economy progress”, says Mariano Vela, Chevron Brasil Country Manager.

The pilot project is already in progress, being conducted by the UFRRJ team, working in data collection about family farming in the region. The data will help define an action plan together with participating families. Two resident agronomists are also planned to work in the community throughout the project to provide technical and management assistance for a quality, scaled, and sustainable production by the farmers. 

Farming is one of the main economic activities in São João da Barra, being practiced mostly by small farming families for their subsistence or to supplement the family income. With few resources to invest in new practices and innovation, the cultivation and production activity remains in a traditional way.

The social project expects to bring the implementation opportunities of new techniques providing greater productive and crop qualities, expansion of marketplaces and further development of the sector in the region.