São Paulo – A program for management of farmland, developed by the Minas Gerais state chapter of the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae), is attracting attention in other countries, including Morocco and Egypt, Arab countries in Africa. The initiative was presented in May this year at a Danone global meeting, in Casablanca, Morocco, where the interest of several developing countries was triggered, according to the Agribusiness manager at the Sebrae, Priscilla Lins, who participated in the meeting and has been following the project since the beginning.
The programme is called Educampo and was implemented 17 years ago, mainly with the dairy productive chain. According to Lins, the programme was established after the Sebrae noticed that training in management was not enough for farmers. “It was necessary for them to live management in practice, to take management to their property,” said the manager. Until recently, only temporary training was offered. That was when the Sebrae developed methodology in the area, with follow-up on the management.
First of all, groups of producers are created in an area, connected to an agroindustrial sector, like dairy or cooperative activities. Each group is supplied by a technician in the area of Agronomy, Veterinary Medicine or Animal Husbandry, with significant training by the Sebrae. This professional works on studying the history of economic activity at the property and then issues a diagnosis. From that comes planning, which is accompanied by a technician, with monthly visits. For planning, software is used with 55 technical and economic indices.
According to Lins, there is no deadline for completion of the programme. Some farmers have been participating since the beginning. Those participating pay for the Educampo. Depending on the area to which they are connected, only a share is charged. But at least 50% of the dues, says the manager, are borne by farmers. The agroindustries participating in the programme with their farmers, according to Lins, are companies like Danone, Vigor and Itambé, among others. The project has already attracted 2,000 farmers in the areas of coffee and milk.
It was Danone who invited the Sebrae in Minas Gerais to participate in its global meeting in Morocco. According to Lins, the developing countries in which Danone already operates have developed similar initiatives, but developing nations were greatly interested in implementing the idea. The manager stated that she is awaiting communication from these nations, so that they may come to Brazil to learn about the project and develop it according to the reality of their countries. They said they would search for adequate partners to implement the programme, an independent institution that operates similar to Sebrae.
*Translated by Mark Ament
