São Paulo – Viçosa Federal University (UFV), in Minas Gerais, is helping Algeria, an Arab country in Africa, to develop rural areas. The teaching institution is developing, at the request of the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), three cooperation projects with the Ministry of Agriculture of Algeria. The first has started being implemented and refers to the training of Algerian technicians for the development of the Touil water basin, in the north of the country. The other two, one in the forestry area and the other for water resources and soil, are yet to be put in practice.
According to the coordinator of projects in the Rural Economic Department at UFV, José Norberto Muniz, the cooperation that is already being developed, in Touil, is aimed at developing the area of the water basin in a sustainable manner, covering from the people and institutions in the surrounding area to the environment. The main focus is the raising of sheep and cattle, explained Muniz.
As part of the actions in this project, UFV professors have already travelled to Algeria three times, since mid last year, to provide the training. One of the training courses was in the area of diagnosis of the physical, biological and socio-economic environment, others in techniques for recovery, management and conservation of degraded foraging areas and another in techniques for management of water for cattle. In just over a year, more professors will travel to speak about regional management and efficiency of herds in arid and semiarid areas.
On the Arab side, the project is being managed by the National Institute of Agronomic Research of Algeria (INRA). Logistics is all in charge of the ABC and the Brazilian embassy in Algiers also provides support to the activities, according to Muniz. The operation was an initiative of the embassy, still in 2005, explained the professor, who is a sociologist. The ABC, which is heading the project, is connected to the Ministry of Foreign Relations. Muniz explained that cooperation is part of the ABC activities for the control of desertification and recovery of degraded areas in Africa.
The projects that are yet to be developed have, as the counterpart in Algeria, the National Institute of Forestry Research. One forecasts the management and monitoring of forestry ecosystems and the other, training in conservation of water resources and soil in damp zones of Eastern Tell River. A fourth agreement for cooperation is yet to be closed, yet this year, for cooperation with Brazil for the reorganisation of the Algerian dairy chain.
"Their reception to our cooperation projects is excellent," said the UFV professor responsible for the area in Algeria. He explained that in training, the Algerians are taught both the theoretical part regarding each theme and the Brazilian experience in the sector is also transmitted. "We also bring our experience there to our students," said Muniz.
*Translated by Mark Ament
