Bob's Blog
Bob Thomas is the volunteer project manager for South America for the S.H.A.R.E. Agriculture Foundation. He works with southern partners to identify new projects and monitors ongoing and past projects. Bob also consults with the SHARE Project Committee and Board of Directors to consider each proposal, analyze project budgets and to track the sustainability of ongoing projects.
As Bob travels on his monitoring trips he writes about the results of SHARE’s project work.
The Aymara families on Lake Titicaca.
The meeting with the Aymara families at Santiago de Okola proved no less interesting than I had anticipated. Although agreement had already been reached on how the U$12,000 from SHARE and the U$7,600 from the Municipality of Puerto Mayor Carabuco would be allocated for the irrigation project, this public meeting was a “formal uniting” between the Mayor and SHARE.........complete with legal document containing various stamps and signatures. I am discovering that everything in Bolivia must be formalized this way. And while the beaurocracy slows the process, it seems to be necessary so that all parties involved are “on the same page”. This same mindset is perhaps the reason why their reporting on projects is the most comprehensive of any which I normally receive from other partners in South American countries
In the situation here at Santiago de Okola, there are 50 families in one area (where SHARE funded a well), with two other groups of 18 & 12 families in nearby locations. The municipality governs all 3 areas so its contribution to completing this irrigation project must be fair to all 80 families. The 2 smaller communities have small dams which trap mountain streams & springs. Their dilapidated ditch systems for irrigating their crops is in need of improvement. A previous meeting among the three groups had decided that U$10,000 of SHARE funds should be used for tanks, plastic lines, etc. for the 50 families where the well is located, and U$4800 would be needed for tank enlarging and installing plastic lines at the other two communities. However, they were concerned that SHARE would not endorse this plan, as we had not previously been involved with the two smaller communities. They were relieved when I stated that we would be much happier to improve irrigation for 80 families with our contribution and that we encouraged cooperation among the groups rather than resentment that one group and not all were benefitting. Hence my presence along with the Mayor solidified this agreement with speeches, music, adornment of key personnel with streamers & confetti, etc.
It was also at this location that I decided to overnight at one of their homes. Tomas (no relation), my host, aged 75, was raised in this community and had 6 children now married & living in cities. His wife had died a few years ago. He was chairman of the “agri-tourism” association of 10 families in the community who have each opened one bedroom in their home to guests. On checking the guest book, I saw signatures & benevolent comments from Germany, France, Britain, USA and guests from many other countries. It was a rustic experience with outdoor facilities, but warm hospitality on the shoreline of Lake Titicaca. The altitude here is about 3800 metres and evenings can be chilly. So I piled on five of the heavy alpaca woven blankets that night. Cost for three meals and overnight accommodation runs about $15.
There are about 2 million Aymaras in Bolivia and 500,000 in Peru as well as about 20,000 in Chile. Native to the high antiplano region, in 1570 they were decreed by the Spanish conquistadors to work in the silver mines around Potosi where millions perished under harsh conditions. Although Christianity was introduced, native beliefs in the power of spirits in the mountains, sky, or natural forces (like lightning) remain strong. The god Tunupa is the creator of the universe. But the most sacred deity is Pachamama who has the power to make soil fertile & ensure a good crop. Most communities are agricultural, producing mostly potatoes, corn, quinoa, and various types of tubers and beans. They herd llamas, alpaca, cows, pigs and sheep. They are a hard working people, very artistic and highly skilled at weaving using llama, alpaca vicuña and rabbit fibers tinted with natural dyes; colorful and very intricate basket weaving, pottery, sculpturing and painting. They create the haunting, Andean music with unusual instruments and their dances are all historically based. The Aymara are a proud culture and, to this day, have retained many of their traditions, especially their natural medicines, certain cultural rites, and their native dress. With the 1952 Land Reform in Bolivia, the Aymara gained access to national political institutions at the same time that reforms gave them a greater measure of control over their lives. Whole communities gained access to consumer goods, governmental services, and educational opportunities unavailable a generation earlier. The Aymaras have become a powerful social group, demanding and working hard to ensure changes and improvements to their living conditions, and opportunities for education and health care. President Juan Evo Morales is the first indigenous Aymara to be elected in December 2005 and re-elected for a second term in 2009.
Bob Thomas
February 2012
Ushering in the Lenten season...Bolivian style
My SHARE monitoring mission has led me from Cochabamba to LaPaz during this season of Lent. And while the celebrations in Bolivia may lack the slick, plastic glitz of their counterparts in Brazil, there is no absence of earthy appeal and religious symbolism. There are colourful streamers and balloons (many now deflated) attached to trucks, taxi mirrors, store signs & virtually everywhere............even on me; perhaps reminding us that we all need a breath of fresh air from time to time. Then there’s the pair of dogs yielding to hormonal urges in the centre of the street ahead of the parade...........unquestionably a symbol of Procreativity. There are overweight ladies wearing undersized bikinis marching down main street to remind us of the beauty of the human body. A favourite prank of young children is to bombard passersby with water bombs; reminiscent of Baptism? And don’t forget the out of tune bands marching out of synch and playing religious favourites like “New York, New 
York, It’s a helluva town!” Yes, I wish I could also convey to you the smells of sidewalk vendors, and sounds of this annual event; but perhaps your imagination will kick in. Actually, to see Christian symbols everywhere is a refreshing alternative from North American “political correctness”. Whoops; I mentioned the “C” word!
When not dodging water bombs or backed up in traffic, I am usually getting “high”. I was at 4000 metre altitude a couple of days ago where these pix were taken among the clouds. This group of 85 Quechua families is growing seed potatoes and SHARE advanced U$3200 for a grading table, scale & storage building. Last year, they planted 1.5 hectares & retained most for seed. In October 2012, they planted 4 hectares and, when harvested in May, they will be able to realize a price for seed potatoes of $300 Bol ($C43) per 50 kg sack.......double the price of commercial potatoes.
At a similar dizzying height in the Andes, 25 families growing quinoa have benefitted from 7 metal storage tanks, improvements to the storage building, scales and a cleaner / sorter for their quinoa. This time, the families contributed 20% of the cost, SHARE gave 40% and GIZ (a foreign aid arm of the German government) added the remaining 40%. Quinoa price is volatile so these grading & storage facilities will enable them to secure improved grade for their harvest & to await better prices. This is the first time I have run across GIZ, but they are also improving electricity supply in rural areas, as well as other development projects in Bolivia.
Last year, I linked CESO (Canadian Executive Services Overseas) to PROINPA, our Bolivian partner. Today I learned that a fungal & bacterial scientist from Canada has been here helping to develop improved disease control among crops. And CESO has plans to send more specialists here, as well as linking all Canadian NGO’s in an informal network of co-operation of efforts in Bolivia which is a preferred country for CIDA support.
Bob Thomas
SHARE Project Manager for South America
February 2012
Vanobio and the Giant Chicken
“Nao existe,” I kept telling him. But he refused to accept this. He had heard that there were chickens one metre high in Pernambuco and he wanted to see them. It was the evening of the second last day of the12th Organic Growers’ Meeting in the interior of Brazil. This annual event had attracted a record number of 140 small farmers and assentados (land reform inhabitants) for 3 days of sharing agri-production techniques, marketing, policy, and more, followed by on-site visits to rural communities on the second day. It was during one of these farm visits that Vanobio had been told by the local farmer that the state of Pernambuco had a producer raising “gallinas giganticas” and Vanobio wanted me to drive there with him to see them. “Think about it,” he insisted. “I could maybe take one back to my state of Bahia to cross with local birds. SHARE would be helping us to improve and to increase production,” he added enthusiastically. But my opinion was somewhat different. How would I explain the extra mileage charges to SHARE that I had gone on an expedition in search of the elusive giant chicken?
Vanobio is one of the ag technicians supported by SHARE at the Santaluz Sindicato in the semi-arid interior of Bahia state in northeast Brazil. That area has long been reliant on the volatile low priced mono culture of sisal. The 2 ag techs there have made major strides in introducing the small farmers to alternative crops, researching the feed value of indigenous plants, testing goats for parasites, implementing a micro-credit program and supporting youth and women in many aspects. Some of these loans were for small, backyard chicken enterprises and it was perhaps these farmers whom Vanobio envisioned as benefitting from crossing with the giant chickens.
So, he borrowed a local car and, with a small group, set off to find the elusive Giant Chicken A few hours later he returned. “Come and look,” he invited excitedly. He had purchased 
3 young pullets and 2 cockerels he found at Fazenda California in Pernambuco, where the Indian Giant had been hybridized from several breeds: Malay, Shamo, Cornish & Carijos. An “easy keeper” it can grow to one metre in height and to a mature weight of 6 kg. A rapid grower, it is capable of attaining 3 kg in 120 days. Mature hens average 230 eggs annually and these rustic birds are noted for surviving on minimum care.
Perhaps Vanobio is onto something. I look forward to seeing what crossbreeding has accomplished during my next visit to this remote area of Bahia state in northeast Brazil.
Bob Thomas
Project Manager South America
January 2012
Bolivia's Biodiversity Contrasts with a Stark Landscape - Bob Thomas
A couple of years ago, the S.H.A.R.E. Agriculture Foundation decided to expand support efforts into Bolivia. In Human Development Index, this country ranks 114 of 177 countries, and average salary is 177th lowest in the world. About 40% of the 9.7 million inhabitants are rural and over ¾ of them are from indigenous Aymara or Quechua origins. For past decades, Bolivia has experienced inflation, political instability and poverty. But in 2003, the election of Evo Morales on the first ballot as Latin America’s first indigenous president rocketed this landlocked country into the world spotlight. Now serving his second term, his leftwing policies are credited with improving income levels, introducing health clinics into remote areas, and implementing a new constitution..... although not without criticism.But politics cannot solve all problems. 41% of the area is considered in a desertification process due to 
climate change and unsustainable land use practices; erosion runs rampant. Normally the rainy season runs from November to May, although this time frame is shortening. But the landscape is a sharp contrast to the rich biodiversity hidden within Bolivia. I visited a remote Quechua community which recently won an award for having over 200 varieties of potatoes. They combined their prize money with a UN grant to build a local processing facility and now are packaging grains and crops to sell to the school lunch programme........job creation and income generation at its finest. With only 10% of the cultivated land irrigated, vast areas of the antiplano remain drought stricken for many months of the year. So it was perhaps to be expected that S.H.A.R.E.’s Bolivian partner, PROINPA (www.proinpa.org ), a national organization promoting biodiversity and ag extension, suggested an irrigation project as S.H.A.R.E.’s first Bolivian project to assist the 50 Aymara families in the remote community of Santiago de Okola 
on the shore of Lake Titicaca. The 65 metre well is now completed and generates 15 litres/minute of potable water from 5 underground veins. Phase II will be to determine the best method of irrigating their crops of quinua, kenoa, potatoes, grains, and sheep / cattle pastures. At the time of my visit on August 3, 2011, their grateful exuberance was a sharp contrast to the dry parched fields. The S.H.A.R.E. investment of U$5,350 combined with U$2,500 from the local municipality will facilitate year round cropping. And with the cooperation of Pachamama (Mother Earth), it will perhaps make a small dent in the drought and slightly reduce the vast areas relegated to subsistence for many months of the year.
The Bridge to Sustainability - Bob Thomas
Gerivaldi is quitting his day job. Manual labour in sisal harvest pays about $R18 (approx $C 12) per day. His new chicken enterprise generates $R 900 ($C 600) per month. In March 2010 he borrowed $R 1000 from the Santaluz Micro Credit fund and built a shed, bought 50 chickens + feed and converted 300 square meters of his back yard into a quintal or “profit centre”. He is now on his third batch of chickens and can’t keep up to demand. He was sold out at Christmas and has also added a flock of 70 egg layers and sells 4 dozen eggs daily. With advice from the 2 STRAF Ag techs he makes use of local plants for feed and has reduced his feed costs from $R1.10 to $R0.30 per kg. “Actually” he says “the income from the eggs pays the total feed bill so the meat bird sales are really all profit”.
Gerifaldi is one of 25 men and 29 women who have received a “hand up” thanks to SHARE’s support of the Microcredit fund which now totals $R 27,000. Originally loans 
were for $R 500 but have now increased to $R 1000 which is repayable at the rate of $R 540 each year for the next two years. The defaults are nil and usually the recipients can then go on to expand their micro-enterprises without the need of further credit. The repayment includes 3% annual interest and 2% for technical assistance. There is a contract with the borrower and a committee must approve all loans. Anyone with a “bad reputation” is rejected, and all loans are supervised by the agriculture technicians.
There is a waiting list of qualified applications for 7 chicken, 5 sheep, 3 cow, 3 milk goat, and 1 garden project totaling $R 18,000 requirement in new loans. Many women’s groups which are producing processed foods for the school lunch program could also utilize an additional $R10,000 in loans but the fund is fully loaned out at present. Yes, the STRAF micro-credit fund is functioning well and is a vital bridge to sustainability for many campesinos who would otherwise be condemned to a life of sporadic day labour and continuing poverty.
Yamana and a golden success story – Bob Thomas
Yamana Gold is a Canadian company with mines in Central and South America. 
By chance, a few years ago, I met some Yamana personnel at Santaluz, Bahia, where they are developing a mine 42 km from Santaluz. They are hiring 700 during the construction phase and then 300 to run the mine................a huge employment boost to the local economy. Previous connections to access their foundation were not fruitful but this time things were different.
Leanna lives in the tiny, remote community of Ferreuris. She is one of 30 students who travel daily by bus to study Agriculture at nights in the Santaluz School. When she learned of the Yamana Foundation’s support for community projects, she and some others applied and received $R10,000 for food processing equipment to supply baked goods to sell to a federal food welfare program for poor families. In fact, based on a point system for income generation, health, etc. her group was the best of 6 groups who applied for Yamana’s total annual grant of $R60,000.
Kind of makes you feel good about “corporate Canada” doesn’t it? Yamana also has an Integration Program that includes medical exams, environment education and completion of legal documents (a huge problem to Brazilians who lack birth certificates and other documents so cannot qualify for many government programs). This situation is improving but still 1/6 adults in Bahia are illiterate.
But back to Leanna. She & her brother also took out a Micro Credit loan for $R1000 from the Sindicato to start a chicken project. They are on their second group of 50 chickens which they purchased for $R2 and sell in 90 days for $R20 each through the Co-Op store started by Pele. Thanks to technical support from the Sindicato ag techs, they have reduced their feed cost by 50% from $1.20 /kg for purchased feed by supplementing with sisal residue and other local plants. On the first year anniversary of their loan, they will repay $R580 and the same amount on the second year if the loan. It’s a success story with a touch of gold.
Varzea Alegre Means "Joyful Floodplain" - Bob Thomas
It’s well named. This community 300 km inland from Fortaleza, Ceara, is the site of a 2010 project to purchase 34 goats for 8 families. Under the guidance of super enthusiastic Marcilio Feitosa, they were actually able to build fences & shelter and purchase 40 dual purpose goats with SHARE’s $3700 Cdn and now have 13 kids. Each family has agreed to pass on 5 female goats to others in need and 9 families are already on the waiting list for ‘pass-ons’ but must first go through a 40 hour training program in husbandry. Jose and his wife are one of these original recipient families. Although now retired, he worked for many years manually in the local brick factory and raised 8 children.
Four years ago, Marcilio also initiated a monthly vegetable & fruit market for 13 families. Sales are around $4500 Cdn weekly which equates to over 4 times the minimum salary in Brazil..........good money.
On the first Sunday in July, the market expands into a “festa” which attracted 6,000 people in 2010. And not satisfied to sit back, Marcilio has initiated a unique ‘adoption’ program: “I invite city families to a dinner to meet some poorer rural families,” he said. Dinner features a popular local dish called Sarapatel made from cattle internal organs and who knows what else? “Then after a few beers, they agree to purchase 50 chickens and 20 kg of feed for each of the poor families. It works! Maybe SHARE should adopt this technique,” he chides with a chuckle.
So SHARE……….get ready……….maybe we need a dinner of Sarapatel and beer to generate funds.
Caatinga Country, Brazil – Bob Thomas
As we drove down the rutted dirt road trying to steer around innumerable potholes, I queried about several shrubs that still retained green leaves in this semi-arid region of northeast Brazil known as the Sertao. “Those are INCO shrubs. They are leguminous and the leaves are 8% protein. The burros & goats love them,” replied Evandro, the ag tech who was accompanying me on this SHARE monitoring trip. “Do you have INCO in Canada?” he joked. I’m sure he thought I was suffering from too much sun when I replied that indeed we did have INCO in Canada....... but it was a mining company.
We were travelling through Bahia state’s Caatinga country........a Tupi name meaning “white vegetation” which covers 10% of Brazil’s land area in the northeast. Typically during droughts scrub brush lose their leaves and appear dead, but can green up within a day or two following sporadic rains. There are few sources of potable water here, but this area remains home to about 15 million tough survivors who store scarce rainfall from the tile roofs of their humble homes in cement cisterns. With skin like leather and an even tougher spirit, they have learned to live with the many droughts that plague this region at the whim of El Nino in the Pacific ocean.
Evandro continued, “In 2010 we received 660 mm during the ‘rainy season’ of January, but then nothing more until November”. Last year must have been a good year, because the first time I visited this region they had not received significant rainfall in over two years. Once only beans and corn were cultivated here, and prolonged droughts resulting in harvest failures sent many to the cities in a futile attempt to find work that often augmented the favelas (slums) and increased the drug and street kid problems. But SHARE-supported ag techs like Evandro are changing that scenario. He and the new ag tech, Vanobio, are analyzing native vegetation for feed values and also testing goats & sheep for internal parasite problems. The previously wasted outer covering of the sisal leaf is 8% protein and can be ensiled in plastic bags for goat & sheep feed during drought periods. The inner fibers are dried to make twine. Even some cacti can contribute up to 15% protein in an animal diet. There are now more state financed dams or “acudes” to trap runoff which can be used for irrigation. Perhaps the Sertao is not your image of Brazil................but it is a reality with its own culture, dances, music and a strong will to survive.
Agro-ecology at Work – Bob Thomas
Celson’s head nodded as he tried to nap during the 10 km bus ride in to Assentamento Contestado. He had been waiting for my group of 18 Canadian & USA farmers to arrive....... and we were late. Our large bus could not navigate the many ruts and washouts on the dirt road caused by recent heavy rains in Parana state, Brazil, so we all transferred to this dilapidated school bus with no muffler and a door that wouldn’t close. For my group, it was a “first exposure” to this Land Reform settlement on 3,270 hectares of bankrupt property that became home to 108 families in 1999.
And it was also their first exposure to Celson’s mandala...a circular arrangement of 2000 square metres of garden around a central pond which was home to Tilapia fish and also the source of irrigation for more than 200 varieties of vegetables, fruits and trees. 70% of the year round production is sold to generate a monthly income of 
1,000 Reais (approximately $500 Cdn) for his family of 4 in addition to supplying all the staples of the family’s diet on their 15 hectare plot. Organically grown, many of the names of plants were foreign to us, but they all were either destined for food, or for medicinal purposes.
Agro-ecology is a way of life for these people. In 2005, the Latin America School of Agro ecology was started here and now has 200 students from Brazil, Paraguay and Venezuela enrolled in a three year program involving alternating 90 day semesters of teaching, followed by a similar time at home to apply and pass-on the information they have learned. With state, federal and foundation support, teachers from the Parana University provide assistance and the program is free to those campesino youth who are fortunate enough to be nominated by their community to attend the course. The school was born out of the World Social Forum held in Brazil in 2003. There are approximately 1 million families in similar land reform settlements throughout Brazil, and many are encamped under black plastic tents awaiting a slow, bureaucratic government to implement the program elsewhere. It is a fascinating “other side” to Brazilian agriculture, which together with other small farmers, supplies about 3/4ths of the Manioc and Black beans in the country, nearly half of the corn and approximately 1/3rd of the coffee and rice from about ¼ of the arable land.
Seeds of Progress - Bob Thomas
Jose Leandro Brum Vargas (age 31) is one of 11 children. His father was a small farmer in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. There was not a lot of future for Jose to remain on the farm. So he worked in labour jobs in Uruguay and then returned to join the Land Reform movement in Brazil.
Brazil celebrated 500 years of independence in year 2000, but the contrasts between rich and poor still remain evident. In this vast country of 190 million inhabitants, 16% of the farmers control 76% of the farming area. This leaves 4.4 million small farmers with about ¼ of the productive land area. But their cumulative contribution can be significant: Manioc and Black beans are staples in the Brazilian diet and small farmers produce 87% and 70% of these respectively. Over half of the Milk, Poultry and Hogs come from small farms too. Some are small independent farmers and others like Jose are part of the estimated one million families on Assentamentos, or Land Reform Settlements. In accordance with Section 186 of the Brazilian constitution, unused land can be appropriated by the Government. It’s a 3 step process. First, INCRA (the National Institute of Agrarian Reform) examines the property to see if it qualifies as underutilized, owing in tax arrears, or other factors. Second, the Judiciary decides on the property’s fate, and finally the landowner is reimbursed and the property passes to campesino ownership. But it is not quite that simple. The process can sometimes generate conflict and often takes years to complete. Once established, progress is often quite rapid. If we look at the numbers, we can confirm that agrarian reform does work. Today, there are about 400 agricultural associations in the areas of production, marketing and services, 49 Agricultural and Cattle-raising Cooperatives (CPA) with 2,299 families participating, 32 Service Cooperatives with 11,174 direct partners, two Regional Marketing Cooperatives and 3 Credit Cooperatives with 6,521 members. There are 96 small and medium-sized cooperatives that process fruit, vegetables, dairy products, grains, coffee, meat, and sweets. All these enterprises generate employment, income, and revenue that benefit about 700 small towns in Brazil’s interior.
Jose and his wife have been on this land reform settlement in southern Brazil for over 5 years, along with over 1800 families on various settlements in the area. On their 15 hectares, they produce staples, but also grow onion, pumpkin and carrot seeds for Bionatur...one of the successful marketing cooperatives mentioned above. It has growers in other states as well and is a major source of organic seeds supporting the growing organic vegetable market in Brazil. A recent book on the land reform movement in Brazil is available through Amazon and Chapters Indigo and is entitled “To Inherit the Earth: Brazil’s Landless People and the Struggle to Transform A Nation” (Authors: Angus Wright, Wendy Wolford)
The Chicks Are Hatching - Bob Thomas
A few years ago on the land reform settlement of Terra Nova in the remote droughty area of Ceara state, northeast Brazil, a group of youth asked SHARE for assistance to start a poultry project. It was a new idea. In this region the traditional crops of manioc and beans have been the staple for generations. So there was some skepticism towards the idea among elders. But the proposal made sense. A screened shade house, some initial feed supplies, purchased chicks and lots of available labour...why not? I took the proposal to SHARE’s Project Committee for analysis and then to the SHARE Board for approval and, in September 2009, funds of $3,000 Cdn were sent down to the group to get started, with the technical assistance provided by Ag Techs in that area.
Now it is a micro enterprise on the doorstep of expansion. The original 12 young people have diminished to a dedicated six, as some have moved away in search of employment, and others were not prepared to share the workload. Batches of 100 chicks achieve market weight in 2 months at a selling price of $12 Reais each and are supplying a local restaurant at the rate of 15 per week. The poultry house is divided into three rooms so batches can be staggered. They are now on their 5th batch and have changed to a faster growing bird. They have also entered a contract to supply the local school lunch program with 130 kg of poultry per month. When asked what the group was doing with their profits, leader Antonio Hilton (age 23) replied “We’re banking the profits and have plans to expand the enterprise. We’ve planted corn and manioc and want to reduce purchased feed costs and increase production”. Another group on a nearby land reform settlement tells a similar story with sheep. Within their first year, they have expanded their herd to 61 head from the initial 32 purchased. Pasture, some corn and sorghum silage are the main feedstock with only dewormer, vaccinations and mineral as their only purchases. Sales of 10 head resulted in $600 Reais in the pockets of the four youth involved...the first money they had ever earned. But their smiles and pride are worth much more.
While Brazil portrays a reputation to the world of vast economic progress, the contrasts are stark. The dry areas of the northeast will never be developed to the extent of the Cerrado areas as this area lacks water and good soil...but not “attitude”. There is a rugged survival instinct that only needs a “hand up” to get to a level of sustainability, a few youth have avoided the pitfalls of drug addiction in urban favellas...one hand at a time.
It’s a One Way Path to Disaster - Bob Thomas
The sandy soils of the southern coast of Santa Catarina state in Brazil are ideal for growing Tobacco. But it is a one way road leading to ruin. In this region are many small farmers of limited financial strength and capabilities, and the system works something like this. The multinational tobacco companies lend you the money to erect greenhouses, curing barns, provide the chemicals and technology and guarantee to buy back the harvest...on their terms & their price. The promise of big profits with no money down sounds attractive. But crop failures and weather hazards can often result in an insurmountable accumulated debt from small farmers to the paternalistic monopolies. So when SHARE Agriculture Foundation was approached to help find a solution, we met to discuss alternatives with the group.
The meeting of over 40 farmers a couple of years ago was a stark contrast to the meeting this time. Where there had been mistrust, suspicion and lack of direction, there was now gratitude and optimism. They had requested a Veterinarian and technical help to enable them to develop livestock enterprises to eventually replace tobacco on their small farms. On a one year trial, a recent Brazilian Vet grad was hired. The Municipality provided office support and paid 50% of his salary. SHARE paid the rest plus his expenses. Now, a year later, everyone at the meeting tells stories of their achievements and looks to future developments.
Elvis Cardoso Raup, age 30, is married with 3 children and has reduced his tobacco crop from 5 to 2 hectares. Meanwhile his crossbred dairy cow herd has increased from 4 to 16 head producing 120 litres per day. The 3.5 hectares of pasture is divided into 32 fields for daily pasture rotation and he is planting higher protein grasses to replace native species. This year he is experimenting with silage from manioc plants & stored under black plastic. He is improving genetics through A.I. and recently purchased a bulk tank. His debt to the tobacco companies was $20,000 Reais 6 years ago and now he owes $ 2,000 Reais which can hopefully be fully repaid this year, and he will be free of the monopoly control. Elvis’ future looks promising.
Rafael de Souza, a young Ag grad from a small family farm background in this area whom I have known for several years, was responsible for SHARE coming here in the first place. His constant emails of invitation produced results. Over pizza and cerveja, he tells me he is now organizing 3 communities of farmers and wants to get them involved with value-added processing of milk and fruit crops. “How is it going?” I enquired. “It is a lot of emails, phone calls and many miles of travel on my motorbike,” he enthusiastically responds. When a World Bank program finished, he lost his job as their ag technician. He and his wife then opened a self-serve ice cream store in the small town of Sao Joao, but his heart remains in farming. I think SHARE may be getting more requests from this natural leader in southern Brazil. Maybe the one way path won’t lead to disaster after all.
And We Take it for Granted... - Bob Thomas
I expect that it is the last thing you thought about today. And undoubtedly it is the single most important aspect of your daily life. Water! You probably started today with a morning shower….how many litres did that require? Coffee and breakfast...more water! What about washing your clothes, washing the car, or cleaning the house?
We could learn a lot from our northeast Brazilian friends. The first time I visited the sisal growing area near Santa Luz, Bahia, where SHARE now has projects, they had not had rainfall for 2 years. On another occasion, I recall when Marge & I took a quick shower while staying with Betty Szilassy in Tacaimbo, Pernambuco, she asked us to trap the water we used in a large pan and this would be used to flush the toilet, water the garden or recycled for other cleaning needs.
But I believe that things are improving. With government assistance, large “dams” have been built to trap scarce rainfall into ponds. Yes, the evaporation is very rapid in these hot, dry areas, but the rains can be torrential at times and this water was formerly all lost quickly. An amazingly successful project began in Brazil a few years ago called One Million Cisterns whereby NGO’s, Government, and Foundations have pooled resources to build a cistern for each house that will trap roof runoff and provide sufficient water for a household of 5 for one year. About 1/3rd of this goal has been achieved to date, and it is continuing to forge ahead. Phase II of this project is now expanding to trap water in large rock or cement catchments to be used for irrigation of crops and thus enabling diversification from monoculture.
But, perhaps the most important aspect of water self-sufficiency is the political independence which it gives to poor, rural inhabitants.
Traditionally, the wealthy landowner’s fazendas would include a monopoly over the only local lagoa or other water source. He could then use this power to coerce votes, to enforce his decisions, and to control subservient employees to accept unfair working conditions, biased sharecrop agreements, substandard housing and pittance remuneration. The pride and independence of a campesino that now has his own cistern is a joy to experience.
Think about it the next time you head to the water fountain. Do we really appreciate the water Canada has been blessed with?
Everbody Loves Cashews... - Bob Thomas
Everybody loves Cashews...come on, admit it. But ever wonder why they are so expensive? Well, after closer investigation of the vast cashew plantings near Fortaleza in Ceara state, Brazil, I now consider them to be under priced.
It was a very hot, very dry January 26 when we visited the land reform settlement named after Che Guevara near the village of Ocara. Forty five families have called this 1,388 hectares home since INCRA, the Brazilian federal land reform agency officially granted them legal title in 1999. Prior to that they were encamped for a year peacefully protesting the government to follow up on their constitutional right to undeveloped, abandoned, or land parcels in tax arrears. There were 180 hectares of cashews on this plantation………..but little else. With meager assistance, they built modest homes, constructed cisterns to trap scarce rain water from their roofs, planted gardens of mostly manioc and beans, and took day labor jobs whenever possible, which wasn’t very often. Many families added sheep, cattle, chicken, or bees on a very modest scale. But what they lacked in resources they overcompensated with heart and ambition. It is a story I have witnessed many times in northeast Brazil……….and one that recharges my batteries every time I am with these people. The visit this time was to show hardcore horticulturalist, Mark Cullen, exactly what went into every cashew that he unceremoniously popped into his mouth. 
Enduring the bureaucratic process of applying for grants through Fundacao Banco Brasil, SEBRAE (training program) and EMBRAPA (ag department), they were able to construct a processing facility for their cashews in 2005 and thereby sell them for $R 14/kg rather than passing them on to middlemen for $R 1/kg ($R 1 = $.51 Cdn). In addition, this setup provides local employment for 27 members of their community.
But back to the processing story. Hand harvest will stretch over 4 months and starts in November. Dry years (like this one) can reduce yields by 50% or more, but a “normal” yield would be 500 kg/ha of cashew nuts. The nut actually grows on the bottom of a pear shaped cashew fruit that can be processed into very pleasing juice. But cashew fruit spoils quickly and only brings $R 1 / 20 kg, so often it is left to rot under the trees. SHARE is supporting various women’s processing groups to encourage more value added and less waste. But cajuinha juice is not well known and competes with innumerable other Brazilian fruit juices.
Following harvest, the nuts are graded by size and then roasted at 65C for 10 hours followed by 3 hours of steaming and a 1 hour cool down. Each nut is hulled by hand, followed by additional scraping to remove any discolored areas. Grading to remove broken pieces is also laborious and includes more sorting by size, shape and color into many grades. Although produced organically, the 10,000 kg of cashews which Che Guevara Assentamento markets monthly is not certified organic………that is the next step. With support from CIDA, SHARE is presently assisting Assentamentos in this area to achieve organic certification and hopefully tap into international markets.
A hand up ... not a hand out - Bob Thomas
On the wall of their simple church is written:
"Nao podemos atraz e faxer um novo comeco
Mas podemos recomecar fazer uma nova final"
How true it is. “We are not able to go back to make a new beginning; but we can make a new ending.” I was meeting with the Sal e Luz (Salt & Light) youth group in the small town of Cha Grande in northeast Brazil to discuss their proposal to SHARE for funding of a screened shade house to raise peppers and tomatoes. The congregation has achieved amazing success. Buying property & building a simple church 13 years ago with their own labour, they have now expanded with 4 classrooms for teaching 100 underprivileged youngsters from kindergarten to grade 4 for which they receive grants from the municipality. Three years ago they purchased 8 hectares a distance of 2 km outside the town for $R 73,000 and through the production of vegetables and fruit, they have been able to pay down their mortgage to just $R 13,000 ($C 6500) which should be fully paid by May 2009. Four families live on the property and receive 80% of the production in return for their work. Crops like chu-chu, passion fruit, beans and other vegetables occupy 2 hectares. But of greater interest is the fact that this “sitiu” provides a focus for 20 children from bad home environments. A retreat center is under construction where meetings and fiestas can be held on the site.
The group is appealing to SHARE for assistance to construct a screened shade house enabling a wider range of vegetables to be grown with protection from heavy rains. It is not a decision that I can make on site. SHARE’s procedure has always been that I will gather the facts as volunteer Project Manager for Brazil, visit the site, and then the proposal is taken to the 12 member SHARE Project Committee back in Canada. With many farmers on this committee, there is always much discussion. Sometimes additional information is required, other partners may be sought, but finally the proposal may be denied or approved to forward on to the SHARE Board for final scrutiny. A “pass on” is requested for all projects whereby the recipient group is obligated to multiply the benefits they have received by passing on some tangible or intangible aspects to other needy groups in their area. Finally, funds are sent to the recipient group to commence the project. I will return annually to monitor their progress and look at any new proposals.
I guess you could call it grassroots development...a hand up...not a hand out.
Encontro Organico - Bob Thomas
Perhaps it was a response to a “need” whose time had arrived. Perhaps it was an intense desire to give our campesino friends a “hand up”. Maybe it was an untested long shot to hasten their road to sustainability. Or, possibly it was just a simple gut reaction to do a Samaritan act for these small Brazilian farmers whom I had called friends since first monitoring SHARE projects in Brazil in 1991. But, let’s avoid paralysis of analysis. The spark that started this gathering of small organic farmers from 4 of Brazil’s poorest states is now a warm, roaring fire.
I had long witnessed techniques and methods that were working well in one location of SHARE’s Brazilian projects, but were not always known or replicated in another. When I asked if they thought there could be benefits from “coming together”, their response was a resounding “Sim”. So in 2000 the “Encontro” was born. SHARE funded bus transportation for a couple of leaders from each region to meet in Ceara on the small farm of Antonio Amorin, a natural leader and innovative organic farmer. Some traveled over 30 hours by bumpy bus to reach the remote location where Amorin’s simple house provided headquarters. “Loaves and fishes” appeared from nowhere (perhaps attributable to “connections” of Sister Clarice). A large wrap-around verandah served as discussion center and then converted to dormitory for our group of 12 who fell quickly asleep in swinging hammocks after long days of discussion and demonstrations. If you survived the night amid mosquitoes armed with “chainsaws”, there was a refreshing, gravity flow shower awaiting you under the precariously perched water tank outside.
Times have changed. In nine short years, the attendees have now grown to close to 100. They formed their own committee to plan each year’s theme and agenda. The meeting rotates annually between the northeast states of Ceara, Bahia and Pernambuco. We’re now also funding transportation for representatives from SHARE projects in the southern states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. The current 2008 – 2011 SHARE/CIDA project budgets $10,000 C annually, but as costs increased, they have sought outside partnerships and contribution…….food items from one group, mattresses from another, a place to house the group from another, etc. The January 10 – 14 planning led by Betty Szylassy (MCC) and a committee started planning many months ago. The agenda has expanded to include topics like value-added marketing, micro-credit, leadership development and, of course, lots of sharing of production techniques. This year, around the theme of “Food Security & Sovereignty” the 88 participants discuss their challenges from the perspective of family, municipal, state and national levels.
It is perhaps appropriate that this year’s four day event will be based at the Pernambuco Center of the largest Social Movement in the world, near Caruaru. In this region, the 105 members of nearby AMAGravata group sell 20 tonnes of organic fruit and vegetables monthly into 8 organic markets to generate up to $ 9,000 Cdn monthly. In nearby region of Brejo, the Terra Fertil association president, Mauricio Batista da Silva states “the growing organic movement not only promotes quality of life, and preservation of the environment, but also generates a spirit of cooperation”. It can be profitable as well with organic prices often 10% to 40% higher.