Partial view of the vegetable garden

Producer harvesting the vegetables in the garden

The communities and rural land claim settlers in the Tocantins State have lived a history of difficulties regarding the lack of water, electrical energy and the cost of maintenance for the pumps that provide water. The Ecological Institute has situated itself in this reality to make the vegetable garden installation work and irrigation models based on a solar energy source. It is taking into account that the development of a system that utilizes renewable energy sources is taking better benefit of the local energetic potential, contributing to the reduction of climate warming effects and socially and economically benefiting these communities.


OBJECTIVES

▪ Conduct a preliminary study to check the socio-economic situation of the communities involved. This study will serve as the base line for the analysis of the results that we want to achieve;

▪ Substitute non renewable energy sources for clean and renewable sources, such as solar energy, thus contributing, to a decrease in the climatic change effects;

▪ Build water reservoir systems for the irrigation of areas of at least 1,600m2 for the cultivation of vegetables and other crops and to monitor and maintain these systems in the communities;

▪ Establish training programs in the use and maintenance of equipment and the advantages and disadvantages of the use of solar energy;

▪ Establish training programs geared to the marketing and commercialization of products obtained from the vegetable gardens;

▪ Broadcast the technology to other land claim sites;

▪ Perform an end study to check the improvements obtained and the increase of the monthly income of the related community;

▪ Implantation and construction of a sales location point for the products grown in the vegetable gardens.

▪ Improvement in the sustainable resources;

▪ Improvement in the water supply system to the region under the study;

▪ Use of solar energy to improve the generation of income and quality of alimentation in the community;

▪ Creation of favorable scenarios  in order that the model can be replicated in other communities.