Environmental regulation advances in the countryside of São Paulo.

Nestled within the Atlantic Forest of the Ribeira Valley, the property belonging to Agnaldo José de Oliveira's family holds nearly a century of history. Located near the Intervales State Park in Sete Barras, the Boa Vista Farm has undergone a transformation in recent years: the former monoculture of silver bananas has given way to an agroforestry system that now brings together juçara palm hearts, native timber species, fruits, and roots cultivated amidst the forest. 

Farmer and member of the Guapiruvu Sustainable Agricultural Products Cooperative (Cooperagua), Agnaldo represents the third generation of his family on the property that belonged to his maternal grandfather. The change in the production model began in the early 2000s, driven by soil depletion, financial instability, and the need for families in the region to adapt after the creation of the state park in 1995. 

“We rethought the production model and saw that having a diversity of crops in the middle of the forest could, for example, prevent the spread of pests on our property, promoting environmental balance,” says the producer. 

Today, of the eight hectares on the property, five are dedicated to agroforestry management and three comprise the legal reserve. In addition to bananas, the family mainly produces juçara palm hearts — a species previously threatened with extinction in the region — as well as cedar, ipê, cinnamon, jackfruit, custard apple, cassava, yam, and other crops. 

“Environmental regularization, about 10 years ago, contributed to strengthening our business and expanding access to public policies. It was also fundamental for us to advance in sustainable forest management, guaranteeing authorization for the management and harvesting of juçara palm trees,” notes Agnaldo.

The producer's experience exemplifies the work developed by the Government of the State of São Paulo, through the Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply (SAA), to guide rural producers on environmental regularization, sustainable management, and productive use of preservation areas and native vegetation. 

The initiative is led by the Rural Environmental Regularization Coordination (CRAR), which offers technical support on the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), Environmental Regularization Programs (PRA), Agroforestry Systems (SAFs), collection of forest products, and commercial planting of native species. 

According to the Secretary of Agriculture and Supply of the State of São Paulo, Geraldo Melo Filho, environmental regularization has ceased to be merely a legal obligation and has become an opportunity for rural producers. "When producers receive technical guidance and security to invest, preservation is no longer seen as an obstacle but becomes an integral part of the rural property's development strategy," the secretary emphasizes. 

São Paulo leads in environmental regularization in Brazil. 

The State of São Paulo has already surpassed the mark of 200 validated Rural Environmental Registrations (CARs), leading the implementation of the Brazilian Forest Code. Of this total, more than 54 registrations have identified environmental liabilities, covering an area of ​​111.922 hectares. Of this total, the state already has more than 1.200 validated restoration projects (PRADAs) underway, meaning that more than 21.500 hectares are undergoing environmental restoration between Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) and Legal Reserves.