Seminar in Santa Maria (RS) highlights the importance of irrigation to guarantee production and income

The city of Santa Maria, in Rio Grande do Sul (RS) hosted another edition of the Irrigation Seminar promoted by the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Sustainable Production and Irrigation (Seapi), in partnership with Emater/RS and the Secretariat of Environment and Infrastructure (Sema). More than 100 rural producers from municipalities in the central region participated in the event, which promoted the Irrigation Subsidy and Water Reservation Program, within the Supera Estiagem actions and the Rio Grande Plan for the development of the State. 

During the presentation of the program, the Secretary of Agriculture, Clair Kuhn, highlighted that Rio Grande do Sul has been facing severe droughts over the years, which have had significant impacts on crop production, in addition to economic impacts. “To boost productivity and mitigate the effects of climate events, the state government has invested in irrigation with the goal of expanding the irrigated area of ​​Rio Grande do Sul by another 100 hectares in four years,” he said.

To this end, Seapi is running an irrigation program that pays 20% of the value of the irrigation project, limited to R$100 per rural producer, to those who implement irrigation and water storage systems on rural properties. The funds are paid directly to the rural producer, in a single installment, after the project is completed.

Farmers have until April 30, 2025 to submit their technical projects and documentation. From March to early October, 269 projects were received, 130 of which already had their Eligibility Declaration issued. The remaining projects are still being analyzed by the technical department. The projects already approved represent R$53,5 million and R$6,6 million that will be paid through subsidies to the producer. In total, the state government is expected to invest more than R$200 million in four years.

Emater's technical director, Claudinei Baldissera, highlighted the partnership built for the project's success, with the entity offering irrigation projects free of charge to small producers. Another important point is the partnership with Sema, which, without losing focus on preservation, managed to modernize environmental licensing requirements.

The changes include the adoption of a single license for small and medium-sized enterprises, and a two-phase process for medium and large-sized enterprises.

According to the head of the Agrosilvopastoral Department of the Special Foundation for Environmental Protection (Fepam), Cristiano Horbach Prass, another innovation was the elimination of the need for a license for equipment, requiring only the granting of water use. “The expansion of irrigation activity is included in the Strategic Map of Rio Grande do Sul as one of the ways of climate adaptation in agriculture,” Prass highlighted. 

Sucess histories

One of the highlights of the event was the presentation of successful irrigation cases reported by producers from the municipalities of Jaguari, Santiago and Pinhal Grande. Producer Ismael Maia presented the results obtained on a 24-hectare (ha) property, which were divided into 2,8 ha of water, 1,2 ha of instruments and 20 ha of irrigated area.

“This area was inherited from my father, who, before the irrigation, was able to keep about 20 animals there. After the irrigation, I can keep between 450 and 500 fattening heifers in this area, with a negligible monthly financing payment compared to what we can get in income today,” says Maia. “Irrigation is like a fully guaranteed insurance, because even if it rains 90% of what is needed, the 10% that is missing can make a difference, and that is where irrigation is decisive.”