Project in Goiás brings technology and irrigation to farmers

Rural communities in Formosa and São João d'Aliança, Goiás, received meteorological stations in August to collect climate data from these locations. The goal is to facilitate irrigation management for passion fruit and mango crops being planted in rural settlements in these municipalities, served by the Vão do Paranã Irrigated Fruit Farming project. Irrigation kits and trellises are being installed on the 41 selected properties in Formosa and the seven in São João d'Aliança.

Climate data collected by weather stations will feed the “Irrigate to Develop (ID)” mobile phone application, which will assist farmers in managing irrigation with daily information on the ideal time and the correct amount of water to be applied to crops, contributing to the efficient use of resources. 

“The goal is for producers to save water and energy and increase productivity,” explains researcher Lineu Rodrigues, coordinator of Embrapa Cerrados’ actions in the project, developed in partnership with the São Francisco and Parnaíba Valleys Development Company (Codevasf).

The application will initially be accessed only by project participants, who are being registered by the municipal agriculture departments.

The Irrigated Fruit Growing Project in Vão do Paranã

The project was born in 2023 with the aim of enabling irrigated fruit production by families of farmers settled under agrarian reform in Flores de Goiás, Formosa and São João d' Aliança, in the Northeast of Goiás. 

With technical contributions from Embrapa Cerrados (DF), the efforts are led by the Goiás State Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Supply (Seapa/GO). Other project partners include the São Francisco and Parnaíba Valley Development Company (Codevasf), Emater Goiás, Senar/GO, and local governments.

The first phase of the project included 10 families in Flores de Goiás, who are already harvesting their second passion fruit crop and awaiting the mango harvest. In March 2024, a weather station was installed in the municipality to provide information to support local farmers, who are already using the ID app.

For Fábio Faleiro, deputy head of Technology Transfer at Embrapa Cerrados, the project's main legacy is knowledge. "Once you learn how to work with passion fruit and mango, no one can take that away from you," he says, also highlighting the local community's unity around the initiative. "We are optimistic that it is possible to improve the quality of life of rural producers, and when that happens, the entire community improves as well. We believe that irrigated fruit farming is a path forward, with our partners, research, technology transfer, and good public policy," he adds.

Faleiro also highlights the in-person training activities carried out by the Unit with local farmers and technicians, as well as the offering of free online mini-courses such as Passion Fruit: Cultivars, Production Systems and Market and Mango: Technical Instructions for Commercial Cultivation, available on Embrapa's e-Campo platform.

Meetings with communities

On August 11, the Formosa weather station was handed over at the Fazenda Palmeira Municipal School in the municipality's rural area, in the presence of authorities, farmers, and the local community. Formosa Mayor Simone Ribeiro emphasized that the project is a unifying initiative for the community: "We are inaugurating a facility that, for many, may seem simple, but provides information and directly captures the needs of each rural producer, something that has long been overlooked," she said.

The municipality is home to 29 agrarian reform and land credit settlements, with approximately 2,5 settled families. "We already have focal passion fruit producers, some of whom have joined the project. And mangoes are a new addition," explained Municipal Secretary of Agriculture Suzana Borgmann.

The secretary revealed the high expectations of Formosa farmers for the project, noting that a cooperative will be created to support fruit sales and that an agro-industrial plant is under construction in Flores de Goiás to benefit the production of the three municipalities. "Now we have to work precisely on how the producers will distribute their produce so that they can run the business independently in the future," she said.

In São João D'Aliança, the station was installed in the Mingau Settlement Project (PA) and delivered on the 18th. Mayor Genivan Gonçalves spoke about the prospects for the municipality's producers: "This station will enable production focused on increasing productivity, with less water consumption. Farmers will not only produce for subsistence, but will increase production and market their agricultural products."

The municipality intends to support the commercialization of its produce through public food purchasing programs, such as the National School Feeding Program (Pnae) and the Food Acquisition Program (PAA). "There's no point in producing on a large scale and not having anyone to sell to. So it's essential that we provide this support," he emphasized.

Councilwoman Lilian Ferreira emphasized the importance of this delivery: "The station will bring many benefits to the municipality's producers and will encourage family farming, which is what puts food on our tables."

Débora Domingues, former mayor and project coordinator in São João D'Aliança, said the Mingau PA was chosen for this initiative because it houses farmers interested in improving their operations: "We believe it can serve as an example for all other settlements in our rural communities." The municipality has approximately ten settlements that are either regularized or in the process of being regularized, housing over 700 families.

The initiative's main goal is to enable more people to make a living from working the land, according to the former mayor: "Many people give up earning a living from their own land to earn a living wage in the capital. We're seeing, with this example, that many are ceasing to leave to invest in their own land. This brings hope, renewal, and dignity." 

On the seven properties initially covered by the project, spread across three settlements, irrigation kits are in the final stages of installation. The trellises for passion fruit have already been installed, and seedlings are being planted. Agriculture Secretary Mário da Mota reported that the municipality already had some passion fruit producers, but, as in Formosa, mango will be a new addition. "We're planning to include more producers from São João D'Aliança. Many people are interested in participating. It's a very profitable project."

Hope in the field

The espaliers and irrigation kits are already installed or are being installed in Formosa, and farmers are beginning to order seedlings. Edim Alves de Abreu, from PA Fartura, raises beef cattle and, despite having no experience in fruit farming, is seeking another source of income. "We have great hope of producing well, paying off debts, and working diligently," he said. 

José Cardoso de Sousa, also a PA Fartura settler, emphasizes that the project will add value to his properties. "It will improve the lives of all of us, as well as our neighbors and friends nearby, because it will create jobs," he says. He has been growing cassava and vegetables for eight years, and although familiar with irrigation equipment, this will be his first time working with fruit: "It's a big challenge, but nothing we can't overcome, with the support of technicians from Emater Goiás, Senar/GO, and Embrapa."

Geoval Terezinho Leite, from the São Francisco PA, can't hide his excitement. "I have the best expectations possible. I've never heard of such a grand project; I'm amazed," he said. Leite has experience growing bananas and Ponkan tangerines in Padre Bernardo, Goiás, and currently produces açaí in the settlement – ​​he participates in the Ride/DF Fruit Farming Route. "I want to focus on açaí, passion fruit, and mango," he said. 

Among the farmers of São João D'Aliança, expectations are also high. Welton Ferreira, a rural producer and pastor of the PA Mingau settlement, said the example of Flores de Goiás was crucial: "It's very important to see people's success, as we saw in the Vão do Paranã region. We saw the harvest results, that the project is very good, and that sparked in our hearts the desire to follow this path." He says he's already ordered the seedlings and is eager to begin planting.

Adonias Soares' Sítio Ouro Verde, where a few corn plants and vegetables were grown solely for subsistence purposes, is being prepared to receive irrigation infrastructure for its 2-hectare orchards. The expectation is that the results will be equal to or better than those of the neighboring municipality, due to the quality of the water from São João D'Aliança: "We have high hopes that it will work for us too."

Born in the municipality, Joaquim de Moura Filho believes that the project's many partners are a guarantee of success: "We have advanced technology brought by Embrapa, the city government is embracing our cause, and we have the federal and state governments and the Department of Agriculture as partners. It's inevitable that it will work. Now I'm going to become an entrepreneur, a businessman," he celebrated.

The producer also emphasized the essential role of the producers' cooperative and the agribusiness being established in the region: "We've already received training from Emater Goiás and Senar/GO to make sweets and pulp. We're going to industrialize and add value to our product."