Research actions receive support from partners at Expoagro Afubra

On the first afternoon of the 19th Expoagro Afubra exhibition, which runs until this Thursday, March 28th, in Rio Pardo/RS, Embrapa signed four important agreements with partners in this region of the State of RS to develop its research activities. Partnership contracts were signed between the Company and Afubra, the University of Santa Cruz (UNISC), Phillip Morris do Brasil and Banrisul. The event was held in the main auditorium of Parque da Afubra, in the presence of authorities, partners and members of research and development actions and projects. The Head of the Embrapa Climate Temperado research unit (Pelotas, RS) led the ceremony.

The first agreement signed was between Embrapa Clima Temperado (Pelotas, RS) and Afubra to continue technology transfer and training actions for family farmers until 2021. "We remain willing to work with pleasure and care, without wasting a single seedling", expressed the president of Afubra, Benício Werner, who praised the work of multiplying Embrapa materials carried out through the existing partnership with the Association with the aim of diversify crops on rural properties. He also highlighted the great demand for genetic materials from sweet potatoes and BRS Kurumi grass, which is currently present in 13 Brazilian states.

The second contract was made between the Pelotas Research Unit (RS) and UNISC, especially to provide training to farmers, through the Technological Vocational Center (CVT) in the areas of fruit growing, horticulture, grains, milk, free-range chicken, aggregation of value and agricultural production. "Today, we publicly recognize this alliance that is being formed, we celebrate the scientific knowledge and experience that Embrapa lends to the University and the public to be trained in the selected thematic areas", said the Pro-Rector of Extension and Community Relations, professor Angelo Roque .

For this agreement with UNISC, a meeting was held at the CVT, inside the Expoagro Afubra park, after this act of signing, with representatives of the Company's research units in order to establish a schedule of courses for 2019. It was agreed that they will be Those responsible for each thematic area were elected, but the first course was set to take place in May.

The signing ceremony also featured a speech by the Secretary of Family Agriculture and Cooperatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, Fernando Schwanke, who highlighted how much Embrapa has contributed to Brazilian agriculture and that the Pelotas Research Unit has contributed too much to family farming. "We are proud of the South region, which sets an example for our country. It is strong and has an important role," said Schwanke.

The ceremony closed with a statement from the general head of Embrapa Clima Temperado, Clênio Pillon, who highlighted the story of a producer who arrived in Porto Alegre by plane, took an Uber to Rio Pardo, and went to Expoagro just to purchase grass seedlings BRS Kurumi. "These are complete demonstrations that reflect this partnership with AFUBRA", said Pillon. He also highlighted other crops that Embrapa has developed and stood out in the region with other partners, such as sugar cane. And he also recalled that all the actions carried out with these partnerships are large-scale institutions and companies. "The projects developed in this win-win partnership are successful innovative actions from the public network, where we embark on the best technologies we have", reaffirmed Pillon.

Support for Organic Backyards

The last two partnership signatures were due to the Quintais Orgânicos project, which formalized the continuity of actions between Embrapa Clima Temperado and Phillip Morris do Brasil, which will support the logistics to implement more quintas wherever they are requested, and Banrisul which associates this action for the first time, with collaboration in the visibility of the Quintais Orgânicos brand. The project has been around for around 15 years.

"We are pleased to see that all tobacco companies in this region have always been concerned with crop diversification, and this partnership also means that, that we are supporting diversification when we support Organic Quintais", said Banrisul's commercial director, Osmar Paulo.

The Portuguese Pedro Braga, Director of Tobacco at Phillip Morris for the Americas, spoke of the joy and honor of providing support to the Quintais Orgânicos project so that the action spreads much further within the country because it is an efficient project, and that he saw up close, within of Expoagro Park, as the project is, in the Embrapa demonstration area.

The Quintais Orgânicos project has been implemented in the Afubra park for eight years. Since it was installed in that region, 191 backyards have been implemented around Rio Pardo, mainly through the work of the Escola Família Agrícola de Santa Cruz (EFASC) and the Escola Família Agrícola do Vale do Sol (EFASOL). With the support of Phillip Morris in 2018, the project reached 31 quintas. By confirming continuity of support for the project for 2019, Quintais Orgânicos intends to gain 25 new quintas. "Our expectation is that in 2020 we will celebrate the milestone of 2.500 organic backyards installed", said the agronomist responsible for the project, Fernando Gomes.

Embrapa is represented at the 19th Expoagro Afubra, through nine thematic spaces, with the presence of technicians from six research units in the State and outside RS. Expoagro Afubra is one of the largest fairs dedicated to Family Farming in Latin America.