In August 2019, FGVces was selected through a public call to provide consulting in the scope of the "Recovery of Climate and Biodiversity Services in the Southeast Corridor of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest" Project - Conexão Mata Atlântica, whose goal is to increase biodiversity and water protection and combat climate change. To do so, it promotes activities to conserve native vegetation, adopt more productive systems, and improve the management of conservation units.

Conexão Mata Atlântica has worked with more than 250 rural producers in the areas defined by the project, which are distributed in the buffer zones of four Conservation Units: the São Francisco Xavier Environmental Protection Area in the municipality of São José dos Campos/SP; The Bananal Ecological Station, covering part of the municipality of Bananal/SP; the Santa Virgínia Nucleus of the Serra do Mar State Park inserted in the municipalities of Natividade da Serra and São Luiz do Paraitinga, and the Itariru Nucleus of the Serra do Mar State Park, covering part of the municipalities Miracatu, Pedro de Toledo, Itariri and Peruíbe.

FGVces' work focused on one of the components of the Atlantic Forest Connection, the Sustainable Value Chains component, which works to support the project's beneficiary farmers in the economic viability of sustainable production activities that take place around the participating protected areas. Some of the chains included were native fruits (juçara, cambuci, abiu, grumixama, pine nuts, among others); pulps, jellies, preserves; meliponas (native stingless bees); seeds and seedlings of forest species; ornamental plants (orchids, bromeliads, palm trees, among others); medicinal and/or aromatic extracts, liqueurs and beverages; non-conventional food plants (PANC).

Activities

The consultancy included the following stages: (i) socio-territorial diagnosis and studies on priority value chains of sociobiodiversity in the Atlantic Forest; (ii) training of field technicians; (iii) articulation and partnerships for market access; and (iv) dissemination of the results.

Socio-territorial diagnosis and study on priority value chains

This stage included the construction of a thorough understanding of the realities of each of the territories covered by the project, including a survey of the main actors, forums, and organizations, the socioeconomic profile of the location, environmental characteristics such as microclimate and biodiversity, and public policies in place, among other aspects. In addition, the value chains already established in the regions were analyzed in order to identify those to be considered priorities by the project, using as criteria their potential to generate positive socio-environmental externalities, that is, their relevance in mitigating climate change, in the conservation and/or regeneration of forests and biodiversity, and in income generation, among others.

Technicians training

Seeking to create an alignment between the field methodology of local technicians and the studies carried out for the prioritized value chains, FGVces built a training model that had as its target audience the technical assistance teams hired to execute the activities of the Atlantic Forest Connection in each location. The content especially involved training the technicians in planning and management tools that would allow the implementation of the resources received and market access by the beneficiary landowners, such as cash flow and Canvas - Business Model. In each of the territories, three training meetings were held with local technicians, so that they could appropriate the content and implement the tools in the assisted properties.

Articulation with the market and public policies

This stage consisted of the search for qualified marketing channels for the products of the prioritized value chains in the areas covered by the project, in order to create a market for these products, promote sales and ensure the economic viability of the farms. The activities involved meetings with public managers responsible for purchasing food for school meals, purchasing teams from retail chains and the food industry, among others, according to the prioritized value chains. A fair was also held at FGV with the farmers participating in the Atlantic Forest Connection to introduce them to marketing channels such as restaurants, emporiums, and qualified markets in São Paulo.

Publication

Fortalecimento de cadeias de valor sustentáveis: contribuições do FGVces ao projeto Conexão Mata Atlântica This publication compiles the process, results, and findings of FGVces' collaboration with the Atlantic Forest Connection project. The work carried out, which began in September 2019 as part of the support for Sustainable Value Chains, aimed to exercise a strategic look at the construction of business plans and the access of producers to qualified markets, in order to contribute to the strengthening of promising and relevant value chains for each of the four territories. Access the publication

Partners

Financier: Global Environment Facility – GEF (Convênio de Financiamento Não-Reembolsável nº GRT/FM-14550-BR), through Banco Interamericano do Desenvolvimento – BID

Resource Executor:  Fundação de Empreendimentos Científicos e Tecnológicos – Finatec.

Executors of the actions in São Paulo: Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia, Inovações e Comunicações (MCTIC), Sistema Ambiental Paulista, through Fundação Florestal e da Coordenadoria de Biodiversidade e Recursos Naturais da Secretaria de Estado do Meio Ambiente.