The issues related to the climate crisis are already part of the lives and daily routine of smallholder farmers and organizations from the food supply chain. There are many registered cases of produce loss due to extreme events such as long droughts, storms and higher average in daily temperatures. Another effect of climate change in the agri-food value chain is the disruptions of food supply to big cities and the increase in prices.

For family farmers, climatic variations threaten not only their production, but also harm their income and their family’s well-being. Therefore, the understanding of, and preparation for adverse weather conditions and forecasts are important instruments in the search for greater climate resilience of small farmers, essential for social cohesion in rural areas and food supply in big cities.

Working from this scenario, the Greener Belt Program aims to promote adaptation to climate change for family farmers in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, one of the main vegetable and fruit production hubs in Brazil.

Activities

The initiative started in April 2021 and extends until may 2022. Its main activities are: 

• Program’s territory definition: Municipalities in the Alto Tietê river basin, responsible 16,4% of all vegetables produced in the state;
• Territorial baseline of risks and vulnerabilities associated with climate change, based on historical meteorological data and socio-environmental information for the territory;
• Engagement of family farmers groups in elaboration of scenarios and climate adaptation plans for their production, based on the gathered information (3 workshops will be held with each group);
• Public call for  Brazilian initiatives and solutions that contribute to climate change adaptation for small farmers that can be scaled up and replicated;    
• Sharing of the program’s results and lessons learned, aiming to stimulate its replication in other territories and to influence actors in the agri-food value chain to contribute to climate change adaptation in smallholder farmers. 

Publications

Adaptation to Climate Change by Family Farming in the Green Belt of São Paulo The consequences of the climate crisis are already part of the daily lives of family farmers and organizations in the food chain. There are many cases of agricultural production losses due to prolonged droughts, heavy rains, and average temperature increases. Besides the social and economic damages, which directly affect the income of the producing families, the loss in production brings consequences for the supply of cities and changes the price of food. It is within this context that the Cinturão+Verde (Green+Green Belt) project was born, which aims to contribute so that family farmers in São Paulo and its surroundings are better adapted to climate change. This publication is a record of the activities and results of this pilot initiative.   Click to access the document

Portfólio de iniciativas selecionadas (portuguese) The publication presents seven experiences that promote the adaptation of family farmers to climate change in metropolitan regions in Brazil, which served as inspiration for the construction of action plans for adapting the producers participating in the project. Click to access the document

Partnership

• Citi Foundation