- Sector : Agriculture
- Location : Brazil
Overview
SCF is providing technical assistance to Courageous Land, an agroforestry project in the state of Roraima, located in the heart of the Amazon. Deforestation in the project area started more than 40 years ago, damaging habitat, diminishing biodiversity and food resources, degrading soil, polluting land, and rivers, and increasing temperatures. The Courageous Land project plans to reforest that land through agroforestry. The project has reforested 75 ha to date and plans an additional 2000 ha.
The Challenge
Deforestation in the Brazilian state of Roraima has been a pressing issue for decades, driven primarily by agricultural expansion and illegal logging. Roraima has experienced significant forest loss leading to habitat destruction and biodiversity loss. The expansion of cattle ranching and soy cultivation has been particularly detrimental to the region’s ecosystems, exacerbating the effects of climate change and threatening indigenous communities who rely on the forests for their livelihoods. Sustainable land management initiatives such as that advocated by Courageous Land are parts of the efforts to combat deforestation aimed at preserving the rich biodiversity of the Amazon biome. However, these efforts face challenges due to complex socio-economic factors and the ongoing demand for agricultural land.
Brazil has the largest labour market in Latin America, with an informal employment rate of 38.5%. The situation for women is even worse, the country scored 0.73 in the gap index in 2022 which means that women were 27% less likely to have equal economic participation and opportunities than men. Courageous land prioritizes job creation and empowerment of women as well as the inclusion of Venezuelan refugees as they adapt to Brazil.
SCF’s Involvement- Technical Assistance
SCF is supporting Courageous Land by facilitating a pre-feasibility study for a Water Resource Assessment, irrigation design and climate risk considerations.
Our Target Impact
It is expected that the project will have a positive impact on SDG 13, 8 and 5 as well as numerous potential co-benefits ( SDG 1, 2, 9, 10, 11, 15)
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SDG 13 Climate Action
It is expected the project will sequester carbon within site soils and plant biomass, estimated to be approximately 970,000 tonnes of net carbon removals over 30 years (32,000 tonnes annually).
The project will also provide climate resilience for the land by regenerating soil, preventing runoff and soil erosion, providing heat-reducing microclimates, etc.
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SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
It is expected that the project will create 800 direct jobs by 2030.
A quarter of the operational workers are Venezuelan refugees.
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SDG 5 Gender Equality
It is expected the project will provide formal work opportunities for as many local women as possible with an initial target of 30% of the workforce (to at least 50% ultimately), including management positions. In the nursery 100% of the workforce are women.
The project will comply with SCF Gender Policy.
