Objetivo

OBJETIVO Promover o desenvolvimento sócio-econômico includente e sustentável e a redução da pobreza na região de maior risco social do estado de Minas Gerais (Jequitinhonha), além de criar a oportunidade e modelo para o uso intensivo e extensivo da biomassa energética no estado.

For biofuels to make a large and sustainable contribution to the world energy economy, governments will need to enact consistent, long-range, and coordinated policies that are informed by broad stakeholder participation. Policy priorities include: • Streng the n the Market: creating an enabling environment based on sound fiscal policy and support for private investment, infrastructure development, and the building of transportation fleets that are able to use the new fuels. • Sp ee d the Transi tio n to N ex t-Gener atio n Techno log ies: expedite the transition to the next generation of feedstock and technologies that will enable increased production at lower cost, while reducing negative environmental impacts. • Pro tect the Reso ur ce Base . Maintaining soil productivity, water quality, and myriad other ecosystem services . National and international environmental sustainability principles and certification systems are important for protecting resources . • Encou rag e Bro ad Rur al Econo mic Be nef its. Government fiscal and land use policies will help determine how broadly the economic revenues from biofuels are spread and how they will shape rural economies. • Faci litate Sustai nab le I nter national Biofuel Trad e. Continued rapid growth of biofuels will require the development of a true international market in these fuels, unimpeded by the trade restrictions in place today. • Eff icie ncy and I mp ro ved P ub li c Trans port. Biofuels should be developed within the context of a broad transformation of the transport sector aimed at dramatically improving transport efficiency.

OUR CHALLENGE TOWARDS POVERTY ALLEVIATION PAST AND PRESENT SCENARIO Poverty and chronic deprivation have long been a tragic aspect of human society. Indeed poverty often served the interests of dominant social groups by assuring low-cost agriculture labourers and workers for off-farm activities . Today perspectives on poverty are undergoing transformations. The sheer scale of mass poverty – over million absolutely poor human beings condemned to short lives stunted by malnutrition, ill health and illiteracy – is no longer acceptable from either a moral or a real politic standpoint. Although the Brazilian economy is emerging, the unbalanced wealth distribution affects dramactically the rural poor.

OUR BELIEFS With the spread of participative governance and democracy, the fate of a substantial proportion of the population who are poor cannot be ignored by society as a whole. The poor have to be recognized as individuals with rights and as potential agents of change who can themselves play an increasing role. in determining social and economic outcomes poor groups should not be seen merely as a burden on society. Rather, the poor, especially women, are hard working and often effective microentrepreneurs. “Entrepreneurship means social protagonism, breaking the chains of dependence, belief in the capacity of individuals and communities to construct their own development through cooperation among diverse political and social spheres.” (FRANCO, 2003)

THE EMPOWERMENT OF THE POOR If the conditions could be created for these small producers to become more effective in production and trade, poor groups could contribute significantly to achieving a higher and more sustainable pace of development, promoting not only economic growth but social cohesion. But such conditions will not come about easily or quickly. The legacy of history and the long marginalization of poor groups in terms of the distribution of land and other assets, in terms of institutions and of centuries of inequity in access to education, nutrition and health, create too great an obstacle. These obstacles must be addressed and overcome if the challenging targets on poverty reduction are to be achieved. Acting directly on poverty means addressing their constraints.

Empowering the poor groups Sustained growth can be achieved only by creating conditions in which poor groups can increase their productivity and output. Empowering these poor groups is not a diversion from promoting growth. On the contrary, it is an effective, and perhaps the only, way of achieving sustainable growth. But empowerment will serve little purpose if the material means for increasing production and incomes are not available to the poor. Enhancing their skills and building the human capital of the poor will have a major impact on both their economic productivity and their human dignity. By improving the productivity and sustainable management of land and water, technological advances offer the potential to address many of the obstacles that the lack of assets imposes on the poor. Access to extension services, market and technology must be relevant to the conditions of the poor and they must have access to it.

our challange In modern economies, largescale poverty imposes an enormous economic loss, wasting the talents and energies of hundreds of millions of men and women, diverted from socially productive activities that could create wealth for society to the struggle for mere survival. The partnerships should be at the global level, at the country level with national stakeholders and external partners acting together, the private sector and civil-society institutions collaborating to create conditions that emancipate poor groups. But the fundamental partnership, and ultimately the only one that counts, is with the poor themselves. They have the talents, the skills and the knowledge of their own environment. Outsiders do not have to solve the problem of poverty.BUT WE CANNOT HINDER AS WE DID: Lev. 19:36

Empowering the poor groups Sustained growth can be achieved only by creating conditions in which poor groups can increase their productivity and output. Empowering these poor groups is not a diversion from promoting growth. On the contrary, it is an effective, and perhaps the only, way of achieving sustainable growth. But empowerment will serve little purpose if the material means for increasing production and incomes are not available to the poor. Enhancing their skills and building the human capital of the poor will have a major impact on both their economic productivity and their human dignity. By improving the productivity and sustainable management of land and water, technological advances offer the potential to address many of the obstacles that the lack of assets imposes on the poor. Access to extension services, market and technology must be relevant to the conditions of the poor and they must have access to it.

FOCUS – Northern, Jequitinhonha & Mucuri Valleys

THE WHOLE REGION IS HALF OF THE STATE AND ACCOUNTS FOR ONLY 35% OF ITS GDP 9

“Uma coisa é pôr idéias arranjadas, outra é lidar com país de pessoas, de carne e sangue, de mil-e-tantas Misérias...” Tanta gente – e dá susto de saber; e nenhum se sossega: todos nascendo, crescendo, se casando, querendo colocação de emprego, comida, saúde, riqueza, ser importante, querendo chuva e negócios bons.”

(*) é a devoção, mas o exato das Muita alta e sincera praxes impõe é outras coisas: impõe é o duro

MINAS: NOVAS VEREDAS... “...tudo corre e chega tão ligeiro; Será que se há lume de responsabilidade?” (*)