The 22^nd World Climate Conference (COP 22), held in November in Morocco, ended with the signing of the Marrakech Action Proclamation, a statement on what the State Parties consider a priority to try to contain global warming in the coming years. “The climate is warming at an alarming and unprecedented rate and we have a duty to respond urgently to the problem”, says the document published by the Ministry of Environment, which makes an assessment of the Brazilian participation in the event.

According to the document, the Brazilian government has evaluated COP22 as a “starting point”, whose focus is the definition of the so-called “rulebook” for the implementation of the obligations assumed under the Agreement. Brazil participated in the COP with a wide and diversified delegation, including representatives from different scopes of Government, academia, private entities and non-governmental organizations. There were 271 Brazilian delegates in Marrakech, of which 87 connected to the Government and 184 from civil society.

The report also outlines the position adopted by the Brazilian representatives at the Conference, such as the view that the Paris Agreement is irreversible and that the work needs to be speeded up to implement it. It also points out to the need, discussed at COP 22, for developed countries to increase their level of funding by defining a “road map” that shows how the $ 100 billion annual target will be achieved by 2020.

The results of the “Pesquisa de Estimativa de Safra-PES” (Crop Forecast Research) give the true dimension of citrus cultivation and contribute to the planning of the future of the sector, so that the culture remains one of the most important socially and economically. In São Paulo State the citrus sector is among the 20 main job creators*.

*See our last post about job creations in the citrus sector here

Annually, Fundecitrus research agents visit citrus belt properties to collect information on the number of bearing and non-bearing trees, irrigated areas, cultivated varieties, age, new plantings or eradications.

From the results, it will be possible to make a more accurate planning of the production and commercialization of the products that have the orange as raw material.

The statistical method used in the census and in the crop forecast of Fundecitrus has never been done before. It is the result of a combination of what was best done by the juice industries in their own census and forecasts since 1987. The improvement of the method counted on the advice of the Statistics Department of the State University of São Paulo (UNESP / FCAV), Markestrat and the Economics and Management Department of the University of São Paulo.

One of the measures of governance adopted was the structuring of committees composed by citrus growers, representatives of orange juice companies, lawyers and academics. Throughout the development of this inventory, several meetings were held in which actions, goals and indicators were analyzed with the purpose of proposing technical improvements for the accomplishment of the project activities.

The results of the crop estimate are published every May, with updates in September, December and February, after monitoring the development of the fruits in the orange trees. The crop closes in April, when the size of fruits and the rate of fruit droppage are also released.

See here more information about the beginning of the project and click here to download the inventory in english.

The orange production was the segment that created more jobs in 2016, among all agricultural categories in the state of São Paulo. According to the General Registry of Admitted and Laid-Off Workers (CAGED, in Portuguese), the agency linked to the Ministry of Labor and Employment of Brazil, from January to August 2016, the citriculture had 30,709 admissions. This amount also puts the sector among the 20 main job creators of the state.

The citriculture positive impact in creating jobs is due the extensive use of manpower, specially during the harvest. To show what this means, just take a look at January 2016, there was 47,071 workers at the orange groves in the State of São Paulo. Considering that, according to Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, in Portuguese), the orange planted area in the state of São Paulo is of 412,861 hectares, it’s possible to see that the citriculture employs one worker every nine hectares. Just for comparison, the same calculation made with sugar cane shows that the activity creates one job every 80 hectares. Which means, one hectare of orange creates nine more jobs than one hectare of sugar cane.

The impact of orange in job creation is so great that from the 10 municipalities of São Paulo with the higher number of admissions in agriculture, listed by CAGED, seven are considered citrus hub, as it is with the first three places: Bebedouro, Matão and Mogi Guaçu. In these towns, the citriculture participation in creating agricultural jobs is of 24%, 23% and 65%, respectively. In towns like Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, this percentage it’s up to 66%.

The numbers are meaningful, specially when considering the job crisis in Brazil. According to the Ministry of Labor and Employment, the month of September was the 18^th straight month of closing formal jobs. In other words, in the past year and a half, there was more layoffs than hiring in the Brazilian economy. This way, the citriculture’ profile as a job-creating activity has a significant impact in the towns where it’s present.

Around the Brazilian citrus activity was built an important technological park, which in the last few years has generated a series of knowledge on varieties, ways of planting, sanitary control, and several other essential points for the sustainability of this agricultural activity. One of the center of excellence in research focused on citrus is the Sylvio Moreira Citrus Center, linked to the Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC), an agency linked to the Secretariat of Agriculture of the state of São Paulo.

Founded in 1928, the center is located in a 70.2 hectares area and has 63 researchers. Among the main lines of scientific and technological research for the citrus industry are production and supply of seeds, buds, seedlings and genetic arrays, diagnoses of citrus pathogens, quality analysis of fruits, among others.

Besides working on a series of studies and researches, the Center works as an important information spreader, offering a series of free courses during the year. One of the most wanted is a citrus diseases course, which offers a series of lectures with some of the main experts in the country on a number of illnesses that strike the groves.

The Center also works as a kind of meeting point of the Brazilian citrus chain. After all, every year it is the host of one of the most traditional citrus events in the country, the Citrus Week. The event gathers different sector’s segment during a week to debate the paths of the citrus activity and to multiply the knowledge around the citrus production.

In Bebedouro, a small town in the countryside of the State of São Paulo, the traditional school lunch in all municipal public schools has been a joy not only to the excited children there but also the orange producers in the region. That’s because over two years ago the municipal government implemented a project that has put orange juice in the students’ daily menu. The initiative has made the per capita consumption of juice, within the six thousand children covered by this action, reach similar levels and even higher to the ones observed in some of the main consumer countries in the world. In Bebedouro’s public schools the consumption already reaches a rate of 25 liters per children/year. Compared to countries like Germany and France, the volume is 23 and 21 liters per capita/year, respectively. The average is also close to Canada’s, where each citizen drinks an average of 29 liters of 100% fruit juice per year and way above Brazil’s, with an annual per capita consumption of 0.5 liters.

Although this rate is restricted to a small group, the initiative shows potential on the demand existent in the state’s public schools. “This project is important because, besides encouraging demand, it also creates a new generation of orange juice consumers and has a health impact on children who has free access to vitamin-rich foods”, says Bebedouro’s mayor, Mr. Fernando Galvão.

The model implemented in the town counts on the participation of local companies, producers and co-operatives that provides juice and also peeled oranges to be served to the students. A total of 162 thousand liters of juice are distributed per year and around 7 thousand peeled oranges. According to the municipal government, 29 primary and middle schools are involved in the program. In order to do this work, the town has two machines, nicknamed “mechanical cows”, responsible for packing 200ml juice bags which are sent to the schools. Each machine has a capacity to pack up to 1800 juice bags per hour. “It’s a project that rescues a citrus tradition in our region and contributes to the students’ health”, says Mr. Galvão.

To make sure that the knowledge developed in laboratories and research fields reaches the orange groves has been one of the challenges of the Sylvio Moreira Citrus Center, one of the most traditional research organizations linked to the Secretariat of Agriculture of the state of São Paulo, focused on citrus studies in Brazil. Every year they organize a Citriculture Training, which aims to spread best practices and new technologies to several links in the production chain.

The action is in its 23^rd edition and each event runs for a week and covers subjects like Postharvest technology, Irrigation, Soil conservation, Nutrition and Fertilization, Agrochemical application technology, Crop planning, among others.

The profile of students includes small citrus growers from São Paulo and other states like Goiás, Minas Gerais and Paraná, experts from large citrus companies, agronomist connected to other states, professionals from supply companies in the citrus chain, graduation students, citrus growers’ sons, post-graduation students working with citrus. Besides, the training also includes professionals from other countries, specially Mexico and Costa Rica.

For more information on this initiative, you can access the Citrus Center website, in Portuguese, click here

During last year, Brazil reached an important mark in agriculture and it’s not about any record in production. The country was able to dispose 94% of the primary containers volume used in its farms in an environmentally correct way. These rates turned Brazil into a leader and world reference in the subject. Just keep in mind that in second place comes France with 77%, followed by Canada, with 73%. The United States comes in 9^th place, with 33%.

In 2015 alone, 45,537 tons of containers were disposed, a 6.8% growth compared to the volume registered in 2014. The correct disposal of these materials prevents contamination in rivers and soils, in addition to prevent health risks to people and animals.

Ahead of this work is the National Institute for Processing Empty Containers (inpEV), a non-profit civil society organization, formed by 98 associated companies. The entity, created in 2001, promotes the program “Campo Limpo”, one of the most successful environmentally correct initiatives in the world for disposal of post-consumption agrochemical containers.

A network was organized through inpEV with more than 400 receiving units for empty containers, across 26 states, managed by around 260 distributors’ associations. The farmers purchase agrochemicals from around five thousand distributors and cooperatives, and they are responsible for washing and render post-consumption containers useless so, then, send them to the receiving units. From there, the containers follow to their final disposal, that can be incineration or recycling. The government authorities, in federal, state, and municipal level, are responsible for the inspection of the System and for orientation and issuing licenses for the receiving units, in addition to support educational actions.

The program has its operation based on the dynamics of reverse logistics, responsible for integration and articulation of all chain links. These agents share responsibility, according to Federal Law 9,974/2000. The Brazilian legislation requires that each agent active in the agricultural production in Brazil fulfils a specific role in the receiving process and final disposal of the empty agrochemical containers, as links in an integrated chain.

Producers

• To wash all containers and render them useless
• To store them temporarily in the property
• To return them to the place indicated in the product’s invoice
• To keep the return ticket for a year

Distribution channels / Cooperatives

• To indicate places of return in containers’ invoice
• To arrange and manage the receiving units
• To issue a return ticket for producers
• To educate producers and raise awareness

Industry manufactures

• To remove the empty containers returned in the receiving units
• To make a correct disposal of containers (recycling or incineration)
• To educate producers and raise awareness

Government authorities

• To inspect the compliance of shared responsibilities
• To issue licenses for receiving units
• To educate producers and raise awareness

http://www.inpev.org.br/relatorio-sustentabilidade/2015/index.html

The secretariat of agriculture and supply of the State of São Paulo has organized on march 23rd, 2016 a one-day event in the scope of the Programme of Agricultural Health for Family Farmers. The main goal was to train 40 fruit growers on how to identify one of the main diseases affecting citrus groves (greening) and the best practices to fight the disease.

This is the second time in the last six months when the Biology Institute (BI) of the secretariat organizes such events. A third step is planned in the programme, when farmers collect material from trees that might be infected and send for analysis of the BI who will issue a report indicating or not the presence of the disease.

According to the secretary of agriculture, Mr. Arnaldo Jardim, generate income and guarantee safe products are two of the main goals of the government in the agriculture secretariat.

The results of the programme will help growers plan collective actions, since fighting the disease requires regional management. The insect that transmits the disease can fly from one property to another.

For the farmer Walter Adriano Pereira, this initiative “has a good technical quality in terms of information”. The same good perception is shared by the grower Sandro Cavini, who believes “this event reinforces the need of information to fight the disease”.

The farmer Ronaldo José dos Santos showed concern about the disease, but “at the same time felt hopeful when looking at the tecniques shared to control the greening”.

The activities of the programme are developed jointly by the Biology Institute, the Coordination of agricultural defence, the Coordination of Technical Assistance (CATI) and the regional group of the “Vale do Paraíba” region. In the event held in Tremembé, it counted with the help of Fundecitrus.

Since 2009, the programme has trained more than 1,500 people in several municipalities.
Source: Information published by the government of the state of São Paulo written by Hélio Filho (original available in portuguese only)

Photos: Harumi Hojo

The programme comprises income transfer, especially via the “Bolsa Família” programme, social assistance services and frequent follow-up of families involved, acting in conjunction with states, municipalities and the civil society.

According to the regional director of the ILO for Latin America and Caribe, Mr. José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, who visited Brazil last july to know the current actions and results of the plan “Brazil without misery”, “Brazil is a leader in child labour eradication”. In addition, he said he was “Satisfied to see the successes in Brazil, that may be an example to other countries”.

Source: Website of the Brazilian Federal Government

According to a report published by the Fundecitrus (Fund for Citrus Plant Protection), more than 7 thousand farmers grow oranges in the Citrus Belt of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. Most of them, small farmer, and many of them, running family businesses for generations. In order to guarantee that their activities are economically viable and sustainable, they need to be aware of the need to fulfill the requirements of the Brazilian labour law, one of the strictest in the world. This is a labour-intensive activity, considering that picking of the oranges is manual and involves hiring many pickers.