Brazil
The state of Paraíba in the north-east of the country is considered Brazil’s poorhouse. The situation is particularly dire for young people from smallholder families. Together with our local partner organisation ASPTA, we train young smallholders in environmentally friendly and economically viable farming, give them business skills and promote their political participation.
Hear from the people on the ground
Jeane Carla Clementino de Medeiros
Smallholder from Remígio
23 years old
Poverty is particularly high in north-eastern Brazil, where many people live on subsistence farming. One particularly vulnerable group in the state of Paraíba is young people in the rural interior who cannot see a future in small-scale farming. Agricultural policy favors export-oriented large landowners, resulting in monocultures and the intensive use of pesticides that harm people and the environment. Smallholder families are displaced and are unable to keep their farms, which leads to migration to city slums.
The aim is for young people from smallholder families to be able to develop a livelihood and actively help to shape civil society and political life in their region of origin.
In the the last project phase, 570 young smallholders and 1,000 other people attending information events benefitted from our work.
ASPTA (Agricultura Familiar e Agroecológica) has been promoting sustainable subsistence farming since 1983, making an important contribution to environmental protection and combating widespread poverty in our project region.
terre des hommes schweiz
Kasernenhof 8
4058 Basel