MEET SELMA, JOSEFA, AND ROSÂNGELA

In a project carried out by CI-Brazil and funded by General Motors, women take center stage in conserving the Tapajós region.

Selma Ferreira, Josefa Souza, and Rosângela Pereira have a lot in common: they are mature women, mothers, surrounded by the Amazon rainforest in a region of Pará known as Tapajós. They wake up early every day, care for animals and agroforestry systems, manage their homes and families, and are active in leading community organizations in the region. They are strong women, respected figures in their communities. Another thing they share is their dedication to protecting nature and their belief that more women need to be involved in this cause.

These three women, along with 300 others, are part of a project developed by CI-Brazil and funded by General Motors (GM), focused on implementing agroforestry systems (SAFs) and strengthening the restoration chain. “This initiative was essential for empowering women and allowing each of us to show our work ethic. After the training sessions, we had the freedom to choose how we wanted to work. That’s why I believe it was so successful,” says Selma, who is also a member of the Belterra Association of Women Rural Workers (Amabela).

With a strong gender component, the project was developed with and for the community, aiming to generate alternative income, reduce poverty, increase food security, and conserve the forest. SAFs were implemented in three areas near national forests. The project also restored riparian forest near a community center and established and strengthened seedling nurseries with the capacity to produce 80,000 seedlings per year. In total, 70 local women participated in courses covering topics such as entrepreneurship, marketing, social media, production best practices, financial management, agroecology, and tourism. Over 100 people received training in restoration and gender-focused courses.

“This is priceless — it’s transformative and shows that unity makes us stronger and that we can seek partnerships to live better in the countryside, with more dignity and well-being. We learned to work in the nursery with seedlings, helping the Casa Familiar Rural both in improving the facility and reforesting the surrounding area. We had technical support from the project at every step, which was crucial,” recalls Josefa, who is also president of the Association of the Rural Family House of Belterra and educational coordinator at the Community School of the Rural Family House of Belterra.