Living Land

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Water access

In the Brazilian backlands better access to water is promoted,

in particular, through improving the storage of water in the

soil and maintaining the vegetation cover. These objectives

are reached through technologies such as:

• Retention terraces — transversal channels built in the

direction of the declivity of the terrain, reducing the

speed of the flood and its destructive potential on the soil.

• Contour stone barriers — applied on small farms, in areas

where the use of agricultural mechanization is difficult.

These also reduce the volume and speed of floods.

• Successive sediment containment barriers — structures

built with loose stones in small inflowing rivers or

streams, with the objective of retaining the sediments

generated by erosion in cultivated areas.

• Underground dams — the use of a plastic canvas in the

underground to create a barrier that will prevent the

accumulated water in the soil continuing to flow during

the dry season. Such underground water reservoirs are

therefore used as a moist substrate for growing crops and

as a support for water supply.

• Sustainable forest management — the planned use of

forests, allowing for natural regeneration. It protects

the soil and ensures the conservation of species and of

vegetation cover. The planned use of dry forests allows for

taking advantage of their forage for cattle farming, as wells

as providing sustainable and legalized forest biomass to

meet energy demands and enhancing the use of non-timber

species. Other positive outcomes are favouring beekeeping

and better regulating the water supply.

Besides the above-mentioned technologies, the construction

of cisterns based on the traditional knowledge of the local

population has positively affected the lives of more than 4

million poor people in the semi-arid area. Cisterns are a low-

cost technology, which allows for the capture and storage

of rainwater. The implementation of cisterns is funded and

coordinated by the Federal Government in partnership with

civil society organizations, state and local governments.

Since 2003, over 1.2 million cisterns have been built. Labour

is chosen preferably within the local community, lowering

costs and generating job opportunities. Beneficiary families

and bricklayers are trained both for the construction and for

the proper use of correspondent technology. Each cistern is

monitored for the assessment of its results.

Increasing access to water in this region generates profound

changes in the lives of families: it reduces the incidence of

diseases and liberates women and children to other activities.

This experience strengthens the enormous capacity of local

dwellers to cope with the hardship of the Sertão. In addition,

it releases families from dependence on tank trucks and other

forms of political patronage.

Overcoming extreme poverty

Food security is recognized as one of the top priority issues for

Brazil. Initially, with the Zero Hunger Programme and later

with the main Brazilian conditional cash transfer programme

— called ‘Bolsa Família’ — Brazil managed to consider-

ably reduce extreme poverty. Currently the Bolsa Família

programme reaches 14 million households. Public sponsor-

ship for the construction of cisterns is specifically devoted to

Image: João Vital

Successive sediment containment barriers, ensuring water retention in the soil and a productive environment

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