The productive projects developed by rural youth in the municipality of General Câmara highlight the importance of the Bolsa Juventude Rural program, from the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development (Seapdr).
The program provides the opportunity for young people to access and complete high school and remain in the countryside. Therefore, through actions to development of family properties. In 2019, 350 scholarships worth R$2,000 each were offered to low-income rural youth aged between 15 and 29. For 2020, there are 471 scholarships, and the selection period is open.
Productive Projects
In General Câmara, seven students from the Vasconcelos Jardim State Education Institute benefited. Last week, the technical team from the Department of Family Agriculture and Agroindustry (Dafa), of Seapdr, monitored the implementation of productive projects by three scholarship holders.
The team was welcomed at the city's Department of Agriculture by director Jéssica dos Santos and veterinarian Anderson Renato Ciotto, who helped publicize the program in educational institutions. Ciotto helped the candidates throughout the program's stages, was the technician responsible for preparing the projects and continues to monitor the implementation.
“The projects were developed through visits to the properties and took into account the wishes of the young people, as well as the family’s ability and the existence of public policies to promote production and encourage sales,” explained Ciotto. According to the civil servant, the available public policies give technicians the chance to plan and provide more targeted and qualified assistance to producers.
Fish farming pond
On the property of Samuel da Silva Azevedo, 17 years old, in the locality of Linha Potreiro, the production project consisted of the construction of a pond for fish farming. Thus, it was recently excavated, with production through the polyculture system of carp.
Samuel's choice was supported by the existence of a municipal project to encourage and support fish farming. In addition, the municipality has a cold storage facility for fish. Now, Samuel is waiting for the moment to put the fry in the reservoir and is already planning a future investment to purchase an aerator and fence the area to keep predators away.
“Here on the property, life is different. Everything I have here, I wouldn’t have in the city,” said the young man, who intends to continue living in the rural area after finishing high school, referring not only to production, but also to quality of life.