In the central region of Minas Gerais, in the municipality of Congonhas, those who arrive at Fazenda Paraíso dos Profetas will find sustainability in water availability and preservation.
This way, the place became a reference in the surrounding area as soon as it had preserved forests and diverse activities, but the situation 12 years ago was completely different.
At first there was a lot of erosion, termites, lack of pastures as well as lack of water, the producer is Mrs. Wagner Henriques, who encountered these difficulties.
Thus, Mr. Wagner decided to seek out Emater-MG – a company linked to the State Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Seapa) – to learn how to develop productive activities.
“I told them that I had bought a property, so I had no knowledge of anything, and I didn't know what to do,” he says.
Soon, the Emater-MG technician in Congonhas, Paulo Rosa, concluded that the situation was really very bad, so the team began local work.
Restoration
The first step to resolve the situation was the construction of six basins in the degraded area that store rainwater and contain runoff.
Then, direct planting was carried out in the soil, covering five hectares, and more than one hundred trucks of clay were removed from the lagoon, which had silted up.
Therefore, another activity that benefited from the good water supply was the establishment of an irrigated vegetable garden, with several varieties, in addition to fruit plants.
At the time, next to the vegetable garden, he kept a chicken coop, with free-range birds, as soon as there was an increase in production of 50 eggs per week.
So much so that the 200 liters of milk produced daily are used in the production of cheese, butter, dulce de leche and yogurt, for southeast.
Recent investments on farms have included the installation of solar panels and biodigesters, and waste from the corral is now used as biofertilizer.
Therefore, the actions developed on the property have made the place not only a sustainability reference in the region, but also a source of pride for the producer.