Page 139 - Suape 45 Anos

The Agroforestry System creates

bridges between business and local communities

The number of people living in the Suape area has grown about country. In Suape, after a careful survey of the communities, it was
70% in the past 12 years, from 10,000 to 17,000 inhabitants. This decided that each farmer should have an area to develop agrofor-
is a population larger than that of small municipalities in the State estry. Once healthy production has been fully installed, a virtuous
of Pernambuco such as Itaquitinga, Lagoa dos Gatos or Triunfo. circle will be set in motion.
This was revealed in the 2035 Master Plan, but these cold statistics Helped by mediation from Suape, communities will go on to pro-
have also been turned into an innovative project: the Agroforestry mote the market for food grown without artificial fertilizers or pesti-
System. cides among companies installed in the complex. These companies
The initiative ushers in a new phase in relations between Suape already form a network of potential clients. To give some idea of the
and local communities. This enables residents of the Ecological potential demand, the Abreu e Lima Refinery alone provides meals
Preservation Zone (ZPEC) to stay put rather than being forced out for 2,500 employees three times a day.
of their homes. Furthermore, they will be trained to practice organic Why not, then, purchase bananas, fruit and veg and other fresh
farming that does no harm to the biome. produce from a locally known and environmentally friendly sup-
Movements like these – that promote harmony between the plier? Not to mention the fact that companies will be helping to
model of production of the community and the natural environ- promote the socioeconomic development of the communities and
ment – have already been successfully set up in other parts of the strengthen good neighborliness.

Suape 45 anos | 139