Its goal is to disseminate sustainable practices that contribute to increase the income of small rural producers and, at the same time, increase the conservation of water resources, which adds to the efforts for the water security of the Cantareira System.

The project, which is in its second cycle, operates on five fronts: Ecological Pasture Management, Forest Restoration, Environmental Education, Public Policies and Communication in eight municipalities in the Cantareira System: Bragança Paulista, Joanópolis, Mairiporã, Nazaré Paulista and Piracaia, in São Paulo, as well as Camanducaia, Extrema and Itapeva, in Minas Gerais.

Sowing water in the Cantareira System

The removal of forests is the main cause of the loss of many ecosystem services, such as water quality and reduced biodiversity. Measures to control this problem include reforestation around rivers and springs and soil conservation in areas with agricultural use. To reverse this process, IPÊ selected small landowners from rural areas in the municipalities of Mairiporã, Nazaré Paulista, Joanopólis, Piracaia, Bragança Paulista and Itapeva (São Paulo) and Extrema and Camanducaia (Minas Gerais) to take part in the initiative.

In these cities, the partner properties have been strategically selected in order to conserve the bodies of water and biodiversity that exist there. In addition to concentrating springs, these locations also have forest areas that are home to endangered species and form a forest corridor between the Cantareira and Mantiqueira mountain ranges.

Together with the landowners, “Sowing Water” influences better land use practices that contribute to the conservation of water resources (forest restoration and land use management). It also carries out environmental awareness activities with local communities, where technical field activities are carried out with lectures, forums and meetings that inform communities about the ecological importance of the municipalities and how it is possible to conserve environmental remnants.

Check out the results of the first phase of the project (2013 to 2015):