The Fund is managed by BNDES and is destined for the implementation of the project “Social technologies for deforestation reduction” in areas affected by dam constructions.

The Movement of People Affected by Dams, MAB, achieved an important support witch promotes tackling deforestation at the same time guaranteeing the permanency of campesinos in their territories. The project “Social technologies for deforestation reduction” promotes the use of alternative energy and agroecology.

The Amazon Fund is composed manly by donations of the Norwegian and German Government as well as Petrobras and is managed by the Brazilian National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES). This specific project is being implemented by the Interstate Association for Agricultural Development , ADAI

This project is fruit of years of struggle and will be implemented in the next three years in the regions which suffers with the violation of rights due the construction of dams. It will contribute for better living conditions of the families affected at the same time promote the environmental conservation.

The project

The financial support of the Amazon Fund to the project is of nine millions and seventy five thousand reais and goal the implementation of 240 integrated and sustainable units of agroecological production (called PAIS in Portuguese acronym), which will produce vegetables for consumption and generation of income for the benefited families. Also it will install 240 photo-voltaic units for electricity generation for the use of irrigation and for water consumption of the benefited homes.

The project includes the technical training for the contracted agents and the benefited families regarding healthy food production and sustainable use of natural resources, reducing deforestation index. At the same time, it also promotes the strengthening of the organization of those affected by dams in the states of Rondônia, Mato Grosso, Pará and Tocantins.

It’s an issue of justice

Infrastructure investment plans and projects counts in general terms with bank incentives, specially with the BNDES, here in Brazil. The Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) understands that this financial institution has a strategic role within investments of hydro-power dams. But should also have a more direct and agile policy for social inclusion, designating resources for programs and attendance of demands of the organized sectors of society, aiming local development in a responsible and sustainable way, including the majority of the population that are excluded from the so-called progress.

BNDES financed more than 650 energy projects between the years of 2002 to 2012 benefiting public and private corporations; These projects sums 225 billions reais which financed three industry chains: oil and gas; agrofuel and the electricity generation, transmission and distribution chains. 355 financial projects were destined to electric energy, which sums to 101 billions reais. From these projects, 148 were for hydro-power plants in Brazil, summing 60 billions of reais of BNDES’ part.

During this period BNDES has had a strong role within dam constructions, whether financing the constructions corporations or being the direct financier of the plant.

That’s why we consider reasonable and fair to demand the destination of resources, creation of specific programs to attend the fair demands of the people affected by dams, whom for years does not find a proper institutional space or governmental organ to attend concrete measures.

The process

Within this analysis and fruit of intense social mobilizations, due to the responsibility of financial agents and federal organs regarding the construction of the power plants, MAB intensified the dialogue with these sectors and (re)presented its historical demands. This specific project has been initially presented in 2014, within MAB’s national agenda. In October 2015, from the mobilizations process resulted in the meeting with the presence of the director of the Amazon Fund and the president of BNDES, at the headquarter of the bank of Rio de Janeiro. From that date on, we have initiated the elaboration of the project which attends social and environmental demands of the affected populations in the Amazon region.

Challenges

Within this important achievement, fruit of a broad process of collective construction, we are willing to continue building and strengthening the organization in this region, as well as in national level.

Within this perspective, the established goals for this project dialogues with three main themes. First, the accountability of financial agents and dam construction corporations, to attend social-environmental demands at territories where these power projects are implemented. Second, is to continue dialogging on the need to establish a policy of adequate treatment towards the people affected by dams, at national level, demanding the public entities the regulation of this policy, which is systematized within the National Policy for the People Affected by Dams – PNAB (Portuguese acronym). And third, is to subsidize based in this project concrete experiences of food production for family consumption, income generation and educational training on sustainability, agroecology, deforestation and use of alternative sources of electric energy, like solar, serving as a concrete experience to be multiplied and divulged within our social base and partners at national and international level.