Rural producers use technology to protect springs and reforest their land

Rural producers use technology to protect springs and reforest their land | national newspaper

Posted On: June 23, 2023

Rural producers in the interior of São Paulo have the help of technology for the reforestation of properties

Technology employed in machinery and equipment helps farmers in the interior of Sao Paulo reforest rural properties.

Farmers in a classroom. The subject: how technology can help restore forests. In the group there are owners selected in a project of the town hall of Pindamonhangaba, inside São Paulo. They get resources for that: seeds, fencing to protect springs – and it’s not just to comply with the law.

“They will want to comply with environmental laws, but the issue of environmental awareness is definitely there,” says Paulo Ricardo Imparato, deputy environment secretary at Pindamonhangaba.

But the star of the day was waiting to shine. Earlier, the explanation of the precious cargo that the adapted drone is capable of carrying in a single flight: thousands of seeds. The journalist shows in the video, two types of seeds, the ‘muvuca’, which are seeds of different species, all together and pelletized, seeds with a layer around them.

“These are the seeds usually used in recovery projects. This is how they come to us. Here are the granulated seeds. And why do we cover them? To ensure better chances of germination. With this bark around, ants won’t eat it, birds won’t think it’s a snack, and it can hold more moisture while simulating natural cover. So with this one it has a much better chance of turning into a tree,” says Fernando de Lucca, co-founder of Ceres Seeding.

Young people fresh out of college develop the seeds and operate the drones. They are spreading the idea of the technology and are already harvesting partnerships.

“What we’ve seen compared to the traditional seeding system, the labor is about 20-25% cheaper. Traditional reforestation: labour, application of herbicide, making lines, opening holes, putting fertilizer in the holes, setting up the seedbed. With the drone, no. The tall grass is cut and planting with a granulated seed comes into play”, explains rural producer Patrick Assupnção.

Recovered forests in rural areas are used to produce water in cities, for example. And the high technology of the drone goes even further; it gets where it’s hard to plant, like on the farm of rural producer Rita Gomes. She was one of the people selected to receive support in reforestation.

“We are at the top of the hill. Thus, our relief is difficult to plant. We had thought of an ox cart, you know? So for us it has been fascinating,” says Rita Gomes.