Canadian University Projects in International Development Database (CUPID)

Americas

Brazil

• Southern oceans education and development
• Building Capacity in Food Security in Brazil
• Capacity Building of Civil Society in Water Resources Management
• Éducation relative à l'environnement en région amazonienne
• Participatory Sustainable Waste Management, Brazil

Building Capacity in Food Security in Brazil

Project purpose:
The project aims to increase the capacity of the Reference Centre in Food and Nutrition Security (CERESAN) at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro to support domestic food and nutrition security councils at the local and state levels in Brazil as well as in Angola. It also aims to increase the capacity of the Brazilian centre to deliver online university credit courses in food security, to support the training of community agents in food security in Brazil and Angola, and to implement and monitor community-based projects in food security.

Key results to date:
Four online food security courses credited by Ryerson were developed and 7 instructors were trained. At least 204 students registered in the courses and 4 received gender training. Exceeding original plans, the State University of Ceará in Brazil now offers a graduate specialization building on these courses. In Angola, 34 participants completed a one-week course. Intensive outreach to government, NGO and community agents was done in partnership with 4 Brazilian NGOs, 1 Angolan NGO, three Brazilian universities and 1 Angolan university, and a Brazilian private sector company that provides employment for some graduates. Thirty-one workshops were held, training 305 Brazilians and Angolans. Four Brazilian public engagement seminars were held, as well as four scholarly seminars (one in Angola), attended by 387 people. Seventeen articles were published and existing materials gathered. Thirty-six students built research capacity. Four pilot projects were established. Angolan partners and the University Agostinho Neto worked with the Ministry of Agriculture Food Security Office on the development of the 2009 National Strategy for Food and Nutrition Security. A series of intensive courses were taught in Cape Verde.

Éducation relative à l'environnement en région amazonienne

Project purpose:
In response to the gravity and magnitude of social and environmental problems in the Amazon region, the objective of the EDAMAZ (Educación ambiental en Amazonia) project was to promote the institutional strengthening of participating universities in the area of environmental education.

Key results to date:
In each of the three participating countries, the partners set up a continuing education program for university teams, which trained 14 faculty and 13 students; a university program for teaching consultants specializing in leadership and facilitation at "school-community" locations, which trained 369 students in the Amazon region and in Canada; and a distance education program for primary school teachers in environmental education that trained 653 teachers, 11,457 students and 2,650 parents and members of the communities involved. In each of the three countries, a documentation centre was set up and teaching materials, both joint and specific to each, were produced. Approximately 60 articles have been published in journals or conference proceedings.

Southern oceans education and development

Project purpose:
The project, in partnership with the Ministry of Fisheries (INAQUA), aims at improving productivity, competitiveness, efficiency and the quality of human capital in rural areas. INAQUA's personnel will acquire the knowledge and skills needed to manage efficiently and in an environmentally responsible manner the new commercial shrimp production industry. Furthermore, extension programs will be developed to promote the establishment of small scale marine aquaculture micro-enterprises in rural coastal areas, thus augmenting employment opportunities and food security.

Key results to date:
The new master¿s program in Sustainable Aquaculture started in July 2010 and has been a great asset to the school. Two faculty members and one Inaqua employee have completed graduate training at UFSC. Two courses at the school have been upgraded and an intensive training in aquaculture has been coordinated by newly trained faculty. Two additional faculty started their master¿s program at UFSC in 2011 and one employee from Inaqua is finishing his master¿s program at University Victoria. Four tilapia ponds have been built at ESCMC for trainings, workshops and classes and one marine lab is under development. The library was improved by the addition of 110 volumes of marine sciences and aquaculture books and a new facility was built to better accommodate books and students. The library is accessed daily by 75 percent of the students. Several collaborations with international institutions have been established and lectures are given by national lecturers as well as visiting professors from universities in Norway, Tanzania, Canada and Brazil. The first two projects for community-based pilot aquaculture operations have been launched and more farmers have requested projects. Workshops and short-term trainings have increased the capacity of extension workers to train village personnel in shrimp culture, environment and program design. Several trainings and workshops on aquaculture and environment, tilapia culture, shrimp culture, project development, sustainable aquaculture, experimental design in aquaculture and HIV/AIDS gender issues have also been offered at the school and at Inaqua.

Participatory Sustainable Waste Management, Brazil

Project purpose:
The overall purpose of the project is to increase effectiveness, safety and income generation of informal and organized waste recycling in the four municipalities of Santo André, Diadema, São Paulo and Ribeirão Pires. This will be done through capacity building, strengthened organizational structures, increased awareness and adding value to the transformation of recyclables. In the long term, the project aims to improve the urban environment of the metropolitan area of São Paulo.

Key results to date:
The project has increased the capacity of participants, including members of the Faculty of Education (FEUSP) at the University of São Paulo (USP), to further enhance the capacity building of organized recyclers. To date, 10 men and 14 women recycling representatives from the management committee have completed their advanced-level training on participative management methodologies, technical aspects of selective waste collection, social inclusion awareness, occupational health and health hazards. More than 30 participants appointed by the six participating municipalities and by leaders of informal recycling groups and cooperatives have also completed the training. They are all taking part in the process of forming new citizen leadership groups. Furthermore, approximately 950 recyclers, government representatives and management committee representatives, including staff and students from FEUSP, participated in short-term training offered by the project. Their skills, knowledge, and opportunities have been strengthened over the years. Some of the recyclers speak of the project as having been a life transforming experience. Recycling cooperatives and associations in the metropolitan region of São Paulo have been engaged in a network to commercialize recycling and waste management. To alleviate challenges linked to the sale of recyclable materials, the project initiated a collective sale process by which many groups of recyclers would contribute with materials in order to reach the minimum quantity required to sell directly to the industry. The project also set up a micro-credit fund and organized individual meetings with some buyers to negotiate better commercialization conditions. This work is improving incomes and the networking and organizational skills of some of the most marginalized populations in Brazil. Continuous capacity building training, particularly in participatory management, leadership development, business administration, digital inclusion and gender equality, has helped strengthen the recycling groups. The project has participated in several local, national and international events, to promote participatory sustainable waste management and contribute to the debate on solid waste public policy. The project has successfully attracted new funding to implement three new projects. The first two projects focus on strengthening and expanding collective commercialization of collected waste and the other project focuses on further implementing participatory sustainable waste management strategies and policies. The project plays an active role in strengthening the dialogue between recyclers and the government, providing background information and support. It has established a network within which recyclers¿ representives, universities and local government reflect on issues of infrastructure, logistics, solid waste management, human and financial resources of waste collection. It has intensively promoted knowledge sharing and the building of partnerships with municipalities and other key stakeholders. As a result, some municipalities now recognize and implement the fair payment policy for services performed by recyclers. The project has further created and strategically used award-winning videos, photography, newsletters, promotional material, books and articles and a web site to build a better understanding about the important role of information and organized recycling in solid waste management.

Capacity Building of Civil Society in Water Resources Management

Project purpose:
The project aims to strengthen the capacity of civil society in São Paulo, Brazil, to participate effectively in the management and protection of the state's water resources and to increase recognition by relevant government agencies of the role of civil society in water resources management. This is being done by strengthening the capacity of the University of São Paulo and the Ecoar Institute for Citizenship to develop partnerships with civil society and provide assistance through research, training and other activities.

Key results to date:
The project developed innovative and transferable methods of supporting broader involvement of civil society in water management. Partnerships with dozens of community associations, schools, youth groups, health agents and other organizations in the watersheds were established to build knowledge and understanding of water issues. More than 1100 people were involved in 200 training workshops, including elementary and high school teachers, municipal health agents, waste pickers, low income youth, community and environmental groups. Youth workshop participants, who are members of a hip-hop collective, wrote a rap song about the value of water in local communities and community participants organized local tree-planting and community gardens. Data was collected through a survey of 700 watershed residents which was analyzed and compiled into a publicly available visual atlas. Project partners have developed new learning modules and course material, presented the project at conferences and public events, and published many articles in academic journals.