Seed: health and sustainability

I am a nurse, university professor, I teach about "one health" which is the integration of human, animal and environmental health, in an intergenerational and human development perspective. I went through many difficulties, including studying, my family was poor and lived in the countryside, access to school was difficult, but I managed to win and today I am a doctor in public health. That is why I have the responsibility to motivate other people, especially young people, that it is possible to break the cycle of poverty when there is determination, effort and dedication. I work with vulnerable populations, mainly indigenous, refugees and settlers. I am currently developing a project on "health and sustainability" in a rural settlement, located in the same place where I was born and which unfortunately has high rates of violence, exploitation and poverty, in addition to the indiscriminate use of pesticides in plantations.

The settlement was intended to be small plots of family farming, but settlers without maintenance conditions rent their land to farmers, and so the settlement became an immense soy plantation with indiscriminate use of pesticides, generating a cycle of poverty and dependence, in addition to health problems. In view of this, the project encourages young

people in the settlement to act as multipliers of good ideas, such as sustainability. These young people come from the families who live in the settlement, they bring in their family history many struggles and difficulties, reflecting a warlike behavior. The first mission was to remove them from the defensive position by creating a bond of solidarity. We held health and sustainability workshops, we recently rented one of these lots and we are developing subsistence farming and raising animals without confinement (our goal is to get funding for reforestation, rainwater harvesting, use of solar energy)  

Vulnerability is the specific problem of the project. The settler who is unable to plant leases his land, when the harvest occurs, he no longer has anything to receive because the payment was made in advance during the year, so he leases it for the following year, generating a cycle of financial dependence. The farmer who leased wants profit then deforest, pollutes land and rivers. Everything is planted with soy, using a lot of pesticides (crops and people are sprayed). Consequently, many people fall ill frequently. Sad and difficult situation that affects around 500 families in this settlement, and that is repeated mainly in other settlements. The region has a low Development Index (HDI), settlements have created a poverty belt, the main factor as it generates violence and vulnerability

ur project presents and creates income generation possibilities for the population of a rural settlement, develops health workshops, encourages sustainability and conservation of the planet. It has young students as its main ally, which are the multipliers of good ideas. Health indicators are indicators of good practices, so health promotion and sustainability workshops are offered weekly. After the realization of these workshops, the idea of renting one of these lots arose to put into practice the entire sustainability plan elaborated, and so we created the “Modelo Lot”. This lot will not be leased for soy plantation, it will have a subsistence plantation and small livestock without confinement. The cow to produce the milk must always be pregnant (pregnant), as the goal is to sell the milk, there is little left to feed the calf, so the male calves are sacrificed in favor of the females. In view of this common practice in the region, it will be requested to donate these calves which, after being raised, will be sold as fat cattle, generating income for the Modelo Lot.

Our project presents and creates income generation possibilities for the population of a rural settlement, develops health workshops, encourages sustainability and conservation of the planet. It has young students as its main ally, which are the multipliers of good ideas. Health indicators are indicators of good practices, so health promotion and sustainability workshops are offered weekly. After the realization of these workshops, the idea of renting one of these lots arose to put into practice the entire sustainability plan elaborated, and so we created the “Modelo Lot”. This lot will not be leased for soy plantation, it will have a subsistence plantation and small livestock without confinement. The cow to produce the milk must always be pregnant (pregnant), as the goal is to sell the milk, there is little left to feed the calf, so the male calves are sacrificed in favor of the females. In view of this common practice in the region, it will be requested to donate these calves which, after being raised, will be sold as fat cattle, generating income for the Modelo Lot.

I was born in that place, my parents were employees of the farm that was divided into small lots by the federal government and today is the Settlement. I went through similar difficulties, I arrived to study in a small rural school in which all the grades were in a single room, each grade was in a row in the room. The bathroom was a latrine outside. But I had the opportunity to study and when I graduated I tried to be a partner of the school, I provide health advice, I help to look for resources, ministers courses and training. Last year there was a very severe drought across the region and what got worse was worse, so I found myself in a situation where I needed to give hope and perspectives to those young people and their families. I sought to establish partnerships with other University courses, agronomy, veterinary, rural administration and created the Semente project, aiming to promote health and sustainability for that community

This problem is so important to me because I care about the next generations, I want to contribute to the construction of a better world! The motivation is that that place is in my life story (my affective memory). Forty years ago I was facing similar difficulties, I had the opportunity to study and it changed my life and that of my family, so I need to show that it is possible to change a reality.

As a university professor and researcher, I had opportunities to coordinate several research and university extension projects, I am a student of the subject, I know the importance of reconciling human health with environmental and animal health so that everyone benefits. I am a good educator and I am well articulated in public spaces, finally, I seek the best for everyone!

The roads are very bad, as they are dirt when it rains, it becomes a clay that is difficult to drive. On the day that we were going to open the project's community garden, I had a car accident going to the settlement, my mother who accompanied me passed away, my world ended !!! I thought it would not be possible to react or continue anything else in that place. But I joined forces and moved on, my work and the teaching of those people helped me to overcome, it was necessary to react, many people had pinned hopes on the project I could not give up.

I coordinated a large international cooperation project with England, developed in an indigenous community in Mato Grosso do Sul, the project aimed at strengthening the health system through the training of indigenous health agents, at the time there was a conflict between indigenous people and agribusiness farmers, land dispute, and overheard an attack in the village, the Indians invaded the Health Post and held the health professionals hostage, demanding action from the authorities after a long negotiation I managed to demote the Indians by committing myself to help them to seek other forms of negotiation, showing that those professionals were allies and supported their cause. Everyone left safely, we got several hearings with the government and the issue was partially resolved (which was possible at that time) because the demarcation of indigenous land in Brazil is very complex and involves many interests.

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