REM-MT investments in the PCI Regional Compacts show the importance of long-term territorial vision

The goal of bringing resources to those who need them most is becoming a reality in Mato Grosso through the integration of public policies, private strategies, and multisectoral investments, guided by a long-term vision for the sustainable development of the territory. The Produce, Conserve, and Include - PCI Strategy has been consolidated as the PCI Institute and has become the main public-private interface to anchor investments in building solutions for sustainable land use, conservation of environmental assets, and socio-productive inclusion.

The strategy interacts directly with the REDD for Early Movers (REM) Program, an initiative of the German-Brazilian Bilateral Cooperation, whose main objective is to support stakeholders who have taken risks and implemented pioneering actions to reduce deforestation and maintain the climate. The purpose of REM is to feed the PCI strategy, to ensure investments coordinated with the socio-environmental agenda, the resources for which have been allocated to the State of Mato Grosso.

Through public calls for projects focusing on family farming and sustainable production, the REM Program is making over BRL 40 million available in Mato Grosso. Three regions in Mato Grosso with PCI Regional Pacts have had projects approved: Vale do Juruena, Barra do Garças, and Sorriso. In these municipalities, the REM is contributing about BRL 7 million allocated to six different projects. Among the beneficiaries are three organizations that have signed the PCI Regional Compact, supported by IDH, and which have submitted projects: Clube Amigos da Terra - CAT, in Sorriso, with the project "Implementation of the criteria required by FEFAC Certification in rural properties, as an innovative methodology to promote responsible soy production"; Empresa Agronômica do Vale do Araguaia Júnior - AgroVale Jr, in Barra do Garças, with the project "SAF's APÍCOLAS - An ILPF model for small rural properties"; and Associação de Desenvolvimento Rural de Juruena - ADERJUR, in Juruena, with the project “Sentinelas da Floresta” (Forest Sentinels).

"The REM program directly supports many of the goals set out under the three axes of the PCI strategy, and these projects will certainly contribute to the delivery of these goals in these territories, helping to foster sustainable development," says Lígia Vendramin, Program Coordinator in Mato Grosso, from the State Environment Secretariat (Sema-MT).

The governance developed since the launch of the PCI Strategy in 2015, has enabled its evolution until the creation of the PCI Institute, a private non-profit association dedicated to attracting and managing public and private funds to implement sustainable production practices on the ground.

IDH is investing around EUR 9 million over the period from 2016 to 2021 in Mato Grosso, 3 million of which is allocated to the PCI Strategy and to structuring its governance, including the creation of the PCI Institute.

"The direct investments of the REM Program in the regions represent the achievement of one of the pillars of IDH implementation approach with the Regional Compacts, which is attracting funds to implement the actions provided for in the goals agreed upon by its signatories. Non-reimbursable resources, such as the REM Program, are essential to cover the needs and projects that would not be made possible under normal market conditions," says Marcela Paranhos, Investment Manager of IDH Brazil.

Mato Grosso PCI Strategy A comprehensive participatory evaluation process of the PCI Strategy was carried out in October, which consisted of specific workshops for each axis. The activity is part of the Action Plan of the PCI Institute, which provides for the evaluation and updating of targets five years after the launch of the Strategy in 2015. The contributions collected through an online survey conducted in September were used as input for discussion by the workshop participants. The next step will be the consolidation and joint presentation of all these results.