Sustainable Rural Development in Rio de Janeiro State: The Rio Rural Program

Abstract

The eradication of hunger and poverty are part of the challenges established in this century by various countries as members of the pact to meet the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This pact is expected to strengthen agricultural production systems that can reverse environmental degradation with the adoption of agroecological technologies and greater social participation of actors historically excluded from public policies, such as family farmers, women, and rural youth. This chapter deals with the Sustainable Rural Development Program of Rio de Janeiro state - RIO RURAL - initially implemented as a pilot project and later transformed into a public policy of sustainable rural development with the support of the GEF and World Bank. The methodology adopted was built on community-based rural development in micro-watersheds, with the support of rural organizations and decision-making actors at local, municipal, and regional levels, to strengthen the beneficiaries' sense of governance and social management of the project. The financial resources are allocated to individual and collective projects with practices to encourage the agroecological transition of production systems, environmental adequacy of properties, water management, and conservation of rural roads. The autonomy of the project's actions has been built through co-investments and a varied establishment of partnerships.