CERTI Foundation

The project “Water: A Source of Food and Income – a sustainable alternative for the semi-arid region” supported by the Petrobras Environmental Program, was applied in the community of Uruçu, in the municipality of São João do Cariri, in Paraíba State, and involved the participation of various technical partners (federal universities), state and municipal governments and other entities. The central objective of the project was the conservation of water resources, based on use of wastewater from desalinization plants, the practice of social, environmental and economic actions that support the development of a sustainable and repeatable model for other semi-arid regions. The innovative solution was to implement four production units in Uruçu that function in an integrated manner, making creative use of the wastewater from desalinization: a drinking water unit; one for hydroponic vegetable production; one for raising tilapia (fish culture); and another for the production of spirulina microalgae. The innovative actions involve the direct transfer of technologies from universities to the community, stimulating entrepreneurship  through the sale of products, the generation of labor and income and thus improve the quality of life. The Uruçu Agricultural Cooperative was created, which was responsible for continuing the sustained development of the built units, to benefit the cooperative members. There was an increase in income of the families, which expanded as the productive capacity rose. Singer Elba Ramalho, who is from Paraiba, became a sponsor of the project and began to support its promotion as concrete proof that there are alternatives for the semi-arid region, which has been ravished by droughts.