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The history of FUA
The Agroecological Fund was born out of a process managed by the FICA Fund . The ownership model proposed by FICA applies to all types of uses, urban and rural. From this perspective, access to land for fair agriculture was discussed – one that respects the limits of the environment, protects biodiversity, and properly remunerates the agents involved.
There are many projects with these characteristics in Brazil. These projects are at permanent risk related to land access and retention. Competing uses such as intensive agriculture, peripheral subdivisions, tourism and summer vacations make it difficult to access land for fair uses and push sustainable agriculture to less favorable lands and further away from consumer markets.
Even when successful, many of these projects depend on leaders who at some point may tire, retire and die. In these situations, years or decades of work can be lost.
Thus, a partnership between FICA, the Goethe-Institut and the Ibirapitanga Institute carried out a survey and a workshop with agricultural producers in 2019. The objective was to research, discuss and generate content that encourages and allows access to land for this type of agriculture through the shared experience of the participants.
In addition to the knowledge created by the exchange of experiences, organizational arrangements and document proposals were prepared to ensure the permanence of projects linked to sustainable agriculture and to favor the creation of new similar initiatives. All of this material became the book Access to Land for Fair Agriculture .
READ THE BOOK
The PDF of the book is free. To continue working for fair agriculture, the FUA supports itself through donations. And we appreciate if you can and want to be our supporter! Click here to be a supporter or the button below to download the book.
Birth of the FUA
In October 2020, with the support of the Ibirapitanga Institute, the Agroecological Fund began to be modeled with a focus on separating the body that owns the property and the one that manages the land.
The specific territory chosen for the beginning of the project was the South Zone of São Paulo and the farmers of Parelheiros, who had their land and production reality studied. Land values, tenancy regimes were evaluated and the most vulnerable groups of farmers were identified and strategies to mitigate land risks for them were identified.
In Parelheiros, land insecurity is the factor that most worries farmers. Due to real estate expansion to the outskirts of the capital of São Paulo, rural lands are at risk of being subdivided or irregularly occupied.
The proposal of the FUA is to acquire rural properties to guarantee their good use and conservation. It starts with Parelheiros and São Paulo, but there is no restriction to these geographic limits. The FUA was officially launched on March 22, 2021 and its history continues to be collectively built.
Common questions
about the FUA
Where did the idea for FUA come from?
The Agroecological Fund was born out of a process created by the Fundo FICA . The ownership model proposed by FICA applies to all types of uses, urban and rural. From this perspective, access to land for fair agriculture was discussed – one that respects the limits of the environment, protects biodiversity, and properly remunerates the agents involved.
What does FUA do exactly?
The FUA acquires rural properties and guarantees their use for agriculture and preservation, allocating the land to those who know how to produce. It is a model of safeguarding the land that is good for society, farmers and the planet, without abuse, without risk of purpose being diverted by market forces, inheritances and successions.
What kind of fund is FUA?
The FUA is an accounting fund, managed by the Association for Community Property, the same organization that manages the FICA. Donated resources are safeguarded as a specific cost center, and are not mixed up with the institution's accounts. The fund balance will be shared regularly, and the institution will undergo a specialized audit ensuring even more transparency..
Are there other models like the FUA in the world?
Yes, more and more! For example, Terre des Liens in France, the California Farmland Trust, the Longo Mai group in Switzerland are examples of institutions that protect land from speculative markets, mobilizing various instruments according to the reality of each country.
What is the relationship between FUA and FICA?
Getting started is always the hardest, and FICA provides the conditions for the FUA to exist. FUA was incubated by FICA, using all the social technology built in recent years. The entity that manages the FICA and the FUA is the same, the Association for Community Property. The proposal is that, over time, the FUA will gain independence and autonomy and that both funds can collaborate with each other when possible and important.
I want to work / volunteer at FUA. How I do?
We post open vacancies on our social media, follow us there. FUA believes in a collective process of building new possibilities and realities. If you are interested in approaching us and collaborating on a voluntary basis, send an email to fundaagroecologico@fundofica.org
About properties, real estate and land
What is collective property?
It is when a property, urban or rural, is not purchased with resources from just one individual or legal entity, and is registered in the name of a non-profit association. It is this association that manages the use of the property. In the case of rural properties, the FUA will manage these lands.
What is an Ethical Owner?
These are organizations that, like the FUA, own properties and seek to mobilize them according to alternative rules to the common real estate market, without exploiting the people who lease the land or rent the property.
What is real estate speculation?
Speculation occurs when real estate (land, houses, apartments, buildings) is purchased for the purpose not of actual use, but for sale or rent, in the hope that, over time, the market value of the property will increase and it will be possible to obtain profits from the sale or increase rental values. Due to real estate speculation, many properties are unused or inaccessible to those who need them, whether to live or to plant.
What is rural land lease?
Just as there is the leasing of urban properties, the leasing follows the same logic: a farmer needs land to plant, does not have it and pays a value to those who have land to be able to work and cultivate it. One of the problems with leasing rural land is short-term contracts and informality.
What is rural and urban area?
In a simplified definition, the urban area is the one that has undergone the most transformations, such as population density, due to the industrialization process and which has secondary and tertiary activities as its main ones. The rural area is the one with the least population density and where primary activities such as agriculture predominate. The existence of this division and the recognition in the master plan of the cities allows each area to have its particularities considered and also facilitates the access and execution of public policies aimed at each of these geographic spaces.
What is the area of activity of the FUA? (Is it only in São Paulo?)
The specific territory chosen for the beginning of the project was the Southern Rural Zone of São Paulo and the farmers of Parelheiros, who had their land and productive reality studied. Land values, tenancy regimes were evaluated and the most vulnerable groups of farmers were identified and strategies to mitigate land risks for them were identified. But there is no defined geographic limit of activity for the FUA, although the first land to be purchased must be in Parelheiros. If there are possible land donations in other locations, the FUA will evaluate them as well.
How are the lands that FUA buys chosen?
All lands undergo an assessment of documentation and legal and real situation (if they are occupied areas, which suffer from the action of land grabbers or other disputes). The size, possibilities of use and conservation of each land are also evaluated. Each purchase will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
How can FUA accelerate and expand access to property?
The FUA agrees that it is urgent to secure maximum ownership for the production
agroecological and that, for this, several strategies can be combined: collective land purchases; purchase by well-meaning private agents and purchases with long-term strategies, such as FUA, which can also receive donations. It is possible for the FUA to acquire a small percentage of the property, which would act as a golden share and prevent the transmission or subdivision of the land. These are possibilities that we are studying and are open to structuring within the Fund.
About agriculture and food
What is agrocecology?
It is agricultural cultivation that guarantees the sustainability of the system both from a natural and a social point of view. Allowing an economic return with the preservation of the environment, through the use of non-aggressive techniques to the land and pre-existing fauna and flora.
What is organic agriculture?
It is a food production process that does not use pesticides, promotes the restoration and maintenance of biodiversity and respects the natural cycles of each crop.
What is SAF - agroforestry system?
It is a system of planting food and ornamental crops in consortium with an area of forest, native or reforested. The proposal is that both the part destined for harvesting and consumption, as well as the preservation and forest part, coexist in harmony. FUA supports planting in SAF on its future properties.
How does the FUA ensure that the land is being used agroecologically?
The farmers selected to be FUA tenants are, primarily, those who already work with organic and agroecological farming practices, or are in a transition phase. In addition, a contract is established with rules that both sides must follow and we are in permanent contact with these farmers, which allows us to know how they work.
I want to buy products from Parelheiros' organic agriculture. Does FUA sell products and baskets?
We are developing consumer groups and will have news about this soon. Meanwhile, there are other ways to buy from farmers and a good source of information is the Sampa Mais Rural platform , run by the São Paulo City Hall.
How are farmers selected to lease FUA land?
During the studies of the first phase of the project, we have already selected some farmers in the Parelheiros region who produce agroecologically and lease land. They are our priorities at this location. If the FUA acquires or receives land in other locations, we will survey the farmers in that region and make the choice based on the same principles: being tenants and producing in an agroecological way or in a transition phase.
Can the farmer do what he wants with the leased land?
Not. There will be a lease agreement with terms and conditions to be followed by both parties.
What happens if the farmer gives up planting or dies and has no heirs?
In such cases, the land returns to the hands of the FUA, which will look for another farmer to lease the land.
What happens to the land in the event of retirement or succession of the farmer who leases the land?
There are several scenarios and the particularities of each case will be taken into account. The purpose of the FUA is to perpetuate the preservation and use of land for the production of fair food, so we thought of some possibilities: if there are spouses or children who wish to continue working in agriculture, the FUA can transfer the contract to them. Otherwise (there is no spouse, children or they are not interested in working in agriculture), the family can receive some kind of consideration for the improvements made by the farmer, and this must be established in the lease agreement. Another possibility is to plan the succession outside the family involving a younger farmer. There are organizations that structure these successions, such as Farmlink (www.farmlink.net), and we can learn from these experiences.
About environment and preservation
How does FUA act in soil preservation?
Every farmer benefited must follow organic farming practices, which eliminate the use of pesticides that are harmful to the soil, water and to various species of plants and animals (in addition to the humans affected when they apply the pesticide and when they consume it). When land is earmarked for sustainable agriculture, it does not become land for real estate speculation and remains permeable and vegetated land, so FUA helps maintain the green coverage of these sites.
How does the FUA act in the preservation of waters?
Every farmer benefited must follow organic farming practices, which eliminate the use of pesticides that are harmful to the soil, water and to various species of plants and animals (in addition to the humans affected when they apply the pesticide and when they consume it). Many lands may also have springs, which will also be protected whenever they occur on FUA lands.
How does the FUA act in the preservation of biodiversity?
Agroecology also proposes to be syntropic with its surroundings, that is, to live in harmony. Then there is the preservation of springs, native species of insects and animals. Specifically in the Parelheiros region, in the South Zone of São Paulo, when acquiring land in this region, the FUA protects them from real estate speculation and helps to create a kind of protection barrier for other areas, such as the Guarani, Tenondé-Porã and Krukutu the APAs (Environmental Protection Area) Capivari-Monos, within the Atlantic Forest, and the Serra do Mar State Park.
About money and fundraising
How do they raise money?
The FUA receives occasional, monthly donations and participates in various funding notices. Find out how to donate here
How is the money managed until the land is purchased?
Until the necessary amount for the purchase of the first land is reached, the money collected by the FUA is kept in conservative and credible investments, from large financial institutions and very low risk, which guarantee the preservation of the amount invested.
I want to donate land to the FUA. It's possible?
Get in touch with us at fundaagroecologico@fundofica.org and we'll schedule a conversation!
How can I track FUA accounts?
FUA accounts are open, as part of our philosophy of transparency. Every month, we carry out the accountability through our newsletter , we publish the summary on our social networks and here on our website .
Is the FUA an investment fund, like those of banks?
Not. Investment funds generate income for their investors. The proposal of the FUA is to accumulate resources for an objective, in this case the purchase of land to use for agroecology.
What kind of fund is FUA?
As a characteristic, the FUA is a philanthropic fund, a fund made to produce benefits for society. Technically, the FUA is an accounting fund, a financial account within an institution's accounting.
Do you have a bank behind the Agroecological Fund?
No, the FUA is not a fund managed by a bank or finance company. Who takes care of the FUA is the Association for Community Property (CNPJ 25.138.190/0001-39). This money is, yes, deposited in a commercial bank, and is applied in conservative investments until the purchase of the land.
the FUA company money to purchase land?
Not. The purpose of the FUA is to raise funds to acquire land, which will be registered in the name of an association (Association for Community Property - CNPJ 25.138.190/0001-39) to guarantee the safeguard and virtuous use of these lands. The FUA will manage the lease contracts and relationships with farmers for the use of these spaces.
