WATER PRODUCTION AND SOIL CONSERVATION COURSE
August 21-23 and September 24-26 at TI Maxakali
The Tikmũ'ũn live in a region of eastern Minas Gerais known as the source of the waters that feed the region's major rivers. So much so that one of their main villages is known as Konãg Mai, "Good Water." However, centuries of deforestation and pastoral activity have transformed this landscape into a dry and extremely hot area.
Therefore, with the support of our partners at the State Forest Institute (IEF), Tikmũ'ũn agroforestry agents and nursery workers, as well as FIEI student teachers, received the training course "Water Production and Soil Conservation" in August and September 2024, a first step toward strengthening water resources in their territories. The course was taught by IEF environmental geographer Leonardo Machado Natalino.
Topics covered included soil conservation practices (fire control, liming, organic and green fertilization, increased plant production, crop adaptation to soil type); mechanical practices (contour lines, small dams); vegetative practices: tree planting and spring conservation and restoration.
The Tikmũ'ũn who participated in the training discussed the silting of watercourses in the territory, the problems arising from erosion, and carried out interesting experiments with the construction of contour lines and small dams, which have already been used in their plantations.
