A new development paradigm The future of the project is dependent on the result of the current on-going phase. Ideally, the project shall take three parallel developments:
1. Launching a regional program to adapt local communities to climate change impacts.
The scaling-up phase should be able to show to government agencies and international institutions the costs and the benefits of supporting an agricultural productive system based on the integration of water efficient irrigation and clean energy technologies. Moreover, a set of tools to support the replication of such productive system will be developed and disseminated among local and regional NGOs. If proven feasible and sustainable, such productive system shall take the form of a public-private partnership where:
Ultimately, this strategy aims to become a possible model for a decentralization of government and international aid, where technological solutions are disseminated in such a way that support and funding from national and international institutions is decreased.
2. Implementing small scale solutions that mitigate greenhouse gases.
The second future direction of the project is to implement small scale energy solutions that mitigate greenhouse gases. In case the agricultural productive system that is under development will help farmers go beyond subsistence farming, then it will be possible to produce specific crops that can be used for energy purposes. Examples are sweet sorghum, manioc or potatoes to produce hydrated ethanol for transportation or sunflower, jatropha or moringa to produce vegetable oil for biodiesel. Some of the agricultural residues could be also used in gasification technologies or bioreactors for the production of electricity and biogas. All these technologies are deemed to make local communities more sustainable and self-sufficient.
A small barriero in Pintadas. Climate chanage is alrrady intensifying
the dry periods in the region.