Bahia advances river restoration and rural agriculture projects
The Semeando Águas project, coordinated by Conservação Internacional Brazil, the Bahia State Environment Secretariat and Inema with Petrobras sponsorship, has been restoring the Paraguaçu River basin since 2014. It has reforested about 60 hectares, planted 45,000 native seedlings, and developed seed and seedling networks, aiming to improve water quality and quantity for roughly 290,000 residents across 16 municipalities.
In the municipality of Maraú, the local agriculture secretary signed a cooperation agreement for the Parceiros da Mata initiative, a state‑run program executed by the regional development company CAR. The partnership will bring sustainable farming support, water access, income‑generation activities and capacity‑building to 16 rural communities, including family farmers, quilombola and riverine groups.
Both initiatives are part of Bahia’s broader effort to combine ecological restoration with rural development, targeting environmental health and livelihoods in the region.