Várzea Grande municipality backs UFMT research to monitor crop‑damaging caterpillars
The city hall of Várzea Grande, the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT) and the state research agency Empaer have formed a partnership to monitor caterpillar infestations affecting family farms in the municipality. Technical teams visited farms, collected larval samples and will analyse them in laboratories to identify species and behaviour, with the aim of developing more resistant crop varieties and improving pest‑management strategies.
Leandro Silva, coordinator of Sustainable Rural Development, said the collaboration expands small‑holder access to scientific knowledge, while deputy secretary Cíntia Serrano highlighted the municipality’s commitment to strengthening family agriculture through the joint effort.
Entities: Cíntia Serrano · Empresa Mato‑grosseense de Pesquisa, Assistência e Extensão Rural (Empaer) · Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT) · Leandro Silva · Várzea Grande Municipality
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Leandro Silva is the coordinator of Sustainable Rural Development for Várzea Grande. (Prefeitura apoia pesquisa da UFMT para monitoramento de lagartas em propriedades rurais de Várzea Grande)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The research aims to develop crop varieties more resistant to the caterpillar pest. (Prefeitura apoia pesquisa da UFMT para monitoramento de lagartas em propriedades rurais de Várzea Grande)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The municipal secretariat promptly directed the technical team to farms where producers reported caterpillar presence. (Prefeitura apoia pesquisa da UFMT para monitoramento de lagartas em propriedades rurais de Várzea Grande)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Researchers and students from UFMT collected caterpillar samples from farms for laboratory analysis. (Prefeitura apoia pesquisa da UFMT para monitoramento de lagartas em propriedades rurais de Várzea Grande)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The municipality of Várzea Grande is supporting a research project by UFMT to monitor caterpillars in family farms. (Prefeitura apoia pesquisa da UFMT para monitoramento de lagartas em propriedades rurais de Várzea Grande)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The partnership includes UFMT, Empaer and the Várzea Grande municipal government. (Prefeitura apoia pesquisa da UFMT para monitoramento de lagartas em propriedades rurais de Várzea Grande)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Cíntia Serrano is the deputy secretary of Environment and Sustainable Rural Development in Várzea Grande. (Prefeitura apoia pesquisa da UFMT para monitoramento de lagartas em propriedades rurais de Várzea Grande)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The analysis will identify the species and behavior of the caterpillars. (Prefeitura apoia pesquisa da UFMT para monitoramento de lagartas em propriedades rurais de Várzea Grande)