Indirect capacity-building will be present in the project?s execution due to incentives offered to deeper reflections about water resource use and management

The organization which presented this project proposal and which represents farmers in the municipality, APROMPIG, has monthly meetings in their headquarters for community discussions. During one such meeting this project was conceived and developed, with participation of all associates. It should be noted that the choice of how to address the problem of scarcity of water rose out of a well disseminated survey involving approximately 150 families. This study presented community members with a choice of one among several methods for containment of water, being construction of dams the most voted and chosen for this project. Community consensus was reached for establishment of locations for construction of the dams

This project intends to contribute to construction of public policy more fitting to address the problem of scarcity of water on a permanent basis and small-scale water resource management in the Jequitinhonha region, since the current policy is aimed at large projects causing heavy negative socioenvironmental impacts (large dams, eucalyptus plantation, shifting waterways, etc.)

This project proposal was assembled by both men and women, being five of the twelve APROMPIG directors women. Men will migrate for a few seasons each year for sugarcane harvesting in São Paulo, which leaves women in charge. With more family farming, this situation may be reversed.