The company held meetings with local officials and inaugurated family farmer fairs at its plants 

 

Santa Catarina, August 25, 2022 – Always seeking new ways to foster sustainable development in its local communities, Klabin held meetings over recent weeks with the municipal governments of Otacílio Costa, Correia Pinto and Ponte Alta on its Social Forests Program, and organized at its plants in Correia Pinto and Otacílio its first fairs where local family farmers could sell their produce. In Lages and Palmeira, where the program already exists, new meetings have been scheduled.
 
The Social Forests program was created in the state of Santa Catarina in 2020. Developed in partnership with the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae) and the Association for the Preservation of Environment and Life (Apremavi), the program supports small-scale farmers in all stages of production, from achieving compliance with environmental regulations and support for selling produce to training, diversification of farms and incentives for forming associations and cooperatives. The agenda of the meetings, which were held on August 16 and 17, included presenting a diagnosis of the program’s progress in each municipality, strengthening the National School Lunch Program (PNAE), deciding on the proposals for actions in potential productive chains and validating strategic priorities.
 
Meanwhile, the fairs held on August 18 and 19 featured 12 farmers supported by the Social Forests Program in Santa Catarina state, who offered organic fruits and vegetables, artisanal cheeses, charcuterie, yoghurts and preserved fruits, and even knitted and needlepoint handicrafts. “The fair motivates us even more to produce our goods by offering yet another place where we can showcase and sell our products and give us more visibility. Initiatives like this confirm to me that we are on the right path,” said Jaqueline Madruga, a charcuterie producer that receives support from the Social Forests Program.
 
“It is very important for Klabin to cause positive change in our local communities through import initiatives like Social Forests, which promotes and strengthens family farming, which is an important activity for the economy, for society and for sustainability,” added Uilson Paiva, Klabin’s manager for Social Responsibility and Community Relations.

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