Learn about the positive social and environmental impacts generated by Fazenda Pacajá, which is generating forest carbon credits for Vale 

Photo: Algar Farming  

Positive social impact is one of the essential criteria in forest carbon project certifications, ensuring that projects not only contribute to climate change mitigation, but also promote local sustainable development. These certifications require projects to demonstrate a clear commitment to the well-being of neighboring communities, to consider the distribution of benefits and to guarantee respect for human and territorial rights. 

This is one of the premises of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) project carried out by Algar Farming, an Algar Group company, at Fazenda Pacajá, a property in northern Pará. This initiative is part of Vale’s voluntary 2030 Forest Goal strategy, which aims to conserve 400,000 hectares of forest and restore another 100,000 hectares by 2030. 

Algar Farming’s REDD+ project has two certifications: Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), the most widely used quality standard for carbon accounting and one of the most reliable in the voluntary market; and Social Carbon, a standard for evaluating and monitoring co-benefits, applied in conjunction with carbon accounting standards. 

Photo: Agência Barreto 

The choice of Algar Farming, through Fazenda Pacajá, was based on a survey carried out by Fundo Vale, which analyzed 60 potential projects for purchasing carbon credits. Of these, five were selected for a more detailed evaluation. The Fazenda Pacajá project was chosen precisely because of its positive social and environmental impacts and its long-term prospects for the region. 

“Fundo Vale seeks what we call impact carbon, which goes beyond avoiding or removing greenhouse gases, incorporating the result of an investment that catalyzes local socioeconomic and environmental development and aims to generate and distribute benefits in an equitable, egalitarian and fair manner,” explains Helio Laubenheimer, a carbon specialist at Fundo Vale.  

In addition to contributing to the sustainable use of the forest, thereby helping keep it intact, Algar Farming’s REDD+ project is developing social and environmental activities with five communities in the region with the aim of generating income and improving the quality of food for residents by donating inputs to enhance fish farming, poultry farming and vegetable growing. 

“One of our main areas of focus is education. We maintain two libraries in the forest and in one of them we offer literacy and digital education programs, which we make possible by donating computers and internet infrastructure. We are also running social initiatives in partnership with public bodies to provide healthcare, citizenship and environmental education services, benefiting 13 communities,” says Luciana di Paula, Algar Farming’s executive forestry manager. 

The initiative also promotes income generation through a handicraft program using waste from a furniture plant, carried out in partnership with designer Erico Gondin. “This is another part of our social and environmental impact program, which aims to help empower female members of the communities, contributing to their freedom of choice and their personal and professional growth,” says Luciana di Paula.