Suellen Nunes*
With the aim of strengthening sustainable livestock farming in Pará, the event “Sustainable Livestock Farming and Practical Training in Traceability Operator” was held on July 30 and 31 in the municipality of Salvaterra, on the island of Marajó (PA).
The training focused on the Pará Sustainable Livestock Program and the SRBIPA (Pará Individual Bovine Traceability System), presented by technicians from Adepará, SEAF (State Secretariat for Family Farming) and IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute). The aim was to broaden understanding of the official traceability system, the criteria for registration and the strategic role of traceability in enhancing family production.
“Events like these are fundamental not only for engaging cattle breeders, but also for professionalizing traceability operators, who will play a decisive role in consolidating the Sustainable Livestock Program in Pará. IPAM remains committed to this process, contributing our experience and supporting in expanding knowledge about the program to cattle and buffalo farmers throughout the state,” explained Edivan Carvalho, IPAM’s Territorial Development Researcher.
The activity was promoted by Adepará (Pará State Agricultural Defense Agency) and SEAF, with the support of the project ‘Climate Justice: public forests, protected rights and sustainable livestock farming’, an IPAM initiative in partnership with other institutions.
The State Secretary for Family Farming, Cássio Pereira, highlighted traceability as an essential instrument for sustainability in the livestock chain: “We need to create opportunities to strengthen sustainable practices in this chain. It’s a challenging task, because we have 144,000 breeders in the state – and that number could increase with the ongoing registration update. In Pará, around 50% to 60% of cattle breeders are family farmers, and it is essential to involve them in the program’s actions,” he said.
On the 30th, the event began with technical talks, including the participation of a veterinarian from Adepará, followed by John Robert, from GRCA (Agricultural Traceability and Registration Management), who detailed the stages of registering with SRBIPA and the expected benefits of including family farming in the state database.
“Buffalo farming in Marajó is a way of life that has been inherited for generations. But without organization, the loss is left to the producer. Traceability is here to change that: it transforms knowledge from the field into official data, gives visibility, combats theft and helps to professionalize an activity that is essential to the region’s culture and economy,” said Olivar Valente, Adepará’s acting regional manager in Soure.
On the 31st, the program continued with a practical activity at the Taperebá farm, owned by farmer Joelcio Fernandes, located in the community of Cachoeirinha, in Salvaterra (PA). There, the buffalo are raised with dedication and care, reflected even in the names given to them: Espanha, Barcelona, Quero Ver, Mansinha, Amorosa, Baratinha, Pantera, Aparecida and Boneca.
More than numbers, the animals are part of the routine and life of the producer, reinforcing the affective and cultural dimension of livestock farming in Marajó. On site, 35 farmers took part in the training and were certified by Adepará as operators qualified to register herds in the state traceability system.
“In the beginning, it was the cattle that raised the farmer, not the farmer who raised the cattle. But today I see it differently: we need to take care of it, give it the right food, get to know the grass, think about the animal’s health. This changes everything. With the support of Senar and Embrapa, I learned that you can produce better and respect what the buffalo needs, and that starts with the land, the water and conscious management. Traceability has come to add to this. I used to put earrings on my cattle, but now I’ll have a record, a number, a history, everything. This gives value to our product, it shows that the milk, the meat and the Marajoara cheese have quality and origin. It’s security for those who buy and recognition for our work here in the countryside,” said the farmer.
The production of milk and its by-products plays a central role in the region’s family economy and is part of the socio-cultural identity of local communities. In this context, bringing producers closer to control and traceability systems is essential to guarantee regular production and qualified entry into markets that demand origin and environmental responsibility.
“I grew up watching my parents farm in the traditional way, but I learned that it’s possible to do things differently, with more respect for animals and the environment. Traceability opened my eyes: it’s not just breeding for breeding’s sake, it’s understanding the animal and producing with awareness. My area is small, but my desire is great. I plant, raise and reuse what the land gives and I teach this to my daughters. I want to produce with pride and without harming the place I come from,” said Luan Carlos Moraes Costa, a young rural producer from Cachoeira do Arari (PA).
IPAM Communication Analyst*
