EDP Rural Renewable Program fits EDP Renewable’s mission to contribute towards sustainable development and, has the objective to support rural communities close to wind parks, in a sense to generate jobs and revenue, reviving and expanding their perspectives for the future.

A new life for rural areas

The EDP Rural Renewable program has the mission to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, through the qualification of participants, in matters like agroecological techniques for food manipulation; product marketing strategies; supporting participation in agricultural governmental programs; water resources management, and development of the local productive chain.

In order to be possible to follow this mission, the program is standing on the following objectives:

1. Add value to the resulting products of the existing economic activities in small properties, especially from an agricultural nature;

2. Ensure sustainability of the rural enterprise, encouraging the development under an ecological perspective;

3. Ensure sustenance and guarantee basic rights, with a special focus on water and food safety.

Acting areas in the program

The main acting areas are the following:

- Productive development: Substantiating the support of access to technical and management knowledge; technology and collaboration and cooperation networks; fundamentals for the development of rural agricultural and non-agricultural enterprises;

- Water and food Safety: upon the diffusion of the knowledge, practices and viable socioenvironmental technologies adequate to the realities of the participants;

- Sustainability: through the promotion of the smart and efficient application of the natural resources from small properties and the adoption of adequate production techniques.

Acting places within the program

The Program is developed through specific projects, implemented in the existing rural communities in the areas of influence of the Wind Parks in the EDP Renewables, in Rio Grande do Norte (Cerro Corá, Jandaíra, Lajes, Parazinho, São Tomé e Touros) and in Bahia (Morro do Chapéu e Ourolândia).

Besides the tangible results, the program obtains many intangible others, extremely important for the involved communities. Soon, not only the participants’ revenue sources were increased, but it also reinforced their self-esteem, enthusiasm, and perspectives for the future. Because many participants are women, this program also contributes, significantly, to the decrease of the disparities. Additionally, the impact of these actions helped them improve the Brazilian perspectives, in general, over the sertaneja area in Brazil, showing that this can be a highly productive area.

These results bring EDP Renewable to redouble its enthusiasm for the Program, by testifying to its inevitable multiplying effect, as the beneficiaries share their experiences and knowledge with other communities, consequently spreading their impact and reach.

Impact (results)