Projetos complementares à universalização do acesso e uso da energia elétrica: segurança e eficiência energética na mecanização da agricultura familiar.

Abstract

Brazil currently carries out the national rural electrification program which will provide energy access to all Brazilians by 2008. The objective is to improve quality of life of 2 million Brazilians in rural areas that currently lack access to reliable energy. Eletrobrás, a state owned holding of utilities in Brazil, is responsible for the implementation of the Program. Besides the coordination of the electrification program Eletrobrás is developing complementary projects related to the productive use of energy. The main purpose is to provide access to reliable energy services and to encourage low income farmers to utilize modern technology in the post harvest crops processing and add additional value to their products. The projects includes the following actions: training of rural extension staff, performance and efficiency tests of electric equipment, development of community based centers for production (CCP), technical assistance and monitoring of their implementation, evaluation of socio-economic impacts. The CCP is a facility for processing crop or animal production from small farms. Usually, an existing cooperative or association of small farmers is in charge of managing the unit. The concept of CCP avoids multiple investments in machinery, equipment and devices on individual farms and allows easier commercialization from the central production unit. Costs and profits are shared by members of the cooperative or association. In the first CCP about 1.3 million liters of refrigerated milk have been produced and US$ 0.4 million gross income been generated in the first 26 months of operation. The CCP is attractive also for the power distribution company. Consuming 3.5 times the consumption average rural consumer in the region, the CCP improves the utilities return on investment of the electrification project. Due to higher quality of the product and improved commercialization, income of those associated with the CCP is in 8% above the average producer that sells without processing and on the traditional market.