EN 
PT_BR 
The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) inaugurated a new unit in Nossa Senhora do Livramento, in Baixada Cuiabana, last Saturday (21), to boost the development of rural communities in Mato Grosso.
The Joint Research and Innovation Unit (Umipi) was installed in an area belonging to the Federal Government where the experimental fish farming station of the Mato Grosso Agricultural Research, Assistance and Rural Extension Company (Empaer) used to operate.
Embrapa's Baixada Cuiabana branch will focus on research and technology transfer geared towards a region with challenging characteristics for agriculture, such as soil conditions, low altitude, and high temperatures throughout the year.
Food safety
The focus will be on activities such as fruit growing, cassava cultivation, fish farming and horticulture, as well as agroforestry production systems and crop-livestock-forestry integration.
The head of Embrapa Agrossilvipastoril, Laurimar Vendrusculo, explains that this unit will assist a population equivalent to 301,000 inhabitants in Mato Grosso, in a region inhabited by quilombola and indigenous communities. With this initiative, an increase in local fruit and vegetable production and fish farming is expected, providing food security.
"The Baixada Cuiabana region encompasses cities with a very low HDI (Human Development Index). Our goal is to encourage the use of unconventional food plants (PANC) and community gardens, in order to empower our producers and strengthen cooperatives," he said.
