Ressacada Experimental Farm – Center of Agrarian Sciences – UFSC

In 1982 the School of Agricultural Sciences (CCA – UFSC) received, by donation of the State of Santa Catarina, the former Ressacada Farm, an area of 183.43 ha of land, located at Rua José Olímpio da Silva, 1326, in Tapera neighbourhood, Florianópolis, 20 km away from CCA/UFSC.

The main purpose for the acquisition of the Experimental Farm, as established at the time, was to assist in student training through practical classes and internships, conduct agricultural research, as well as improve faculty’s knowledge.

This land became known as the Ressacada Experimental Farm, and it was not effectively used for about eight years. In 1989 the first improvements were built: fences to protect the property and a house for the guard and overseer, in order to accommodate cows from the deactivated Gado Crioulo Lageano Project. Around the same time, the Farm received the donation of important agricultural equipment from the Institute of Sugar and Alcohol, which was extinct in May 1990.

During the 1990s, relevant earthworks and drainage services were performed, allowing the installation of experiments with horticultural plants, especially cassava and green and mung beans, in order to develop sustainable agro production systems.

Several actions taken by different departments during this period are worth mentioning. For instance, the recovery of genotypes of green beans, indigenous corn and cassava, as well as the silvopastoral project, by the Department of Plant Sciences; the study of water table fluctuations, the development of machines for use in sloping areas and for direct planting, adaptation activities of motors and generators that use biogas, and studies regarding the relations between forest plants and animal husbandry, by the Department of Rural Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering; studies concerning outdoor pig farming, buffalo farming, voisin grazing, beef cattle farming, improvement of naturalized pastures and ethology, by the Department of Animal Sciences and Rural Developments.

The Ressacada Experimental Farm also became a locus for practical classes, scientific initiation research, graduate research, visits by school students, among other activities,. I

In 2003 and 2004 the farm hosted a number of Unicef projects, which developed activities for the inclusion of children and young people. Due to these projects, the Farm welcomed the official visit of Lurian Cordeiro (Lula) da Silva, the daughter of the President of the country at the time, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

In 2005, there were several developments: some installation and maintenance projects, including a model apiary to serve as a teaching and research tool for UFSC students; evaluation of methods of introduction and performance of winter cereals in the Island of Santa Catarina; and installation of a compost plant for solid pig manure. Around 2006, the first forestry areas with eucalyptus species and commercial plantations of eucalyptus, pine and royal palms were implemented. It is important to point out that many of the implemented projects did not continue because they were of short duration (as they are until today).Master’s and doctoral experiments from the Department of Environmental Engineering of the UFSC School of Technology were also carried out at the farm , especially studies related to wastewater and remediation of soil and groundwater.

In 2008, Professor Alberto Kazushi Nagaoka started coordinating the Laboratory of Agricultural Mechanization at the farm, becoming responsible for the classes and experiments in the area of agricultural mechanization.In September of the same year, he was appointed Supervisor of the Ressacada Experimental Farm , under the ordinance no. 063/CCA/2008. In this period, the Agricultural Engineer Otavio Rechsteiner Maghelly was hired to assist in its administration.

In October and November 2008, the Supervisor and the Agricultural Engineer had meetings with the Departments of CCA, Junior Enterprises, students and other people involved to present the “Revitalization Project of the Ressacada Experimental Farm”.

The priority for the months of December 2008 and January 2009 was to provide resources for the implementation of projects and improvements in the Farm. Among them was the project to establish an educational garden in partnership with the Prorectorate for Student Affairs (PRAE) and the University Restaurant.

In 2009, the Unit Council approved the Resolution 001/CCA/2009 establishing the rules for the use of the Ressacada Experimental Farm, the supervisor’s responsibilities, the allocation of areas during the development of projects, among other matters. In the same year, a general and complete topographical survey of the farm was carried out, where it was identified that the farm had a total area of 169.16 ha and not 183.43 ha as previously  documented.

In 2010, under the direction of Professor Edemar Andreatta, other Agricultural Engineers were hired to work at the School of Agricultural Sciences and later relocated to the Farm: Marcelo Venturi, Nuno de Campos Filho and Sebastião Ferreira Magagnin. In 2011, a discussion regarding the elaboration of a new plan of use for the areas of the Farm (called “master plan”) took place. Ricardo Barbosa Felipini and João Luiz Laureano then joined the staff and acted as project managers at the Farm, with the aim of assisting in the revitalization and feasibility of the Farm, managing the different projects and teaching areas. In 2013, the farm employed the agricultural technician Elson Rezende and the administrator Carlos Carubelli.  In 2014, the veterinarian Thiago Mombach P. Machado was hired to be in charge of the vivariums, husbandry and research with the animals of the Farm.

From 2010 on, with the new additions to the staff, the Farm was able to seek assistance and development for several areas of study with more adequate support. Thus, the basic structures were restructured and the pineapple plantations were (re)established, as were the medicinal plant area, the cassava plantations, the vegetable garden for olericulture classes, and the new aviary and rabbit run making use of the old pig farming structures. In 2011 began the studies with bamboo and the implementation of an area and fences for cattle with the acquisition of a new batch of animals. In 2012, environmental studies were carried out to enrich the knowledge for licensing the farm on fauna, flora, archaeology, hydrology, among others. The new forestry area was also installed with the planting of bracatingas, eucalyptuses and pines, and later bamboo. In 2014, the organic sheep and vegetable farming project was implemented.

Currently, the Ressacada Experimental Farm is used as a support for several Agriculture, Aquaculture Engineering and Animal Sciences undergraduate courses. The students have the opportunity to learn about practices related to plant and animal production, agricultural machinery and other techniques and their implication on soil and plant management, rural planning, among others.