The future of the Amazon also passes through classrooms, laboratories, workshops, and projects developed at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Mato Grosso (IFMT) transform knowledge into professional training and solutions for environmental challenges that are part of the region's daily life. The institution has open registration for admission in 2027 for undergraduate and technical courses (post-secondary education) on the websiteseletivo.ifmt.edu.br.
In the Sinop, Juína, Confresa, and Sorriso campuses, located geographically in the Brazilian Amazon of Mato Grosso, the initiatives involving renewable energy, forest management, restoration of water sources, production of native seedlings, composting, environmental education, and scientific research demonstrate how professional and technological education can contribute to a development model that combines work, innovation, conservation of natural resources, and quality of life.
Renewable Energy
At the Sinop campus, sustainability meets professional education in an area that is gaining space in the job market: the energy transition. Through initial and continuous training courses (FIC) linked toEnergIFE ProgramThe IFMT is preparing professionals to work with technologies related to renewable energy and electric mobility.
The courses include the courses in Photovoltaic System Installer and Installation and Maintenance of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure. These courses bring students closer to strategic sectors of a low-carbon economy.
The knowledge acquired can open new job opportunities while also increasing the availability of professionals in the region to keep pace with the changes in the energy sector.
In Northern Mato Grosso, where important economic activities coexist with the need to conserve natural resources, training professionals in sustainable technologies means preparing the region for new development paths.
Sustainability
Still in Sinop, the teaching projectHands to the Garden, coordinated by Professor Juliana Roriz, from the Biology area, shows that great changes can also start with simple actions. Developed since 2020, the project has already gone through the extension and research modalities, and since 2025, it is being developed as a teaching project. Its activities include actions to raise awareness about the selective disposal of waste, composting and the reuse of materials.
Students and the academic community are invited to reflect on the fate of waste produced daily and on the possibilities of transforming what would be discarded into new resources.
During activities related to World Environment Day, students participated in the implementation of selective bins and waste collection and sorting activities. Activities were also carried out to reuse discarded materials for the production of decorative objects.
The aim is to take sustainability beyond the discourse and transform it into an educational experience, said Professor Juliana.
In August 2026, the "Mãos à Horta" Newsletter expanded the discussion to address the responsible use of biotechnology, the protection of natural resources and the conservation of nature, bringing together science, technology and socio-environmental responsibility.
Preservation
In Juína, vocational education is directly related to one of the major challenges of the Amazon region: reconciling the use of forest resources with environmental conservation.
The FIC courseForest Identificationoffered by the municipality's campus in partnership with the Center of Industries Producers and Exporters of Wood of the State of Mato Grosso (Cipem), trains professionals in botanical and anatomical identification of tree species used in management. Cipem is an entity that organizes and defends the interests of the forest-based sector in the state of Mato Grosso.
The training contributes to increasing the accuracy in identifying species and reducing the risk of errors in classifying wood. In practice, more qualified professionals can contribute to improving traceability, adding value to the production chain and strengthening the environmental compliance of forestry activities.
It is vocational training that takes place where technical knowledge can make a difference to the sustainability of an economic activity present in the territory.
Recovery
Environmental preservation also involves water. Still in Juína, the IFMT is participating in the project ofrecovery of the Rio Perdido basin, developed in partnership with the Rio Perdido Environmental Institute (IARP) and the Municipal Government. The actions include the construction of small dams, terracing on contour lines, protection of springs and the restoration of riparian vegetation.
The interventions contribute to reducing sedimentation, increasing water infiltration into the soil, and improving the stability of the hydrological flow. The work is particularly relevant for the municipality, considering the importance of the river for the population's water supply.
Transformation
At the Sorriso Campus, researchers are also seeking environmental answers within the regional biodiversity. This is the case of the projectBioIFLEX, which investigates the transformation of natural waste into materials with the potential to assist in the treatment of environmental contaminants such as the pesticide metomil, which is widely used in extensive agriculture.
One of the studies uses the epicarpo of macaúba (scientific name:macaúbaoracrocomia aculeata), to produce a material called hydrocarvane. The process uses the so-called hydrothermal carbonization.
The research is in the evaluation and characterization stage of the material and involves academic partnership with the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), which enables more sophisticated analyses.
The initiative represents one of the possibilities of applied science: to look at an underutilized material, investigate its properties, and seek new forms of use that could contribute to addressing environmental problems.
Renewal
Still in Sorriso, the IFMT participates inProjeto Águas do Lira, an initiative developed by the Clube Amigos da Terra (CAT), with the support of the Ministério Público do Estado de Mato Grosso (MPMT).
The project focuses on the recovery of degraded springs in the Lira River basin. The Sorriso Campus contributes to the production of native seedlings and the development of proposals for the ecological restoration of the areas.
The partnership enabled the revitalization of the campus greenhouse, expanding its capacity to approximately 15,000 native seedlings per year. The structure includes workbenches for seedling treatment and an automated irrigation system.
Each seedling produced represents a possibility of vegetation recovery and ecosystem restoration. The work also brings students, researchers, and the community together around an environmental agenda that extends beyond the campus.
Ancestrality
Another important sustainable development initiative was launched by the Confresa campus (IFMT), which expanded its activities with indigenous peoples by offering the Initial and Continuous Training (FIC) course.Agroforestry Farmer Apyãwadeveloped on the Urubu Branco Indigenous Land, territory of the Tapirapé people.
The action combines vocational training, sustainability, and environmental preservation. The inaugural lesson was held last Friday, August 31st, marking the beginning of a training specifically designed to meet the needs and characteristics of the indigenous community. The initiative is developed as an extension project and aims to share knowledge and techniques related to sustainable agriculture, contributing to the strengthening of productive practices that respect the territory and environmental balance.
The proposal also recognizes the role of the Tapirapé farmers as important agents in the protection of biodiversity and the conservation of the Amazon biome. In this context, the training aims to promote dialogue between the traditional knowledge of the Apyãwa people and the scientific knowledge related to agroforestry systems.
Sustainable development
The experiences developed by IFMT reveal different paths to the same purpose: to put education at the service of the transformation of territories. By enrolling in one of the technical, undergraduate, or postgraduate courses, you guarantee free and excellent education, with access to research, extension, and real internationalization opportunities.
Come and be part of IFMT! The 2027/1 Admission Process is open for undergraduate and technical courses (post-secondary education):CHECK OUT THE OPEN REGULATIONS HEREThrough the official IFMT portal and the social media of your preferred campus.
Text: Jones Martinho – Decom-RTR
Collaboration: Ritielly Senigalia – Campus Sorriso; Luiz Pereira Junior – Campus Juína; Telma Aguiar – Confresa; and Juliana Roriz – Sinop.
The postDay of the Amazon: Vocational training helps to build solutions for a sustainable futureappeared first inIFMT.