Operations

Action Axes

Three strategic fronts structuring the Sertão Central LIDER Development Agenda 2023–2033, with macro-objectives, targets, and priority initiatives.

Agenda 2033 AxesAgribusinessInnovation and TechnologyTourism
Tourism Axis • Açude do Cedro and Pedra da Galinha Choca
Tourism Axis • Açude do Cedro and Pedra da Galinha Choca

Where the sertão becomes a monument

The Açude do Cedro reservoir and the iconic Pedra da Galinha Choca, in Quixadá — imperial engineering and Quixadá Monoliths sculpted by time, symbols of Sertão Central.

Agribusiness Axis • Dairy Cattle Farming
Agribusiness Axis • Dairy Cattle Farming

One of the most relevant dairy basins in Sertão Central

Led by Quixeramobim — a state benchmark in milk production — the basin integrates Milhã, Senador Pompeu, Quixadá, Pedra Branca, and Solonópole, generating income, employment, and development across the entire region.

Tourism Axis • Quixeramobim Dam
Tourism Axis • Quixeramobim Dam

Waters sustaining the sertão

The Quixeramobim Dam is one of the city's main tourist attractions, representing the resilience and natural beauty of the sertão.

Innovation and Technology Axis • Quixadá Technology Station
Innovation and Technology Axis • Quixadá Technology Station

An ecosystem born in the sertão

In partnership with UFC, IFCE, and Sebrae, Estação Tecnológica de Quixadá consolidates the region as a startup and innovation hub in Ceará.

Tourism Axis • Free Flight in Quixadá
Tourism Axis • Free Flight in Quixadá

The sertão viewed from above

National capital of free flight: paragliding, hang gliding, and landscapes that reveal the grandeur of our territory.

Agribusiness Axis • Goat and Sheep Farming and Livestock
Agribusiness Axis • Goat and Sheep Farming and Livestock

Herds driving the economy

Goats, sheep, swine, poultry, and beef cattle: the livestock tradition of Sertão Central gaining scale, sanitary standards, genetics, and markets.

Tourism Axis • Religious and Cultural Tourism
Tourism Axis • Religious and Cultural Tourism

Faith, history, and identity

Cathedrals, religious festivals, and historical heritage: itineraries celebrating the soul and culture of the sertanejo people.

Innovation and Technology Axis • Technological Education
Innovation and Technology Axis • Technological Education

Talent trained within the territory

UECE, IFCE, UFC, FAUNIQ, and Unicatólica educating the next generation of programmers, engineers, and entrepreneurs of the sertão.

Tourism Axis • Railway Tourism
Tourism Axis • Railway Tourism

Memory on rails

The Quixeramobim Station and railway tourism rescuing history and attracting visitors to the heart of the sertão.

Agribusiness Axis • Projeto Pingo D'Água Local Productive Cluster (APL)
Agribusiness Axis • Projeto Pingo D'Água Local Productive Cluster (APL)

Pingo D'Água: irrigation transforming Vale do Forquilha

In Quixeramobim, Projeto Pingo D'Água supports family farming with shallow wells, efficient irrigation, and technical assistance — producing organic tomatoes, fruit, pulps, milk, and tilapia, and improving living conditions in rural communities.

Tourism Axis • Boa Viagem-CE
Tourism Axis • Boa Viagem-CE

O Alferes e a Bela

Monument to the Foundation of the City of Boa Viagem — bronze sculptures honouring the legend of the Ensign and the Fair Maiden, a landmark of municipal identity and memory.

Innovation and Technology Axis • Connectivity and Optical Fiber
Innovation and Technology Axis • Connectivity and Optical Fiber

High-performance internet for all

Agenda LIDER Target: 100% fiber optic coverage by 2033 — the connected sertão, from countryside to city.

Tourism Axis • Senador Pompeu
Tourism Axis • Senador Pompeu

Sítio Patu

Historical heritage of Senador Pompeu, Sítio Patu preserves the memory of the sertão in its century-old architecture, surrounded by typical caatinga vegetation.

Innovation and Technology Axis • Dry Port and Transnordestina
Innovation and Technology Axis • Dry Port and Transnordestina

The sertão on the global route

Multimodal Dry Port, Transnordestina Railway, and Export Processing Zone (ZPE): logistics infrastructure that puts Sertão Central on the international trade map.

Tourism Axis • Pedra Branca
Tourism Axis • Pedra Branca

Cachoeira do Inferno

In Pedra Branca, Cachoeira do Inferno surprises visitors with waters cascading through time-sculpted rocks — a natural refuge and ecotourism attraction in Sertão Central.

Tourism Axis • Solonópole
Tourism Axis • Solonópole

Capela de Nossa Senhora de Fátima

Built in 1935, it is the first chapel in Ceará dedicated to Our Lady of Fátima. At the top of Monte Castelo, it overlooks the city, the tower of Matriz de Bom Jesus Aparecido, and one of the most stunning sunsets in the backcountry.

Strategic Axis

Agribusiness

Structuring of productive chains, rural training, access to credit, technology, and infrastructure for the countryside.

Full axis page Agribusiness
Sertão Central in numbersSource: Agenda LIDER Sertão Central 2023–2033

Diagnostic of Sertão Central from the LIDER Agenda 2023–2033: diversified productive base, aptitude for fruit farming, dairy cattle farming, sheep and goat farming, beekeeping, and family farming, with a strong presence of rural settlements and irrigated perimeters.

Rural establishments

Agricultural base distributed across the 14 municipalities (census data being updated)

Family farming

Predominant among rural establishments (Census data being updated)

Irrigated perimeters

Banabuiú, Cedro, Quixeramobim, and Pedras Brancas Reservoirs

Priority chains

Milk, sheep and goats, beekeeping, fruit growing, and honey

Macro-objective

Transform Sertão Central Agribusiness into a state benchmark in productivity, profitability, sustainability, technology, and added value.

1

Rural Professional Qualification

Target: Rural training, qualification, and capacity-building program in 100% of the region's municipalities by Dec/2033.

Priority Initiatives

  • Invest in technical and managerial assistance for rural producers.
  • Expand the offering of technology courses in the agribusiness sector according to market demands.
  • Hold lectures and dissemination events (Senar/Sebrae Field Days) and benchmarking activities.
  • Foster agricultural education and rural entrepreneurship in partnership with local educational institutions.
2

Access to Credit and Financing

Target: Improvement of credit supply for rural businesses by 10% per year by 2033.

Priority Initiatives

  • Support access to credit and financing for rural entrepreneurs.
  • Foster credit cooperatives in the region.
  • Disseminate development credit lines and alternative guarantees.
  • Promote financial education and the strengthening of family farming.
3

Technology Provision for Rural Businesses

Target: Implementation of Agro 4.0 in the management of 30% of properties in Sertão Central by December 2033.

Priority Initiatives

  • Adoption of drones, georeferencing, precision and regenerative agriculture.
  • Automation systems for irrigation, fertilization, crop management, and harvesting.
  • Public policies for the introduction of productivity and competitiveness technologies.
4

Sector Intelligence — Precision Agriculture

Target: Equip 25% of rural properties with automated precision agriculture platforms by Dec/2033.

Priority Initiatives

  • Use of data intelligence in harvest planning and resource optimization.
  • Information management system to store and analyze data.
5

Formalization of Partnerships and Cooperation

Target: Associative development program implemented by Nov/2028.

Priority Initiatives

  • Strengthen ties between rural enterprises, universities, and research institutions.
  • Encourage cooperatives, trade unions, and associations to adopt good management practices.
6

Crop Diversification

Target: Adoption of a crop diversification model by 25% of rural businesses by 2033.

Priority Initiatives

  • Reduce climate, sanitary, and market risks through productive diversification.
7

Expansion of New Markets

Target: Increase rural properties with product value-adding actions by 20% by Dec/2033.

Priority Initiatives

  • Support new market access strategies for local producers.
  • Educational and promotional campaigns for the appreciation of regional products.
  • Calendar of fairs and events in the region.
8

Business Environment Improvement

Target: Reduction of 30% in average time to obtain environmental registrations and licenses by Dec/2026.

Priority Initiatives

  • Streamlining sanitary, environmental, and production outflow procedures.
  • Work toward land regularization in the region.
  • Recognition and distinction of unique rural products.
9

Infrastructure and Rural Security

Target: 70% of rural properties served by rural public security mechanisms by Dec/2033.

Priority Initiatives

  • Provision of public security infrastructure in rural areas.
  • Improvement of secondary roads and logistics corridors.
  • Best practices in water resource management and renewable energy use.
10

Food Security and Regional Recognition

Target: Campaign to recognize agribusiness as an agent of socioeconomic transformation by May of 2025.

Priority Initiatives

  • Promote regional agricultural production as a vector of development and dignity for rural producers.
Strategic Axis

Innovation and Technology

Digital infrastructure, technological education, and innovation environments as engines of regional development.

Full axis page Innovation and Technology
Sertão Central in numbersSource: Agenda LIDER Sertão Central 2023–2033

Sertão Central brings together campuses of higher education and technical institutions (UECE, IFCE, UFC, FAUNIQ, Unicatólica), incipient industrial hubs, and the prospect of the Multimodal Dry Port, the Transnordestina railway, and the Export Processing Zone (ZPE) — creating an environment conducive to structuring a regional innovation ecosystem.

Higher and technical education

UECE, IFCE, UFC, FAUNIQ, and Unicatólica active in the territory

Connectivity

Fiber optic coverage still partial — target of 100% by 2033

Potential population

Population of the 14 municipalities — see dashboard with IBGE data

Logistics vector

Dry Port (projected area exceeding 362 ha — forecast, Diário do Nordeste), Transnordestina Railway, and Export Processing Zone (ZPE) (prospective outlook, not formally approved)

Macro-objective

Develop a technological innovation ecosystem in Sertão Central Cearense by 2033.

1

Regional Technological Infrastructure

Target: 100% coverage with fiber optic network deployment by Dec/2033.

Priority Initiatives

  • Implement fiber optic network and cutting-edge technologies for universal high-performance internet access.
  • Coordinate public-private partnerships for the financing and implementation of the regional network.
  • Feasibility studies to identify priority areas.
  • Train local professionals in network installation and maintenance.
2

Technological Education

Target: Equipping 90% of local schools with technology training programs by December of 2033.

Priority Initiatives

  • Technology training programs for students in public and private education networks.
  • Partnerships with technical and technological education institutions for undergraduate degree programs.
  • Internships and training programs in partnership with technology companies.
  • Mentorship program connecting professionals to schools.
  • Innovative teaching materials and awareness events on technology careers.
3

Innovation Ecosystem

Target: Structure innovation environments, hubs, and startup accelerators in Sertão Central by 2033.

Priority Initiatives

  • Support the creation of innovation hubs and local and regional co-creation environments.
  • Startup acceleration and strengthening of business cooperation networks.
  • Promotion of digital transformation in small businesses.
4

Regional Economic Intelligence

Target: Structure an economic intelligence platform for Sertão Central as a foundation for public and private decision-making.

Priority Initiatives

  • Collection, systematization, and analysis of strategic data of the territory.
  • Territorial economic diagnostics to inform policies and investments.
  • Mapping of productive vocations and regional opportunities.
5

Integration with Logistics and Industrial Infrastructure

Target: Prepare the regional environment for integration with the Dry Port, the Ferrovia Transnordestina, and the strategic outlook of the Export Processing Zone (ZPE) (prospective project).

Priority Initiatives

  • Encourage the insertion of local businesses into industrial and export value chains.
  • Coordination between economic development and urban planning (Master Plans).
  • Investment attraction and business generation around the logistics-industrial complex.
Strategic Axis

Tourism

Cultural identity, route design, qualification, and infrastructure to consolidate regional tourism.

Full axis page Tourism
Sertão Central in numbersSource: Agenda LIDER Sertão Central 2023–2033

The territory concentrates unique natural and cultural heritage: Monólitos de Quixadá (Pedra da Galinha Choca, Pedra do Cruzeiro), the Açude Cedro reservoir, Serra do Estêvão, archaeological sites, religious festivals, and adventure tourism — the foundation for structuring integrated regional itineraries.

Natural attractions

Monólitos de Quixadá, mountain ranges, historical reservoirs and canyons

Tourism segments

Adventure, religious, rural, cultural, and events

Hang gliding and paragliding hub

Quixadá — national benchmark in paragliding

Planned infrastructure

Expansion of Quixadá airport and Sertão Central Event Center

Macro-objective

Promote Integrated and Sustainable Tourism in the Sertão Central region by 2033.

1

Heritage and Environmental Education

Target: Implementation of Heritage and Environmental Education methodology in 100% of municipal schools by 2033.

Priority Initiatives

  • Foster and support the creation of Heritage and Environmental Education methodologies for primary and secondary education.
2

Territorial Tourism Itinerary Planning

Target: Tourism itinerary planning for 100% of the municipalities by 2027.

Priority Initiatives

  • Mapping of tourism information for the municipalities of the LIDER Sertão Central territory.
  • Creation of tourist itineraries in municipalities with potential.
  • Organization and execution of famtours with the local community.
3

Tourism Marketing and Promotion

Target: Tourism Communication Plan of the LIDER Sertão Central territory through 2027.

Priority Initiatives

  • Integrated events calendar of the territory.
  • Identity, media, and regional tourism promotion instruments.
  • Conduct fampress and famtours.
  • Destination promotion and attraction of visitors from other regions.
4

Professional Qualification

Target: Qualification model in 100% of municipalities with tourism potential by 2026.

Priority Initiatives

  • Training of tour guides in municipalities with tourism potential.
  • Training plan for the tourism trade (hotels, inns, restaurants, commerce, and services).
  • Internship and trainee program for tourist guides and drivers.
  • Access to online learning platforms for regional trade.
5

Commerce and Services Linked to Tourism

Target: Incentive initiatives for tourism businesses across 100% of the territory by 2027.

Priority Initiatives

  • Tourism festivals and promotion of local artists.
  • Dissemination of regional tourism potential by business leaders.
6

Credit and Financing

Target: Increase by 25%/year in financial resources raised by tourism trade businesses through 2033.

Priority Initiatives

  • Map the volume of funds raised from local financial institutions.
  • Expand annual funding raised by tourism trade businesses.
7

Tourism Incentive Legislation

Target: Implement tourism incentive legislation across 100% of the territory by 2033.

Priority Initiatives

  • Establish tourism forums (municipal and regional).
  • Public policies to encourage the establishment of tourism trade businesses.
  • Coordinate the creation of a fee applied to the use of tourism services (room tax).
8

Tourism Infrastructure

Target: Increase public and private investments in regional tourism infrastructure by 300% by 2033.

Priority Initiatives

  • Signage of tourist routes.
  • Maintenance and renovations of tourism facilities.
  • Fundraising from public resources across all three government levels for infrastructure.
  • Expansion of Quixadá airport for small aircraft flights.
  • Implementation of the Sertão Central Event Center.
9

Tourism Safety and Security

Target: Ensure tourist safety in 100% of the territory by 2028.

Priority Initiatives

  • Expansion of municipal and asset protection guards at tourist facilities.
  • Dedicated reporting hotline for cases of violence against tourists.
  • Crime prevention measures targeting tourists.
Smart Territorial Platform

Development that connects territories, drives opportunities, and transforms Sertão Central Cearense.

Regional platform for territorial intelligence, collaborative governance, and strategic articulation.

Machine-assisted translation. Figures come from the same database as the Portuguese version, which prevails in case of discrepancy.

Acronyms and names used on this page
  • ADR Sertão Central (Regional Development Agency of Sertão Central, Ceará)
  • IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics)
  • IPECE (Ceará Institute for Research and Economic Strategy)
  • CAGED (General Register of Employed and Unemployed — formal CLT jobs only)
  • RAIS (Annual Social Information Report — all formal jobs, including civil servants)
  • PNUD (United Nations Development Programme — UNDP)
  • IDH-M — Municipal Human Development Index (IDHM)
  • Bolsa Família (federal cash-transfer program)
  • BPC (federal continuous cash benefit)
  • ZPE — Export Processing Zone (ZPE)
  • Porto Seco — Dry Port
  • Transnordestina (Transnordestina railway)
  • DER-CE (Ceará State Highway Department)