Extractive producers from the Cajari extractive reserve, in Amapá, took part in a workshop organized by IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute) to teach and encourage sustainable açaí production practices. Held from September 2 to 4, the training was a partnership between the institute, Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) and ICMBio (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation).
The course presented management techniques that reconcile forest conservation and income generation for local families. Participants learned everything from forest inventory and species recognition to field practices such as selective felling (controlled removal of some trees to encourage the growth of others), clump thinning (reduction of excess açaí trees to increase productivity) and enriching areas with new açaí seedlings.
During the activity, a URT (Technological Reference Unit) was set up – a 50 x 50 meter sample plot installed inside the forest, divided into quadrants, where forest inventory, data collection and management interventions are carried out. “Once the data has been collected, we carry out the analysis and management of the forest and the açaí. The practical part is all done inside the URT,” explains Anderson Firmino, IPAM’s research analyst.
According to Firmino, the workshop was fundamental in showing that it is possible to improve productivity without giving up the forest. “The participants learned techniques for the sustainable management of native açaí, such as selective thinning and controlling the density of açaí trees. By applying the techniques taught, producers can increase fruit production per hectare without clearing or degrading the forest,” he says.
In the researcher’s assessment, the learning also demonstrated that sustainable management helps to keep the forest standing, strengthening carbon capture and helping to regulate the climate. He adds that the initiative showed a balance between production and conservation, valuing both the technical knowledge and the traditional knowledge of the communities.
For Davi Gonzaga Balbino, president of Icaf (Instituto dos Castanheiros Extrativistas, Agroecológico e Agricultura Familiar do Alto Cajari) and a resident of the Cajari extractive reserve, the activity leaves a legacy for the extractive communities.
“This course was very important for us extractive producers. We were able to see that it is possible to produce, make an income from the forest and still conserve. The training has already left a legacy, an incredible amount of knowledge for us”, said Balbino.
In addition to the lessons and practices in the field, the producers evaluated the immediate impacts of management in the URT and discussed ways of replicating the techniques in other locations in the reserve.
The initiative seeks to strengthen the multiple use of the forest, guaranteeing the conservation of the Amazon and valuing local knowledge.