Cocoa should be a key crop for deforested areas — Foto: Divulgação
Over the next three years, at least 3,000 family farmers in the State of Pará are expected to receive technical and financial support to reforest deforested or degraded areas in the Amazon biome, with support from a new program by the non-governmental organization The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and giant of technology Amazon. The program, called the Agroforestry and Restoration Accelerator, will encourage the planting of native agroforestry crops to promote environmental recovery combined with agroecological economic production.
The desired recovery reaches 20,000 hectares, more than has been predicted so far by restoration projects developed by other organizations — and by TNC itself — in the Amazon region. Amazon has already committed to supporting the project, with a contribution not yet defined, and other companies and investors, including those interested in offsetting carbon emissions, can also participate in the initiative.
Cocoa should be a key crop for deforested areas, as the fruit is native to the Amazon region and has strong income-generating power for producers, according to Ian Thompson, executive director of TNC Brazil and interim director of TNC for Latin America. But other products will also be encouraged, such as coconuts, bananas, açaí and cassava, among others.
“We have been working for some years with agroforestry systems in the Amazon and we see that it is a good solution, with environmental, social and economic benefits,” says Mr. Thompson. The challenge, however, has always been to ensure scale for projects and that they make “business sense” and not rely on an NGO, he said.
The partnership with Amazon intends to solve this problems, according to him. Amazon and TNC estimate that, of the 360,000 family farmers in Pará that have properties of up to 400 hectares, at least 100,000 can fit the program’s support criteria, according to Jamey Mulligan, senior researcher at Amazon and one of the people in charge of the implementation, in the company, of The Climate Pledge, a commitment made by 115 companies to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. Small properties accounted for 33% of the area deforested in Pará last year, and for about 40% in the last 13 years.
TNC is betting that the option for cocoa could catalyse the project because of the current situation in the market, with “strong demand and the difference facing supply,” Mr. Thompson said. He sees the possibility of the project benefiting 40,000 to 50,000 families of small farmers.
The project should provide technical assistance and some inputs, such as seeds and seedlings, in addition to facilitating access of small producers to credit lines that are often difficult to access, according to the specific needs of each producer. TNC’s experience in recent years in the region should facilitate access to technical assistance professionals.
The choice of producers will be supported by established agricultural associations and cooperatives, which must participate in an initial consultation process and may collaborate in shaping the project, explains Mr. Thompson. “We will hear from them about the project to meet their needs,” he said. With Amazon, TNC also intends to apply new digital technologies to communicate directly with producers and help them connect with markets.
The goal set for the next three years does not prevent the project from having a longer term duration. “We are starting with a three-year series of activities so that we have time to consult with communities, develop and test mechanisms and continue to bring in more investment and scale the project over time,” said Mr. Mulligan. For Amazon, he said, joining the project is the “first step” in supporting climate solutions.