The project aimed to implement sustainable practices in six Amazon sociobiodiversity value chains in municipalities of Mato Grosso.

With the objective of creating solutions capable of transforming the current pattern of land occupation - reducing deforestation and social exclusion - the project sought to build innovative productive arrangements together with family farmers in these regions. In this sense, it worked across two types of value chains: extractive chains (babassu and Brazil nut) and agricultural/livestock chains (milk, fruits and vegetables, cocoa, and coffee).

As part of a broader rural and community development initiative, the project encompassed various links of the six productive chains, addressing key bottlenecks to consolidate a sustainable‑based economy. By increasing productivity in already anthropized areas and improving household income, the project helped reduce pressure on standing forest.

The project aimed to implement sustainable practices in six Amazon sociobiodiversity value chains in municipalities of Mato Grosso.

With the objective of creating solutions capable of transforming the current pattern of land occupation - reducing deforestation and social exclusion - the project sought to build innovative productive arrangements together with family farmers in these regions. In this regard, it worked across two types of value chains: extractive chains (babassu and Brazil nut) and agricultural/livestock chains (milk, fruits and vegetables, cocoa, and coffee).

As part of a broader rural and community development initiative, the project encompassed several links within the six productive chains, addressing key bottlenecks to establish a sustainable‑based economy. By increasing productivity in already anthropized areas and improving household income, the project helped reduce pressure on standing forest.

The project was aligned with the “Sustainable Production” (1) component of the Amazon Fund Logical Framework.

The direct effects expected from the project in the northern and northwestern regions of Mato Grosso were: (i) the strengthening of activities related to the sustainable use of forests and their biodiversity; (ii) the addition of value within agroforestry product value chains; (iii) the expansion of managerial and technical capacities for the implementation of agroforestry systems, agro‑extractive production, and the processing of agroforestry products; and
(iv) the restoration of deforested and degraded areas and their use for economic purposes and environmental conservation.

The project was structured into seven components: (i) organization and associativism; (ii) agroecological production; (iii) processing; (iv) commercialization; (v) communication and dissemination of results; (vi) project management; and (vii) cross‑cutting activities.

Approximately twenty local organizations were strengthened, and nearly six hundred families were supported through transformative actions that ranged from the restructuring of community initiatives to the generation of collective and household income, including the expansion and improvement of production systems. A network of partners was established, and significant progress was achieved in local supply chains and in raising awareness among farming families about producing without deforestation and without the use of pesticides.

The implementation of good production practices, integrating productive and environmental actions, enabled family farmers to effectively participate in local markets, gaining greater visibility in the region. Moreover, the project addressed one of the main challenges faced by rural producers: the commercialization of their products.

Through investments and technical assistance in agroecological production technologies on rural properties, solutions such as greenhouses, biodigesters, and rotational grazing systems were implemented and made visible.

Credit agents were mobilized to better understand the realities of farming families through meetings and field visits, which resulted in the preparation and approval of 17 projects through the Cooperative Credit System (Sicredi), totaling approximately R$ 737,000. These resources supported the acquisition of irrigation systems for vegetables and fruit crops, dairy cattle, vehicles, and the implementation of solar energy systems on properties. In addition, 30 additional credit projects were approved using economic feasibility studies provided by ICV.

A key achievement was the establishment of the Organic Production Network of the Mato Grosso Amazon (REPOAMA), which operates under the Participatory Guarantee System (SPG) for organic certification recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA). This is the first SPG for non‑Indigenous family farming in Mato Grosso. This certification model allows the farmers themselves to conduct peer visits and inspections of all participating properties to verify compliance with organic regulations. Building this network involved various training efforts and meetings among community organizations, covering 13 organizations and more than 100 families participating in the project.

The Rota Local (“Local Route”) was created as a commercialization mechanism in response to farmers’ need to diversify sales channels. Its proposal is to strengthen the presence of family farming products in regional markets by coordinating suppliers and final buyers. Support includes market prospecting and negotiation, logistics assistance, and advisory services for document regularization and management processes to enable invoice issuance and centralized payment flows. Over its first three years, the Rota Local commercialized more than R$ 1.89 million in products. Of this amount, 49.14% was sold to retail markets, 24.83% to wholesale markets, 13.31% to institutional markets, and 10.31% to final consumers (both individuals and companies). The best‑selling products were fruits (42%), followed by dairy products (24%), legumes (15%), and vegetables (14%).

Regarding organization and associativism, the project strengthened the role of each group within the value chains, supporting collective procurement of inputs, access to new projects and markets, and production organization. Training was offered for leaders and representatives on administrative and accounting management of organizations, economic feasibility of community enterprises, development and management of small projects, resource mobilization, and business modeling for community initiatives. Actions were also carried out to regularize associations and cooperatives, enabling their formalization and issuance of invoices.

In the agroecological production component, inputs were acquired to support organic conversion and on‑farm restoration, in addition to the implementation of REPOAMA. Agroecological production units were implemented for fruit and vegetable crops, coffee, and cocoa; rotational grazing units were established for the dairy chain; and degraded areas were restored (for ecological or economic purposes), with the necessary inputs supplied. Training sessions, exchange visits, and field activities were also carried out.

In the processing component, the project supported the addition of value to products by improving physical facilities and licensing, standardizing operations, and adopting appropriate packaging and labeling with all required information. Training was also provided to prepare participants to work in agro‑processing units and community kitchens.

In the commercialization component, continuous advisory support was provided to family farmers and community organizations to facilitate access to government markets, such as the Food Acquisition Program (PAA) and the National School Feeding Program (PNAE), as well as more robust private markets, including industries and local and regional retailers and wholesalers. Technical training was conducted not only with community organizations but also with nutritionists, managers, and technicians from municipal agriculture and education departments. The project supported market research, studies on emerging consumption patterns, and client prospecting, identifying and assisting potential productive and commercial arrangements, as well as supporting their governance and monitoring.

In the communication and dissemination component, the project worked on marketing strategies for local, sustainable, and organic production, assisting groups in developing commercial and branding strategies, in addition to promoting project activities and results.

The products and services directly address the main development stages of the value chains: sustainable production, processing and commercialization with increased added value, strengthening the managerial capacities of community organizations, and forest and degraded‑area restoration.

The results of the main indicators agreed upon for monitoring the expected direct effects are presented below.

Direct Effect (1.4) – Deforested and degraded areas recovered and used for economic purposes and ecological conservation

• Directly managed forest area (hectares)
  Baseline: 68,000 | Target: 300,000 | Final result: 207,160

The indicator referring to the area of forest directly managed is related to the Brazil nut value chain and fell below expectations due to changes in the management of one of the associations, which affected concession agreements with forest management farms.