CONTEXTUALIZATION

Promoting sustainable productive activities is a fundamental instrument to tackle deforestation in order to transform the pattern of occupation of the Amazon region, still heavily based on the conversion of the forestland (for other land uses, such as extensive livestock farming and monocultures). Therefore, developing sustainable productive activities that enable productivity gains, the incorporation of innovative technologies and access to markets is a strategic focus to continue reducing deforestation rates in the Amazon.

The high economic potential of natural resources and the Amazonian biodiversity to generate work and income, as well as the viability of integrated crop-livestock-forestry use, are acknowledged and positively evaluated by various public entities, civil society organisations and academic researchers. However, the main challenges of sustainable productive activities in the Amazon region are: building an integrated strategy for production chains on a territorial basis; strengthening social and productive organisation; and expand access to financial and credit instruments.

In this sense, the Public Call for Amazon Fund Projects n. 01/2017 – “Consolidation and strengthening of sustainable and inclusive value chains” had as its main objective to support productive arrangements that explore synergies between a certain set of economic stakeholders and institutions, regional economic vocations and precepts of financial sustainability, in order to consolidate and strengthen community enterprises that keep the forest alive and promote opportunities for financial sustainability and biodiversity conservation in the Legal Amazon.

The project was selected within the scope of this Public Call, with the objective of strengthening and consolidating the value chains of socio-biodiversity products and community-based tourism for Indigenous peoples, riverside populations and family farmers in the areas of the Negro and Xingu Hydrographic Basins. 

THE PROJECT

The project includes operations in four regions: the Xingu Indigenous Territory (TIX) and surrounding areas; Xingu – Terra do Meio and surrounding areas; Negro River – Yanomami and Upper and Middle Negro River) and supports 7 groups, namely: Associação Rede de Sementes do Xingu (ARX), Associação Terra Indígena Xingu (ATIX), Associação Indígena Kisêdjê (AIK), Associação dos Moradores da Reserva Extrativista Rio Iriri (AMORERI), Associação Yudja Mïratu de Volta Grande do Xingu (AYMIX), Hutukara Associação Yanomami (HAY) and the Federation of Indigenous Organisations of the Rio Negro (FOIRN).

The project’s goal is to strengthen and consolidate the value chains of socio-biodiversity products and community-based tourism for indigenous peoples, riverside populations and family farmers in the areas of the Negro and Xingu Hydrographic Basins. It aims to promote a set of products and services that strengthen local identities by valuing the knowledge of the communities and the broad use of their territories.

This set of products and services is different in each territory:

• Xingu – Xingu Indigenous Territory (TIX) and surrounding areas (ARSX, ATIX and AIK combined): native seeds, pequi, honey from the Xingu indigenous peoples, pepper and products from the traditional agroforestry system;
• Xingu – Terra do Meio and surrounding areas (Amoreri and Aymix agglutinated projects): rubber, vegetable oils, Brazil nuts, babassu, community-based tourism;
• Upper and Middle Negro River (FOIRN agglutinated projects): handicrafts, jiquitaia pepper, bee honey, dried fruits, black tucupi, Brazil nuts, products from the traditional agricultural system, ecotourism, and sport fishing.
• Negro River – Yanomami (hutukara group): mushrooms, Brazil nuts, cocoa and handicrafts.

The project supports actions for institutional strengthening of agglutinated projects; commercialisation; production and service provision activities; processing; distribution and storage; technical assistance; training; compliance with standards; production management and control, among others. Cross-cutting actions aimed at providing economy and coherence and enhancing the results of the groups and their chains will also be supported. 

INTERVENTION LOGIC

The project fits into component 1 of the Amazon Fund’s Logical Framework, “Sustainable Production”.