Instituto Amazonas - Agroforestry in the Amazon

The issue

The Amazon, as the world’s largest rainforest, has a global significance due to its biodiversity and importance as a store of carbon dioxide – vital in preventing global heating.

The rainforest is home to more species of birds, plants and mammals than anywhere else in the world. And despite being made up of an estimated 390 billion trees, the threat from deforestation is thought to be higher now than ever before.

Vital to facing these problems are the indigenous tribes of the Amazon – who are natural custodians of the places they live. Croda Foundation is delighted to be supporting a project with Instituto Amazonas to build indigenous people’s capacity to look after their home, reduce hunger and poverty, improve livelihoods and contribute to the protection of traditional foods. The project addresses the UN Sustainable Development Goals to eradicate poverty, promote health and wellbeing, give access to decent work and economic growth and work in partnership for the goals.

Instituto Amazonas

Indigenous women, riverine people and young people need income. Even if they tribal and riverine people remain in their villages, the advancement of western society into the previously isolated rainforest has brought profound changes in the life of Amazonian communities - impacting gender roles and forcing communities into a cash economy, creating new needs and aspirations. 

With goals to achieve food security, promote traditional sustainable agriculture, value traditional indigenous agricultural techniques and help to cultivate native species, Instituto Amazonas is a very worthy recipient of support from Croda Foundation grants. 

Find out more about Instituto Amazonas on their website.

The project 

Croda Foundation is supporting an Instituto Amazonas agroforestry project with a grant of £92,000 over 24 months. The project aims to revive traditional agriculture practices among indigenous groups in order to protect cultural heritage, their traditional foods and environment, and their health and wellbeing.

Targeting six tribes in Mato Grosso in the Brazillian Amazonia, this project will reach approximately 7,400 people, and aims to break monoculture, improve local diets and restore food security. Working alongside elders and tribal women, the project intends to map old gardens, harvest wild species and reintroduce native plants via germplasm banks. 

Food security through sustainable production that does not impact the environment is a right for all people. This project recognises the importance of food autonomy amongst indigenous and riverine communities. By using education programmes to build confidence in the traditional agriculture methods, great progress is being made in promoting health and preserving their cultural traditions. 

Croda expertise and know-how

This project is utilising Croda’s expertise and know-how from Incotec Brazil. Incotec Brazil are supporting Instituto Amazonas to grow and multiply rediscovered native ‘rust’ rice seeds that have been lost among the Terenas indigenous people for over a decade and a half. Incotec are also providing seed technology and know-how on how to increase yields for existing crops.  

Smart science to improve lives

This approach is underpinned by Croda’s philosophy to use Smart science to improve lives.™

Find out more on Croda Inc’s website: https://www.croda.com/en-gb/smart-science

Impact

6 tribes will be supported to preserve and protect traditional production methods of indigenous peoples 
Indigenous youth will document traditional food growing practices