Project in progress | Community Development
Geração de renda em Agroflorestas da Mata Atlântica
Location
The project's area is the Baixo Sul region of Bahia, in the municipalities of Piraí do Norte, Ituberá and Igrapiúna.
The Pratigi Environmental Protection Area (APA) covers part of the region, an area of 171 thousand hectares considered an environmental hotspot, with potential to generate wealth for local communities through the environmental services granted by its forests and other environmental assets.
More specifically, the project municipalities are in Ecopolo II where the landscape is mostly rural, formed by a set of agroforestry systems such as rubber, cocoa, cloves, peach palm, and significant patches of preserved forest areas that create a mosaic, allowing the existence of ecological corridors between properties in the middle Juliana River Valley.
Species: Cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum)
Cupuaçu is a native species from the Amazon whose cultivation was expanded to Bahia to diversify local production as a way of overcoming the cocoa farming crisis caused by the spread of witches' broom. In there, cupuaçu ended up finding favorable soil and climate conditions, and today the state is one of the main producers of the fruit.
The cupuaçu tree is traditionally cultivated by family farmers in backyards and orchards, along with other native species that bring diversity and food security to families, as it needs shade to develop – a condition that the agroforest system offers.
The fruits are collected when they fall naturally to the ground, so it is important to carry out maintenance pruning of the tree, preventing it from becoming too tall. This is important to avoid breaking the fruits, which are large and heavy, since it would lead to their discard.
Community history
60 family farmers living in the Pratigi APA region will directly benefit. These are families with small rural properties that mostly work in the family farming system, in municipalities with a low HDI.
The main products cultivated are cocoa, seringa, banana, piaçava and cassava. However, these activities, especially those linked to temporary crops, are normally associated with inadequate planting techniques such as the use of burning and suppression of native vegetation, accelerating the process of soil degradation, resulting in loss of biodiversity and siltation of the riverbeds in the region.
Since 2011, OCT has been encouraging rural producers to implement biodiverse agroforestry systems in altered or degraded areas, utilizing native forest species and regionally well-adapted agricultural species, such as the cupuaçu tree. Nevertheless, due to the lack of adequate processing infrastructure for the fruits, many producers are unable to incorporate the income generated from the sale of this significant asset into their family earnings.
To address this issue, the project aims to provide technical support and training for producers in the sustainable management and processing of cupuaçu (both almonds and pulp). Additionally, it seeks to establish a production processing and storage unit in collaboration with a cooperative of regional producers. By creating opportunities to enhance income generation through the commercialization of one of the crops found in the region's agroforestry system, this project will not only contribute to adding value to the forest but also support subsistence and serve as a means of storing value in impoverished contexts.
Historical impacts:
2001 – Organização de Conservação da Terra – OCT foundation
2022 – Formalization of Boticário’s support for the “Geração de Renda em Agroflorestas da Mata Atlântica” Project
The project
The main goal of the project “Income Generation in Agroforestry in the Atlantic Forest” is to promote income generation and entrepreneurship for family farmers by structuring the cupuaçu production chain. Thereafter, it is expected to add revenue to family income from the sale of cupuaçu by harnessing the productive potential of the planted areas and ensuring the maintenance of existing plants on the properties, generating income and conservation.
1
diagnostic panel on the region’s productive potential
300
tons of cupuaçu pulp produced
6
tons of cupuaçu almonds
60
producers assisted for sustainable management
1
structured processing unit
5
training courses for processing and processing cupuaçu
Project impacts
Project activities
Diagnosis of the productive potential of cupuaçu in the region
Application of interviews with structured forms to create a diagnostic panel, containing information on the profile of producers, current number of plants, cultivation and management systems, potential for increasing the number of plants, and spatialization of producers in the region.
Training for the processing and processing of cupuaçu
Providing training in good manufacturing practices, food safety and Standard Operating Procedures is crucial to adequately prepare beneficiaries for the commercialization of fresh cupuaçu. Additionally, training will encompass processing techniques for products like jellies and dehydrated goods.
Efforts for these activities will concentrate on fostering the development of female leaders within the community, specifically those with an entrepreneurial inclination rooted in the by-products of family farming. This initiative aims to establish a Women's Network aimed at addressing current gaps and fostering autonomy for women in agricultural practices.
Technical assistance for producers for guidance on the sustainable management of productive areas
Visits by technicians to beneficiaries' properties and remote monitoring using an app developed by a partner startup of OCT, where technicians record all occurrences and recommendations made to producers. Using the tool, it will be possible to systematize the information collected during consultations, and thus monitor and evaluate the progress of activities.
Structuring a processing unit
Structuring a fruit pulp processing and storage unit with a cold room to ensure that there are no losses due to lack of adequate storage. Four troughs for fermentation and two solar dryers will also be built for drying the almonds.
Realização
Grupo Boticário
One of the largest beauty groups in the world, Grupo Boticário is a Brazilian company present in 50 countries. It owns the brands O Boticário, Eudora, Quem Disse, Berenice?; BeautyBox, Vult, O.u.i, Dr. JONES, Truss and the Beleza na Web marketplace, in addition to working with licensed products such as Australian Gold and its division for the B2B market. This interaction between different brands, assets, platforms, network of franchisees, representatives, distributors, retailers, sellers and suppliers forms the beauty ecosystem of Grupo Boticário, which also offers digital business management solutions for Brazilian retail through its brands Mooz, Casa Magalhães and GAVB. There are more than 15 thousand direct employees, with more than 4 thousand points of sale in 1,780 Brazilian cities.
Guided by responsible action towards the planet, society and consumers, the company has ESG embedded in its business model. By 2030, the Group plans to expand the positive impact on society through waste management with the “A Beauty of the Future” platform, which brings together ambitious commitments focused on the human, environmental dimensions and our production processes.
The history of Grupo Boticário began in 1977 in a small compounding pharmacy in Paraná and today it combines laboratory, factory, innovation, technology, logistics, marketing and retail, in an ecosystem of 64 thousand retail points of sale, partners and suppliers. The company also operates on environmental, social and cultural fronts and has operations with Fundação Grupo Boticário and Instituto Grupo Boticário. Find out more at www.grupoboticario.com.br
OCT
Organization founded in 2001, which operates in the Pratigi Environmental Protection Area (APA), Baixo Sul da Bahia, in an area of 171 thousand hectares. It operates along two lines: environmental conservation, in which it performs environmental services and strengthens natural resources; and productive conservation, which encourages low-impact agricultural crops, encourages reforestation and the occupation of the property with crops that contribute to maintaining the balance of the ecosystem.
VBIO.eco
Bioeconomy platform that enables projects to value Brazilian biodiversity. It has a multidisciplinary team with more than 12 years of experience in project management and corporate communication. Its work has already enabled the operation of 23 projects to enhance biodiversity and created a network of more than 500 organizations and companies active in the socio-environmental cause.
