Project in progress | Community Development
Irriga Açaí
Location
The state of Maranhão is one of the largest national producers of açaí, with an annual production of around 1 million tons, and a planted and managed area (floodplain) exceeding 154 thousand hectares (IBGE, 2015). The main producing municipalities in the state are Boa Vista do Gurupi, Cândido Mendes, Carutapera, Luís Domingues and Amapá do Maranhão, where the project will be implemented.
Specifically, the project activities will involve the settlers of the 2002 Agricultural Settlement Project, in the municipality of Carutapera, in an area of 3,159 hectares.
Species: Açaizeiro (Euterpe oleracea)
The palm tree species native to the Amazon stands out for its abundance in the region and its importance in ensuring food security for local populations. Today, it ranks among the main products of the Brazilian bioeconomy and stands as the second most important product of Amazonian agriculture, following cassava.
The process of collecting açaí requires careful attention. In the morning, harvesters prepare to climb the palm tree trunk with the help of a 'peconha' (a small piece of rope). Using a machete, they cut the açaí bunch, which is then placed under a tarpaulin on the ground for fruit selection.
Beyond the food market, the antioxidant properties of açaí enhance its potential in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.
Community history
The project will directly benefit 180 people, including residents of the Agricultural Settlement Project (PA) and the municipalities of Amapá do Maranhão, Carutapera, Luís Domingues, Godofredo Viana and Cândido Mendes. Considering all the project's actions and their consequences, around 500 to 1,000 producers could also be indirectly impacted.
These families rely solely on the sale of agricultural products or government aid programs from state and federal levels as their primary income sources. Their production is diverse, encompassing traditional crops like cassava, beans, corn, rice, and sweet potatoes, alongside creole varieties and native species such as copaíba, buriti, andiroba, tucumã, and açaí. However, these families still lack training in agricultural techniques that enhance product value, as well as infrastructure and financial management skills required to effectively run their businesses and access markets.
Consequently, despite an available market, as seen with açaí, annual production remains insufficient to meet demand. This insufficiency has significantly contributed to the product's price increase due to heightened consumption. Increasing production is crucial to align product supply with growing demand. Hence, the goal is to link this productivity surge with the implementation of technologies such as irrigation systems, improved seeds and seedlings, and intensified Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (ATER) efforts.
Historical impacts:
1995 – Creation of the Associação dos Moradores do Povoado Sabonete
2002 - Creation of the Projeto de Assentamento - PA Agrícola
2017 – Installation of a seed bed using research techniques and resources, ensuring a satisfactory result in cassava, beans, corn, rice, passion fruit and watermelon crops
2022 - Formalization of Boticário’s support for the “Irriga Açaí” project.
The project
The “Irriga Açaí” project’s main goal is to increase açaí production in the Alto Turi region through improvement in management techniques and enrichment of açaí groves in upland and floodplain areas, placing emphasis on the local and regional socioeconomic development of small settled farmers while ensuring the conservation of the species.
3000
hectares of açaí palm trees managed and enriched
4000
açaí seedlings planted
640
direct jobs generated by the promotion of the açaí chain
180
family farmers trained to manage açaí in floodplains and solo
60
m² of infrastructure built for processing açaí pulp
2500
kg/ha/year of açaí production
Project impacts
Project activities
Expansion of the açaí production chain, by encouraging the implementation and cultivation of açaí trees in areas of dry land that have already been anthropized
This activity will include training farmers to manage açaí on dry land and planting açaí seedlings in degraded areas within these ecosystems, with the aim to increase production and restore these locations. It will also involve training and construction of cisterns that will help capture rainwater and irrigate crops.
Through agroforestry systems, promote the cultivation, management and enrichment of açaí groves in the floodplain ecosystem
This activity will include a seminar to guide farmers on the management of açaí in floodplain areas, in addition to field days for the management of already established açaí groves, with the aim of preparing farmers for the development of Agroforestry Systems within their properties.
Implementation of a mini açaí processing factory
This activity is focused on building a mini factory to pulp açaí and training family farmers to handle processing machines as a way of adding value to the raw material produced. The Association will adopt the same sales system carried out by the PAA (Food Acquisition Program) and PNAE (National School Feeding Program) programs for the sale of products from the mini factory, where it is responsible for the sale and transfer of 70% of the value to selling partners.
Realization
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
AMPS
Founded in 1995, for 27 years it has been fighting for the rights of families in the Pindoval village, demanding, together with public bodies, basic rights such as school, health center and legalization of the land where the families work and live.
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.
