Sixty family farmers living in the APA do Pratigi region will be directly benefited. These are families with small rural properties, most of whom work within the family farming system in municipalities with low Human Development Index (HDI).

The main crops cultivated are cocoa, rubber, banana, piaçava, and cassava. However, these activities—especially those related to temporary crops—are often associated with inadequate planting techniques, such as slash-and-burn and suppression of native vegetation, which accelerate soil degradation, lead to biodiversity loss, and contribute to the siltation of large parts of the region’s riverbeds.

Since 2011, OCT has been encouraging these rural producers to implement biodiverse Agroforestry Systems (AFSs) in altered or degraded areas, using native forest species and regionally suitable agricultural crops, including cupuaçu trees. However, the lack of proper infrastructure for fruit processing prevents many producers from adding the income generated by commercializing this important resource to their family revenue.

To change this scenario, the project aims to provide technical support and training to producers for the sustainable management, processing, and handling of cupuaçu (seeds and pulp); and to establish a production processing and storage unit in partnership with a local producers’ cooperative. By enabling increased income generation through the commercialization of one of the crops present in the region’s AFSs, the implementation of this project will also contribute to adding value to the forest while supporting livelihoods and serving as a store of value in contexts of poverty.