Growing regenerative forests in Apui, Brazil

At a glance

This project focuses on delivering sustainable and profitable agroforestry and cattle farming practices for local farmers in Apuí, in the southeast of Brazil’s Amazonas State, to restore degraded land and avoid further deforestation. In the first phase, it will establish 175 hectares of regenerative organic coffee agroforestry, with a long-term goal to restore 3200 ha of degraded pasture through regenerative agriculture and avoid the deforestation of around 1800 ha. So far, 70 ha of coffee agroforestry has been set up under agroforestry and 104,237 trees are growing in the systems.

Carbon impact

The Amazon biome is one of the world’s most biodiverse areas and is responsible for regulating the rainfall in many regions of South America. Cattle ranching is responsible for 80% of the deforestation throughout the Amazon Forest and the release of 340 million tCO2 annually – 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In 2019 and again in 2020, parts of the Amazon burned at a rate not seen in years. It is estimated that 20% of the Amazon has already been lost. If the current rate of deforestation continues, it is estimated that over one quarter of the Amazon biome will be without any trees by 2030 – an irreversible ecological disaster.

Apuí, has become one of the most deforested municipalities within the rainforest. It has lost 39% of its tree cover since 2000. Low income from inefficient cattle ranching combined with a lack of compliance with the Forestry Code has led to a vicious cycle of land expansion and degradation. It also has the highest rate of fire outbreaks in the Amazon. This is no coincidence. While some fires can be caused naturally by factors such as lightning strikes, most are started by farmers and loggers clearing land for crops or grazing.

However, to reverse this trend, the project will restore degraded land by naturally trapping and storing carbon to mitigate climate change, while creating a more-sustainable source of income for local farmers from agroforestry and cattle farming.

Co-benefits

Despite being highly deforested, Apuí still supports 150 mammal species (of which 9 are threatened), almost 500 bird species (of which 14 are threatened) and 80 amphibian species. By avoiding further deforestation and restoring native forests, the project will conserve and support the biodiversity here by protecting and restoring habitats.

It will improve cattle ranching productivity and develop forest-friendly production systems, such as coffee agroforestry, to support the livelihoods of local families. Forests on farmland will be restored with native tree species, such as Jatoba, Mahogany, and Andiroba. On each hectare, between 200 to 500 native trees are planted with over 1600 coffee plants. These will provide necessary shading and improve the regulation of the local microclimate. Moisture is retained better, nutrient and water cycles are being restored, and soil fertility naturally improves.

Farmers will receive technical support and training throughout the project to establish silvopastoral and agroforestry systems, as well as strengthening local expertise on forest restoration and sustainable farming. The farmers will integrate trees on pasture with cattle, using a pasture rotation technique that allows for an increase in production using less land.

Technical support and the funding of tree planting and restoration is conditional on the signed agreement of landowners to halt fire and/or deforestation activities. However, developing a more productive system that provides better income will provide a significant incentive for farmers to maintain their silvopastoral systems. This aims to improve the productivity of both milk and beef production in Apuí, with increased revenue for the individual farmer.

A market already exists for Apuí Agroforestry Coffee which is available in “boutique” shops in the major cities of Brazil. Farmers that develop agroforestry systems in this project will be included in this commercial venture, benefiting from higher prices for their produce and increasing the chance that they will continue the forest-based systems developed in the project. In this way, the fire prevention and avoided deforestation practices will continue in the long-term too.

WeForest

This project is run by WeForest, a non-profit organization that was established in in 2010. WeForest’s mission is to create a world where communities and nature sustainably thrive together to stop global warming in our lifetime. WeForest works towards this goal by conserving and restoring the ecological integrity of forest. Their goal is to reach over 100 million trees – equivalent to around 85.000 hectares – restored or conserved by the end of 2024, thereby making a significant contribution to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.