Project selected in the first Amazon Fund’s direct public call-to-submission of sustainable productive projects

CONTEXTUALIZATION

The strengthening of the forest bioeconomy and the sustainable generation of income contribute to the reduction of forest deforestation. Cooperacre operates in the organization of the production of a network of about 25 cooperatives and producer associations, to which about two thousand families are directly linked, in addition to another thousand families not formally affiliated, but which are benefited by the purchase of their production.

The main activities developed by the cooperative include the acquisition, logistical support, processing and marketing of extractive production. Cooperacre operates in the production chain of Brazil nuts, its main product, fruit pulp, latex and, to a lesser extent, copaiba oil.

THE PROJECT

The project "Strengthening the Sustainable Forest-Based Economy" was selected under the Public Call for Sustainable Productive Projects of the Amazon Fund and aimed to strengthen the productive chains of Brazil nuts and fruit pulp.

The project was implemented through direct and indirect support actions to associations and cooperatives affiliated to COOPEACRE, which were organizations grouped according to the public call model¹.

With regard to direct support actions, the following were carried out: (i) installation of two community warehouses and availability of polypropylene boxes to improve fruit transport conditions; (ii) expansion of the number of cooperatives and associations agglutinated with organic certification of chestnut production; (iii) recovery of degraded and/or altered areas in small farms or family rural possessions.

The transversal actions included: i) provision of technical assistance and rural extension services (ATER); ii) optimization of Cooperacre's beneficiation structure, through the installation of two new drying ovens and the installation of briquettes (equipment that transforms the residual bark of Brazil nuts into compacted biomass of high calorific value); iii) development of feasibility studies for product diversification; iv) training of representatives of agglutinated organizations, Cooperacre technicians and the ATER team; and v) investment in communication and marketing.

¹ The proposing “agglutinating” institution coordinates an integrated arrangement of subprojects of other organizations, called agglutinated, oriented towards the development of value chains based on the sustainable use of natural resources. The Public Call Notice is available at: http://www.fundoamazonia.gov.br/export/sites/default/pt/.galleries/documentos/chamada-publica/Chamada_Publica_APS_04_2012.pdf

INTERVENTION LOGIC

 The project is part of the "Sustainable Production" component (1) of the Amazon Fund Logical Framework. Its direct effects were defined as follows: (1.1) Extractive activities for the sustainable use of the forest expanded in associates to Cooperacre (agglutinated); (1.2) chains of Brazil nut and fruit pulp with expanded added value; (1.3) expanded managerial and technical capacities in good extractive practices, implementation of agroforestry systems (SAF) and administrative and financial management for the technical staff of associates, extension technicians and families affiliated to the agglutinated; and (1.4) deforested and degraded areas recovered through SAFs in rural properties of families affiliated to the agglutinated.

The actions supported contributed to forest conservation by promoting the generation of income for local populations with environmental sustainability, thus contributing to the general objective of the Amazon Fund to reduce deforestation with sustainable development in Amazonia Legal.

ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED  

The project was carried out through direct actions in the united associations or cooperatives and through transversal activities. 

As part of the direct activities, two community warehouses measuring 300 m^² with a capacity of 15 tons were built for the use of rural producers' associations located in Xapuri. 

A refrigerated box truck and medium and small vehicles were also purchased in order to facilitate the flow of production. For the packaging and transportation of fruits between producers and Cooperacre, 1,000 boxes of polypropylene with individual capacity of 25 to 30 kg of fruits were purchased. 

Another relevant activity of the project aimed at the renewal and expansion of certifications of the agglutinated associations. Organic certification is a guarantee of verification of conformity of origin and trajectory, from the collection of nuts to the final processing. Among other awareness and training actions, waste minimization workshops were held in the communities, one of the most recurrent obstacles to obtaining certification. As a result of this action, the number of certified associations doubled from seven to 14. 

The project also supported the implementation of 602 hectares of agroforestry systems (SAFs) in degraded areas, through the consortium planting of fruit species, chestnut and rubber trees, white farming and green manures, benefiting 291 producers distributed in 16 communities. 

The cross-sectional activities included the modernization of two nut processing units. The plant located in Xapuri received four new greenhouses, while the one in Rio Branco benefited from the use of briquettes¹ produced from shells and chestnut residues, which allowed to reduce the use of certified firewood to supply the boiler by 70%.   

The ATER services occurred through the hiring of two teams responsible for all monitoring of the beneficiary producers. Each team consisted of two mid-level forestry technicians and an agronomist. 

Activities were developed such as georeferencing of the areas, planning for the implementation of the SAFs, distribution of seedlings and green manures, monitoring of agricultural mechanization, monitoring of the implanted areas and the agroecological practices adopted, as well as support to the beneficiaries for registration in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR). To support ATER's activities, vans, motorcycles, notebooks, GPS, multimedia projectors and cameras were acquired. 

The communication and marketing actions also had support from the Amazon Fund. The project dissemination and producer awareness strategy involved the printing and distribution of 25,000 newsletters, 10,000 folders, 1,000 booklets and 5,000 best practice posters.

¹ Briquettes are remnants of wood or other organic materials ground and pressed into small tubes, replacing the use of firewood as a fuel.

RESULT AND IMPACT INDICATORS

The project activities contributed to the results related to the “sustainable production” component (1) of the Amazon Fund Logical Framework. 

The main indicators used to monitor this objective were: 

• Revenue obtained from the commercialization of Brazil nuts and fresh fruits (outcome indicator)
  Target: not defined |  Final result: R$20.1 million 

• Revenue obtained from the commercialization of Brazil nuts and processed fruits (outcome indicator)
  Target: not defined | Final result: R$34.9 million  

Although no targets have been established for marketing revenue, the amounts achieved exceeded those observed in the years prior to the execution of the project, consolidating Cooperacre's revenue at higher levels. 

• Number of in natura product storage structures built (output indicator)
  Target: 2 | Final result: 2 

The construction of community warehouses was of great importance for the production chain, since the harvest period coincides with that of the rainy season, making it impossible to traffic on the extensions and roads for the transport of production. 

• Number of individuals trained in management techniques and sustainable production (output indicator)
  Target: 180 | Final result: 293 

• Number of individuals trained in management techniques and sustainable production effectively using the knowledge acquired (outcome indicator).
  Target: not defined | Final result: 219 

The overcoming of the training goal represented an important result of the project, allowing the representatives of the associations to perform their administrative functions with greater clarity and understanding, with emphasis on the principles adopted by cooperativism

•  Number of new certified communities in organic production of Brazil nuts (output indicator)
  Target: 7 | Final result: 7

•  Number of communities with renewed certification in organic production of Brazil nuts (output indicator)
  Target: 7 | Final result: 7  

• Area (ha) of implanted SAFs (output indicator)
  Target: 600 ha | Final result: 602.5 ha 

• Number of properties with SAFs implemented (outcome indicator)
  Target: 291 | Final result: 291 

The table below shows the evolution of deforestation in the state of Acre in the last eight years:

Source: preparation based on PRODES/INPE data.

Institutional and administrative aspects 

The project had important partnerships in the actions of recovery of degraded or altered areas and technical assistance. With Embrapa Acre's experience in organizing production systems in conservation units for sustainable use, it was possible to strengthen exchanges between local producers and project beneficiaries, who experienced successful experiences introduced over six years in pasture areas abandoned by the practice of extensive livestock. 

Cooperacre has also established other partnerships with organizations of the state and federal public sector, and it is worth mentioning: i) State Secretariat for the Environment (SEMA), which has been developing agroforestry education work with traditional populations since 2008, through the methodology of the “Agroforestry Educator's Backpack”; ii) State Secretariat for Agroforestry and Family Extension (SEAPROF), aiming to support families for the purpose of issuing a Declaration of Fitness to Pronaf (DAP)¹; and iii) Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA), with the information and documentation related to the Settlement Projects (PA) of the beneficiaries. 

Also note the partnership with the non-governmental organization WWF Brazil, which technically supported the realization of "Agroforestry Efforts" for the implementation of SAFs in the Amoprex community, located in the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, in the municipality Xapuri.

Risks and lessons learned 

One lesson learned concerns obtaining the license to build one of the community warehouses supported by the project. Due to the fact that it is located in a conservation area under the management of ICMBIO, it was necessary to submit the licensing request to Ibama in Brasilia, which resulted in a delay of approximately six months for the start of construction. 

Likewise, the actions of recovery of degraded areas depended on the registration of the properties in SICAR. Although the project had the support of SEMA for aid to producers, there was also a delay in the start of this activity. 

These episodes, although they represent an important lesson for the early evaluation of the times required to meet the legal requirements for the execution of projects in the region, did not prevent the satisfactory execution of the activities or the achievement of the desired results. 

Sustainability of results

The actions supported were aimed at sustainable production and income generation for local populations. This characteristic contributes to the results achieved being sustained over time and even expanded in the most successful cases. The achievement of the goals agreed upon after the execution of the project suggests that the investments and the new techniques introduced were well assimilated by the families. 

¹ Pronaf - National Program for the Strengthening of Family Agriculture, which offers financing for funding and investments aimed at generating income and improving the use of family labor.