Beneficiary of project supported by the JBS Fund for the Amazon reaches the final of the International Cocoa Awards
17 | 09 | 2021
Specialists evaluated 350 samples from around the world and only 50 were chosen for the grand finale to be held in Paris
Cocoa farmer João Evangelista, from the municipality of Novo Repartimento in the State of Pará, saw his cocoa sample chosen for the final of the world’s most prestigious cocoa awards, the International Cocoa Prize(ICA, in English). João Evangelista is part of the RestaurAmazônia project, an initiative of the Solidaridad Foundation, with the support of the JBS Fund for the Amazon that aims to foster restauration of agroforestry systems (SAFs) using cocoa as the main species for creating income.
Of the 350 samples evaluated by specialists from all over the world, the beans produced by three Brazilian producers are among the 50 finalists. The awards ceremony, which will be held at the Paris Salon du Chocolat between October 28 and November 1, 2021, is the most prestigious global event of the chocolate industry. The beans selected for the prize are recognized as being of high quality.
Bioeconomy
The states of Pará and Bahia are Brazil’s largest producers of cocoa, with the Pará plantations located within the Amazon Forest. Cocoa is a native species of the biome, and its cultivation combines the socioeconomic development of the local communities with preservation of the native vegetation.
Cocoa crops allow for the implementation of highly sustainable production systems, contributing to a diversified, regenerative and low-carbon agriculture.
Reforestation project with socioeconomic development
For four years, João Evangelista has been one of the beneficiaries of the Inclusive and Sustainable Territories in the Amazon Program, RestaurAmazônia (RestaurAmazônia) created and developed by the NGO Solidaridad since 2016. The initiative took on a new dimension with RestaurAmazônia, one of the six projects approved in 2021 by the JBS Fund for the Amazon whose objective is to foster forest conservation and preservation actions, better quality of life of the local communities and the scientific and technological development of the region. The first six projects will receive financial support of R$50 million from Fund.
“The result of the RestaurAmazônia project shows that it is possible to combine environmental conservation and socioeconomic development. Mr. João Evangelista’s work is a practical example of the recovery of deforested areas in agroforestry systems, contributing to the growth of family farmers while taking back areas of the Amazon Forest”, explains Joanita Maestri Karoleski, president of the JBS Fund for the Amazon.
Owner of 4.5-hectare, the farmer relates that before the project there was a deforested plot of land in the location, which was practically overgrown with grass. Thanks to technical assistance provided by Solidaridad and investment in planting cocoa, Evangelista’s plot of land was recovered and today grows six thousand cocoa trees and over 30 varieties of plants, including 300 mahogany trees.
“Before, people would fell the trees, but I planted them and today they are well developed, with very beautiful and extensive canopies”, he says. For him, the correct path for farmers is to work the land without depending on deforestation to increase productivity. “Today, we have help from professionals in order to have the knowledge about how to produce more and, at the same time, preserve the forest. Slash-and-burn is a destructive practice that should be abolished”, he concludes.
Escrito por: Oxigenweb