Instituto Piagaçu – The culture of dreaming and realizing the dreams

Agroforestry systems (AFS's) diversify the production of agroecological foods, as they conserve biodiversity, soil and water, while efficiently storing carbon. All this practice consolidates agroforestry as the main tool in the fight against climate change. Agroforestry imitates the forest. It sounds like a novelty to many, but it is a technology known and used by native peoples, who thus produced the so-called black Indian earth, the most fertile in the world. Until today, traditional peoples maintain agroforestry practices that conserve biodiversity, keeping the forest standing.

The São José do Paricá community is the largest producer of agroforestry guarana in Terra do Guaraná. Guarana is a fruit native to the Amazon, specific to the region of Maués in Amazonas.

The municipality of Amazonas is the longest-lived of the entire territorial extension of the country. In 2017, it already concentrated the 13th largest share of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while having 50.5% of households with monthly incomes of up to half a minimum wage (IBGE, 2018). The public sector plays an important role in the economic dynamism of the municipality, and accumulates 56.58% of the municipal GDP, together with the Commerce and Service Sector (21.33%). The other sectors that contribute are agriculture (15.5%) and Industry (4.61%) (SEBRAE, 2019). The municipality experienced a strong population explosion between 1980 and 2010, with the urban population growing by 140%, while the rural population increased by 37.4%.

The São José do Paricá community is considered riverside and Catholic. It has a mixed population of descendants of indigenous people (Mundurukus and Saterê Mawé), whites and Africans (most of them coming from the Northeast during the rubber boom), a mixture known as caboclos.

The singer Maria Bethânia asks in a song with her siren voice to “São José that brings rain to the sertão”. It is considerable to think that this was also one of the reasons for the natural migration of agricultural people from the northeastern hinterland to Amazonian lands: the premise of planting and living in the Amazon, where there is no shortage of rain.

There is a saying known throughout Brazil in rural and urban areas that is “What is planted in São José is harvested in São João”. José is a biblical character in good stories related to planting. At the age of 17 he has many dreams, and without knowing the existence or importance of corn there in Latin America, where this culture founded and maintained an entire ethnic group that coincidentally had similar constructions of pyramids, José dreams and suggests to the pharaoh that he plant corn. It worked so well that the pharaoh is happy and elevates Joseph socially. He ends up living for a long time with the pharaonic elite because of the iconic dream, and becomes, among many acquired skills, an excellent cabinetmaker. The community whose name honors this saint so important to Catholics, is bathed by the Paricá river, and the paricá is also very important for the indigenous culture of the Amazon.

The Paricá River is considered a Paraná of the Urupadi River. But a paraná in the state of Amazonas is far from being a small river. Even the Paricazinho river is not small! It has the immensity of the many rivers, Paraná and tributaries of the Amazon. The tree that gives its name to the river is very important in the culture of the native Amazonian peoples. It has great historical value related to the snuff that was extracted from the bark to be used by indigenous peoples in rituals. Large production of cataloged indigenous crafts, are wood utilities such as rowing, benches, diggers, spoons, pestles. From the collection of magical and playful objects (masks, toys, musical instruments) a good part was produced for the exclusive use of Paricá snuff in a ritual present in some of the different ethnic groups within the Amazon. The substance was formerly used for the purpose of healing and spiritual elevation, by the ancestors of peoples who overvalued the dreams sent by nature, to the point of considering it fundamental for decision-making and for the realization of these dreams on the material plane.

On March 19, the official date of celebration of São José, we participated in the planting party. When the famous March waters are over, it will be São João, the harvest festival, on June 24th. Poetically and literally it is planted in São José to harvest in São João, in the June Festivals, very important to the culture of Brazil. Celebrated throughout the country, they are festivities throughout the month, watered with all kinds of food that was planted together with corn three months before the rainy season. More than the carnival itself, the Festas Juninas manage to unite the plurality of the Brazilian people. It is when the church consecrates collective marriages, where residents of the most remote rural areas gather to celebrate the saints, the June harvests, and affective unions. The ritual became national folklore, performed every year throughout Brazil.

*Gambá music to celebrate the São José Celebration and the mast-raising ritual.*

Dedéco, president of Ascampa, during the feast of San José, announced to everyone the news of the work of regenerative agriculture that the Piagaçu Institute together with Regenerosity, will come to develop with them in their territory. He called a meeting for the next day early. At the party tonight, there was a raffle for sweets and snacks, child parade of the guaraná princess, and a Gambá show with the Pingo de Luz group with the Gambá master Iracito.

The culture of Gambá, a local ethnic musical style of festive and melodic music, pays homage to the Paricá leaf in some of its songs. Before arriving at the community, a 4-hour journey from the city of Maués, we met mister Iracito and the Pingo de Luz, a Gambá group on the way. They were in their boat waiting for the rain to pass to continue their journey. We stopped with them. We heard a “fornada de Gambá” by the river, with sun, rain and rainbows, and then we went together to the center of the community, where celebrations take place next to the church and Ascampa headquarters.

Above: Gamba Musical Group Pingo de Luz (“Drop of Light”) and Below *Deco and Dédeco checking organic management plan*

Ascampa is a reference in agroecology and conservation of the Amazon rainforest. It is the largest producer of guarana in Maués, around 40 tons per year. Of the 50 associated families, 35 have organic certification for Brazil, the United States and 7 families also have certification for Europe. ASCAMPA's producing families are restoring the original landscape of the Amazon rainforest, with the planting of native seedlings in the production areas.

Maués holds the Geographical Indication (GI) seal for guarana, which recognizes the traditional production system and superior quality within the geographic limits of the municipality.

*Roasted guarana(Warana: fruit that leads to knowledge)*

We know that Indigenous lands play a significant role in combating climate change. However, the agroecological processes used by traditional peoples in the territories where the guaraná tradition is lived, as is the case of the lands of São José do Paricá, are exactly the same as those created by the ancient peoples originating in the Amazon. Farmers today use the same ancient practices that were used by the ancient people who domesticated guarana. All the treatment with guarana in a clay oven, wood fire, among other requirements that give Guaraná de Maués the seal of organic certification and that of the Geographical Indication, which guarantees an exclusive product belonging to this people, from this region. Those planted on indigenous lands go through exactly the same process, the seal guarantees the same practices, but has a different name, it is called Denomination of Origin.

*Ascampa farmers protecting themselves from the sun, studying the management plan before going to the field*

In order to qualify for a sustainability edict, Ascampa was faced with the request that, in order to participate in the competition, the association should have 40% of women in the body of associates. They realized that women were already involved in the work, but in fact, they were not listed as they are now, officially included in the association.

They already attended the meetings but gradually lost their shyness and had a participatory voice in decisions. Among the political flags of Agroecology, the one that says “Without Feminism There is no agroecology”, brings yet another source of pride to the Association that inspires so many others around.

Before the morning meeting began, we participated in the so-called “Levantamento do Mastro”, a male fertility ritual, also a product of Brazilian syncretism. At the top of the mast are placed the crops in gratitude, and asking the heavens for more rain and more abundance in the next harvest.

When the ritual was over, the men were already bathed and ready for the meeting. We were waiting for them to start. They arrived late because they were taking care of the children's education. So we started talking about gender and the division of domestic work. We started the construction of a female group, listing the female leaders, and inviting everyone to be in the project. Management plans were reviewed between men and women in the community, in a joint analysis work.

*Dona Amélia, female lead, reading the management plan*

The Piagaçu Regenerosity project intends to be a reference in female leadership, with the development of production chains that will be managed mainly by women. They gave their testimonies, participating with an active voice in the meeting. Now we are looking to hire a female forest and food engineer to start the creation of an Amazonian product, designed and developed by them, who will receive technical training for the field, and for the development and future commercialization of agroforestry products.

The guarana harvest is a single crop a year. In other periods, school lunches are delivered and manioc flour is sold to middlemen.

This project intends with the seedling nursery to bring the rescue of food culture with agroforestry, together with environmental benefits, and the propulsion of more income alternatives for the community. Sebrae (Service for Micro and Small Enterprise) is a strong partner in this arrangement for a later marketing plan with the product created.

A very promising seed for the empowerment of these women and for the inspiration of indigenous and riverside women from other nearby communities, which are already mirrored in the agroecological achievements of Ascampa, such as the community Monte Horebe do Paricá, Santa Clara do Urupadi, São Domingos do Urupadí, Nova Galiléia do Urupadí, Monte Salem do Urupadí, among other nearby communities.

The nurseryman has already started the preparation of the land areas for the implantation of nurseries. The working groups are already built with the farmers of Ascampa, where the Safs process is simultaneous with the education of the farmers who are learning together the execution of the implementation of the Agroforestry Systems areas, as well as the Participatory Organic Certification.

In May, the Miquiles Island Saterê Mawé indigenous land, together with the traditional community of São José do Paricá, were chosen from Maués to have the privilege of receiving a master of agroecology: Sebastião Pinheiro, who taught a course on Soil Health, Agroecological Practices and Chromatography by IFAM, with support from Rede Maniva de Agroecologia and Instituto Piagaçu, carrying out the Agroecological Caravan through the territory of Maués.

The seed was planted in São José, and it has been watered. In addition to abundance for these peoples who inhabit the forest, the conservation that these actions generate will bring not only a good harvest to them, but ecological benefits for the entire planet.

#ecofeminism #valuechains #family farming #amazon communities #organic

Text, photos and illustrations: Livia Prestes (Maniva Agroecology Network communication) Instagram @liviah_prestes

bibliographic reference: Dictionary of Brazilian Indigenous Crafts Berta G. Ribeiro

Follow and see more at: @redemaniva and @instituto.piagacuSee the film “The Master of Music in Amazonas”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYQ-gnHyA58&t=15s

Agroecology Flags ( in order of the picture) :

“without Feminism, there is no agroecology”

“if there is racism, there is no agroecology”

“Brazil is quilombola, No less quilombo”

“Land reform, for the defense of land and territories”

“Agroecology promotes health”

“Pesticide kills”“Agroecology is…”

“Urban Agriculture: planting and harvesting city life”

“If you have LGBTQIAB+ phobia, there is no agroecology”

“The indigenous cause belongs to everyone”

“Water is worth more than ore”

“Youth who dare to fight, build popular power”

“Real food in the countryside and in the city”

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