A presential Agroforestry workshop came to further flourish the Pollinators Program, five intense days in the Tukapehy village, of the Surui Aikewara people, to strengthen indigenous autonomy and food sovereignty.

Leia em Português
Authors: Ana Rosa de Lima e Lucas José Beviláqua

From August 27 to 31, 2024, the Agroforestry Workshop took place in Tukapehy Village. The event was carried out with the efforts of various partners, such as the leaders of Tukapehy village, Terriwery and Arukapé Suruí (one of the Pollinators Fellows), the facilitators Lucas José Aquavila (facilitator of the Pollinators Fellowship‘s Agroforestry activities) and Rafael Lopes (one of the facilitators of the Agroforestry Workshop on the Araribóia indigenous land), with funding coming from the German government through the Schmitz Stiftung and cooperation with the indigenous organization Okaara Kaapora, as well as funding coming from Meli’s Pollinators Program, with funding from partners such as the Tamlapais Trust.

Arukapé began his activities in the Meli Network through his participation in the 2023 Agroforestry workshop, which took place in Zutiwa village, Araribóia territory. When he returned to his territory, he soon shared the techniques he had learned during the workshop with his committed team from Tukapehy village, always showing great interest in bringing a similar workshop to his community. His great dedication meant that his village was the setting for Meli’s third annual Agroforestry Workshop.

On December 6, 2024, the mini-documentary Cultivating Autonomy, made during the Agroforestry workshop in the Tukapehy village, will be released. With these images we can get closer to this strong people, who protect the Amazon rainforest in the midst of such a deforested region.

Register to attend the launch: https://forms.office.com/e/7HskzrWTZ4

https://youtu.be/2lf8aHSK9Dg

Final preparations

To prepare for the event, Meli’s general director, Ana Rosa, arrived in the village at the end of August 23rd, and was welcomed with a delicious dinner and lots of conversation, preparing to start the workshop preparation activities the following day.

On August 24, 25 and 26, amidst the majestic power of the Amazon, we prepared for the workshop, struggling with logistical and planning issues.

An important preparation activity was listening to the leaders of the Tukapehy village and defining the rules and recommendations for behavior over the next few days. For the workshop to be fruitful, it is essential to respect the owners of the house and be open to a healthy and constructive exchange.

As part of the preparations for the event, on August 25 we visited a Guarani village and a riverside community in Pedral do Lourenço. We talked a lot with some of the leaders of the Guarani village, trying to get to know the local situation better. A relative joined the group, with a Guarani mother and an Aikewara father. In addition to her interest in Agroforestry, she showed that she wanted to strengthen the roots of unity between the peoples in the southeast of Pará. The workshop was beginning.

We went on to the Pedral do Lourenço, to meet riverside communities impacted by a project to dam an Amazon river. It was beautiful to see the interaction between the Surui Aikewara people and the riverside community. Even though their rivers are drying up and they have lost access to the Sororó River, which gives its name to their territory, the Suruí people still have a connection with the rivers and a taste for fish. There was an exchange: the Suruí took game and received fish, affirming the importance of maintaining the tradition of exchanges between communities.

First day

In the middle of the forest, we began the workshop by sharing its objectives and listening to some of the leaders from the 17 villages present. There were more than 80 participants, from the Suruí Aikewara, Guarani, Guajajara, Gavião and Parakanã peoples and from extractivist and riverside communities.

In the afternoon, we gave theoretical presentations on the principles of agroforestry at the local school, using species from the region as examples. There was a good conversation between the participants and the facilitators to answer questions about intercropping. We introduced the concepts of stratification and ecological succession and also talked about the importance of soil cover.

We then went out as a group to visit the community’s banana and manioc plantations, areas where Arukapé had already put into practice the agroforestry techniques he had learned in the previous year’s workshop. He took the opportunity to demonstrate and share this knowledge with the rest of the participants.

Second day

On the second day, we decided on the location of the agroforest to be developed, in an area next to the school. The area is at the entrance to the village, within sight of everyone entering the community and at the same time serving as a reference point for the school’s students. The agroforestry also benefited from the school’s water structure, which could allow the installation of irrigation for the plantations during the dry season.

In the morning, we worked in groups to prepare the soil for planting, talking about the advantages and disadvantages of preparing the soil with a tractor. We mowed the spontaneous vegetation with a hand-held brushcutter, marked out the tree beds and prepared the beds.

We collected the richest layer of soil from the capoeira around the area and incorporated it into the beds as a fertilizer. This is a simple way of bringing microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria, and even some seeds present in the local soil, to bring more life to the new beds.

Still in the forest, we sketched out the consortia we intended to plant in the tree beds, taking into account the seedlings available and the community’s interest. We also remembered the importance of introducing trees for pruning into the agroforestry systems, so that we don’t need to bring in wood from outside for future management.

The wood from the trunks added to the sides of the beds will serve as long-term fertilizer, helping to keep the soil moist and the temperature lower. It is very useful for the development of fungi. Then the mulch from the mowed vegetation to cover the wood on the sides. In this way, all available resources are used.

When collecting organic matter to prepare the soil, a group of women suggested adding paú da mata, which is traditionally used by the Surui Aikewara people. It was another moment showing how agroforestry techniques are indigenous techniques. Paú da mata is decomposed wood that is great for crumbling and placing in the center of the beds, along with the leaves.

This is how we cover the beds with organic matter: the thicker materials are on the sides and the thinner ones in the center of the beds, making it easier to plant the seedlings and seeds. At the end of the day, we prepared and covered 6 tree beds of 20 meters each.

Third day

We practiced banana tree management techniques and explained the importance of opening the pseudostems and organizing them in the soil, bringing water to the most demanding fruit trees and serving as a trap for the borer beetle. Everyone also practiced the technique of cupping the rhizome when harvesting the banana plants. In this way, we can see if the rhizome is healthy and the stain from the banana tree will fill the gourd, preventing the borer beetle from laying its eggs there. In the afternoon we planted bananas and cassava. With the bananas we open the cradles of the rhizomes.

We collected seeds of cashew, jurubeba, urucum, pau preto, ingá, paricá, mulungu, açaí do mato, açaí precoce. In a short time walking around the village we found many seeds available. Still in the morning, we walked with Terrywera in the yard she had planted with cupu, cocoa, ingá, mango, cinnamon, orange, lemon, açaí and other trees. We talked about the possibilities of managing the trees and planting more fruit trees such as cacao in the shade.

Fourth day

Fifth day 

In the central flowerbed we made cradles for the papaya, where we concentrated bonfire ashes and planted manioc plants. Each group planted the manioc in the way they are used to. In this way, lines were planted with the customs of each people present: Suruí, Guajajara, Guarany and Parakanã. We planted manioc, papaya, okra, sesame, beans and corn.

On the last day, we applied JADAM, which had already been applied to the whole area, using watering cans. To finish the job, we looked for more green branches around the area and chopped them up to cover all the beds between the rows. By late morning on the fifth day, we had the whole area covered.

In total, there were 120 meters of tree beds and 300 meters of beds between the rows. We closed in the forest clearing with testimonies from the participants and ended with seed exchanges.

You can access the full technical report here.

This was a workshop where the Surui Aikewara people showed their leadership and strong articulation in the region, and where their autonomy can be further strengthened. We look forward to continuing our work with the Tukapehy village!