At a Glance
Location: Pará, Brazil
Impact Areas: Rural Development, Sustainable Agriculture and Income
People Supported:
Extractivist Families and Fishers
Joined NESsT Portfolio:
2022
Overview
Ilha das Cinzas, an island situated on the mouth of the Amazon River, in Pará, Brazil, is home to a vibrant community of riverside extractivists and fishers.
Led by residents of the island, Associação dos Trabalhadores Agroextrativistas da Ilha das Cinzas (ATAIC) is an association dedicated to generating and expanding income opportunities for local families. The association sources Amazon oil seeds – plants that contain essential fatty acids and have moisturizing, anti-cellulite, and anti-inflammatory properties – such as patauá, andiroba, muru-muru and ucuuba as well as fruits from local extractivists, offering them fair prices while supporting them with production training, sustainability education, and business guidance.
Accessible only through a few river routes, Ilha das Cinzas offers limited basic living resources including drinking water, healthcare, sewage and sanitation treatments, electricity, etc. In the past 30 years, ATAIC has been dedicated to establishing sustainable local systems and strengthening traditional livelihoods. The association has been widely recognized for its contribution to the social and environmental development of the island, formalizing value chains that range from shrimp to Açai.
Today, ATAIC works with 280 collecting families – 120 of which are led by women, and sells its Amazon oil products exclusively to a Brazilian biocosmetics corporation. It also supports the development of fruit-tree based agroforestry systems, connecting fruits grown sustainably by small rural farmers to government programs that ensure food security in Brazil. In 2020, ATAIC delivered 102 tons of food sourced from 30 collecting families.
Results & Impact
280
extractivist families supported
30
small rural families benefited
120
tons of sustainable produced food delivered
“ATAIC has grown rapidly over the past two years, advancing new lines of business and consolidating its work with the extrativist families of the region. The Association has outstanding growth potential in the oil seeds value chain and in the production of other agroforestry products.
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NESsT Investment
NESsT’s investment will support ATAIC to build an industrial kitchen on Ilha das Cinzas that will be managed by women of the community. The kitchen will process regional fruits and products, allowing the association to sell new products including flour, cakes, juices and bread that generate more income opportunities for its associates. The investment will also support ATAIC in the management of 40 hectares of muru-muru to increase production volume.
In addition to diversifying its products, NESsT will help ATAIC to obtain official certifications, train its business team, and strengthen its financial infrastructure.
