To stem the tide of deforestation, which accounts for up to 15% of global carbon emissions, communities living and working in the region need technology to better monitor and report unsustainable activities.
Existing tech solutions have demonstrated progress in improving the monitoring and detection of environmental issues and facilitating the implementation of effective, targeted measures. However, technology adoption is low among local communities in the Amazon. Many community-based enterprises in emerging sustainable socio-bioeconomy value chains – including superfoods, forest products, and deforestation-free cacao and coffee – lack the means and infrastructure to adopt digital monitoring and communication tools to monitor forest conservation and improve their production processes.
With support from Cisco Foundation, in 2021, NESsT launched a search for early-stage technology enterprises that provide sustainable livelihoods to underserved communities and regenerate the environment.
The open call identified tech companies with piloted and tested technology solutions that are already supporting or have the potential to support community-led businesses in the Amazon to enhance the productivity, strengthen data management and traceability, and reinforce the sustainability of their value chains – all while respecting and integrating the traditional knowledge of the communities involved.
Photo: ManejeBem
The first two companies to be selected – Elysios and ManejeBem – received financial support and mentoring to tailor their tech solutions to the realities of Amazon-based businesses. Each company received approximately R$150,000 in investment, covering site visits, training sessions, and support to track their impact and develop collaborative models that can be replicated across the region.
Elysios and ManejeBem offer technologies that can be adapted to Amazon-based businesses, supporting them and their suppliers to drive sustainable business decisions and integrate regenerative processes into their operations based on real-time data.
Elysios develops smart farming technologies – digital field notebooks, monitoring sensors, and management platforms – that enable producers to record and predict important information such as weather patterns, crop conditions and soil quality. These tools also make it easier for producers to organize and track data about their crops and comply with legal and environmental standards.
ManejeBem offers integrated tools for managing resources responsibly in addition to technical training to improve farming practices and improve data collection. Its tools have supported more than 15,000 people in Brazil.
““With NESsT’s support, ManejeBem was able to both expand its impact and position itself as a leader in digital innovation for sustainable agribusiness. We remain committed to strengthening our operations and expanding our contribution to ensuring more inclusive and responsible farming practices in the Amazon,” ”
Frederico Apollo, CEO and CFO of Elysios, also views partnering with Amazon-based enterprises as a milestone in the company's development:
"Without NESsT’s support, implementing our technology in the Amazon region wouldn’t have been possible. Most extractive associations and cooperatives still depend on philanthropy just to operate, and depending on the nature of their operations, some may always require this support. This initiative allowed us to bring in a system used by major Brazilian industries, tailored to the unique realities and contexts of the Amazon,” Apollo added.
Photo: Coopaflora
One of the businesses that has benefited from implementing new technologies is Coopaflora, founded in 2019 in Calha Norte in Pará, Brazil. The cooperative, which joined the NESsT portfolio in 2023, brings together more than 30 communities – including Indigenous groups, Quilombola communities, and agrarian reform settlements – across the municipalities of Oriximiná and Alenquer in Pará and Nhamundá in Amazonas.
Coopaflora’s mission is to strengthen sustainable forest-based livelihoods and promote long-term conservation of the Amazon through the sale of locally and sustainably-sourced products including Brazil nuts, tonka beans, chili powder, copaiba oil, and andiroba oil. Its work has positively impacted 1,200 people from local communities, 30% of whom are women.
NESsT connected Coopaflora with ManejeBem to launch the Coopatec project. The project offers training courses to small-scale farmers who source Brazil nuts and other non-timber forest products via mobile apps including WhatsApp, in addition to agro-ecological workshops and remote technical assistance. Within just a few months, 70 producers registered on the project’s platform, with more than 50% actively using its services.
Another NESsT portfolio enterprise that has gained access to adapted technologies is ASSOAB, which has been active in the Brazilian Amazon since 1996.
With support through the NESsT Amazonia Initiative, Associação dos Produtores e Beneficiadores Agroextrativistas de Beruri (ASSOAB) introduced digital tools developed by Elysios to manage Brazil nut production and meet traceability standards required by international markets. With a network of more than 150 supplier families and a processing facility capable of handling up to 200 tons annually, ASSOAB is now strengthening its internal governance and expanding its operations to include native vegetable oils, diversifying income sources while adding value to its local forest products.
Building on these successes, Plantus, a women-led company specializing in natural forest-sourced ingredients for the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, joined the NESsT Amazonia portfolio in 2024.
Plantus developed an innovative biotechnology process that enhances bioactive compounds in plant-based ingredients through a fermentation process specific to each plant it sources. It applies this certified technique to over 30 different Amazonian seeds and fruits at its production plant in Natal. The high-quality ingredients it produces include plant-based and essential oils, extracts, butters, and powders, which are sold primarily to international markets to create cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Plantus sources all its plant ingredients from the forest using harvesting methods that don’t deforest or harm the biodiverse environment. By doing so, Plantus provides small producers with fair, steady income from sustainable sources. The company’s sourcing and collecting practices have long been rooted in environmental and local knowledge; developing and applying innovative biotechnology processes has enabled the enterprise to scale production while maintaining strict quality control and traceability. Over the past three years, it has supported more than 200 supplier families.
Photo: ASSOAB © Bruno Kelly
Also supported under the NESsT Amazonia Initiative is Apoena, a family-run agribusiness in the Médio Solimões region of the Amazon. Apoena transforms forest-sourced raw materials into high-value products such as oils, butters, and flours. While the enterprise works with a variety of natural ingredients, such as Brazil nuts, andiroba, copaiba, and pirarucu, its main product is cassava (Manihot esculenta)– a staple food and essential source of income for many households. Recognizing the difficulties small farming families face in reaching broader markets, Apoena developed in-house technology to improve the safety, efficiency, and quality of cassava processing, supporting them to produce premium-quality flour.
Photo: Apoena
Apoena's model is grounded in community-based sustainability and the preservation of traditional knowledge on how to harvest and process cassava. It partners directly with riverside communities, strengthening the role of family farming in generating income and protecting local territories.
As suppliers for Apoena, local producers can access Apoena's flour processing machines, which reduce physical strain, help ensure consistent product quality, and increase their efficiency and profitability. While its equipment – which includes flour mixers and processors – is not new to the market, Apoena’s machines are designed using readily available materials. This approach allows for easy replication with minimal investment in remote, low-income communities.
Fostering fair, long-term relationships with farming communities, Apoena offers technical support and interest-free payment terms that make its technology upgrades accessible. As part of this approach, Apoena financed the construction of an automated flour processing facility in the community of Catuiri, near Tefé, which is expected to begin operations soon. Apoena plans to expand this pilot project to the other communities with which it works.
A central aspect of NESsT’s assistance to participating tech enterprises has been supporting entrepreneurs to adapt their digital solutions to local contexts. This process has been one based on co-creation, with tools being adapted through ongoing dialogues with local farmers and producers, respecting their rhythms, knowledge, and production environments.
This collaborative approach has ensured technology has been adopted more effectively, supporting everyday practices rather than replacing them. Furthermore, NESsT portfolio managers have worked alongside enterprises to explore areas such as gender equity and forest regeneration when implementing their tech tools.
“While structural barriers remain and limited infrastructure and internet access are persistent challenges for local communities seeking digital solutions, programs like NESsT Amazonia point to what’s possible when innovation is rooted in place through development that is inclusive, adaptive, and aligned with the long-term health of the forest and its communities,” shares Tiana Lins, NESsT Country Director, Brazil.
““As an accelerator of community-based enterprises in the Amazon, our role extends beyond introducing innovative solutions that improve production and increase household incomes. We focus on creating the conditions necessary conditions for those solutions to take root—offering financial support, mentorship, and support adapting tools to local languages and contexts, so that small producers can engage meaningfully with the technology.””
Looking ahead, NESsT plans to share the program’s consolidated outcomes, deepen collaboration among supported enterprises, and bring these experiences to global forums such as COP30. The goal is to demonstrate that it is possible to grow while conserving, innovate while honoring traditional knowledge, and transform by placing the forest and its communities at the center of development.