The “cabruca” system and its value for conservation

April 15, 2009 at 5:11 pm (agroforestry, cacau, permaculture)

about 80% of the brazilian cocoa originates from the state of Bahia and most of it (including at fazenda puravida) is cultivated in an agroforestry system called “cabruca” where the cocoa trees grow under the canopy of a mix of native primary or secondary forest trees plus productive fruit trees such as caja (spondias monbin), jaca (artocarpus heterophyllus), jenipapo (genipa americana)…

cabruca

Venture Capitalism for a Tropical Forest – COCOA IN THE MATA ATLÂNTICA, a  survey published in 2003 by the Worlwatch Institute emphasizes the strong conservation potential of cocoa :

“by turning a cocoa-growing tradition into an “eco-business,”farmers and investors could help save the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, one of the most biologically diverse and endangered forest biomes in the world. Such an effort could also increase rural employment and help build an economy that can sustain the forest instead of destroying it.“

published by brunozinho

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Organic Cacao project…

May 14, 2007 at 2:44 am (cacau)

Ivan with cacao

There are three families living and working on the farm. In an attempt to brake the generally employed short term contracts which allows owners to avoid paying benefits, PURAVIDA has worked out a long term contract with our employees. The contracts allows the workers to function like a small cooperative and gives them complete responsability for the cacao. The long term contracts have allowed all of them to start their own vegetable patches and to send their children to school regularly. 

For the long term, PURAVIDA is looking into joining up with a Cooperative of small organic farms which would ensure organic certification of our cacao and other produce.  We are also looking into diversification with palm heart and acai.

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