In Pará, agroforestry systems foster networks, learning and Amazonian landscapes

The northeastern region of the state of Pará, Brazil, is a complex landscape. This long-settled area of the Brazilian Amazon is home to caboclos, riverine communities, Indigenous Peoples and migrants, all of whom have experienced various economic cycles over the centuries, from logging to oil palm monoculture. Today, a growing number of farming communities are turning to ecological food production, driven by the need to conserve and restore soil and water resources.

To promote Nature-based Solutions in Pará, the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) has been supporting local communities through training sessions, community planting events and knowledge exchanges focused on agroforestry systems (AFS) and productive restoration.

One of the key strategies of the Regenerative Agriculture for Amazon Conservation (ARCA) program is the creation of a network of AFS Demonstration Units in territorial mosaics along the Moju, Acará, Capim, Gurupi and Guamá rivers. Launched in October 2023, the program promotes agroforestry efforts in buffer zones of protected areas, Indigenous lands, Quilombola communities and agrarian reform settlements in Pará.

Between December 2024 and March 2025, five new AFS Demonstration Units were established—four in Tomé-Açu and one in Castanhal.

What are Demonstration Units?

In the 22 years I’ve lived here, I’ve never had an opportunity like this. I’ve learned so much.

Demonstration Units are model plots where agroforestry systems are implemented collaboratively with local farmers. These living laboratories show how AFS can improve soil fertility, diversify production and sustainably generate income. To date, the program has established 27 of these units across Pará. They have proven to be effective learning spaces, encouraging hands-on training, peer-to-peer exchanges and stronger community organisation. 

“This is the first time I have had a Demonstration Unit on my property and it has been incredibly rewarding,” says farmer Erialdo Gonçalves, a resident who lives in the Tropicália settlement project. “In the 22 years I’ve lived here, I’ve never had an opportunity like this. I’ve learned so much.”  

Exchange of experiences… “One of the principles of agroforestry systems is to keep the soil covered. The fibrous residue from oil palm enriches the soil with nutrients, especially potassium, which is otherwise difficult to obtain organically. Microorganisms thrive, boosting soil biodiversity. So it’s a super fertilizer,” said Jailson Takamatsu. Photo by Oswaldo Forte / CIFOR-ICRAF

A classroom in the field

To build momentum, reinforce community bonds and share the workload, CIFOR-ICRAF agroforestry specialists rely on mutirões—community workdays. During these events, landowners invite family members, neighbours and friends to spend the day planting a mix of productive, forestry and soil-enriching species.

These gatherings create space for technical scientific expertise and local wisdom to come together.

“In addition to planting, we’ve worked with bees and fish, but we haven’t yet charted a clear course,” says Chief Clemente Tembé. “Now we’re taking classes and today feels like a lesson. In Alto Rio Guamá, it is tough—60% of the land has been deforested. Life isn’t easy; we buy more from outside than we take from the forest. That’s why we’re here [at this exchange], to lay the groundwork and move forward.” 

The cassava cuttings (Manihot esculenta Crantz) now growing in Chief Clemente Tembé’s backyard came from the farm of Zé Paixão, one of the project’s earliest collaborators in the rural area of Tomé-Açu. This gift was delivered to the Tembé people during CIFOR-ICRAF’s first farmer-Indigenous knowledge exchange in 2024.

Portrait of Chief Clemente Tembé. Photo by Oswaldo Forte / CIFOR-ICRAF

Learning across landscapes

If you bring together a hundred farmers, you’ll see a hundred different AFS models, each shaped by the farmer’s own reality

Agroforestry is as diverse as the communities that practise it. Every farmer-to-farmer exchange is an opportunity to share methods, results, and experiences.

“The knowledge exchange emerged from our immersion in Tembé Indigenous Territory, where we learned about the land and part of the Indigenous population living there,” explains Claudionor Dias, as a social scientist at CIFOR-ICRAF. “We observed their farming systems and their desire to cultivate and grow açaí. We also identified some of the risks they face. So, we organised this exchange to expose them to established models of sustainable agriculture in the Tomé-Açu region.” 

Making agroforestry work requires careful planning, experimentation, and ongoing adaptation based on local needs and conditions.

“If you bring together a hundred farmers, you’ll see a hundred different AFS models, each shaped by the farmer’s own reality,” says Zé Paixão.

Paixão explains that it starts with soil-enriching plants like Mexican sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia), which restore soil fertility. Then come tree species like paricá (Schizolobium amazonicum) and mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), which provide shade for crops like oil palm and cacao. Fallen leaves decompose and enrich the soil, while bees and bats pollinate the fruit trees. Wind disperses seeds across the land. Agroforestry balances human needs with environmental ones, creating systems where all life benefits.

“We, as farmers with Demonstration Units, must set an example,” says farmer Dedi Nascimento. “We’re on the right track. I have 35 hectares that used to be pasture—land that was degraded. Now it’s time to restore it. Where there was pasture, we’ll plant mahogany, Brazil nut and andiroba trees to maintain the soil moist and productive. That’s the way the path ahead.”

José Paixão’s agroforestry system. Photo by Oswaldo Forte / CIFOR-ICRAF

This article was translated from the original Spanish version, available on Los Bosques: https://forestsnews.cifor.org/91835/sistemas-agroforestales-fortalecen-vinculos-aprendizajes-y-territorios-en-la-amazonia?fnl=es