It is no secret that agriculture is a major, if not the biggest driver of deforestation, with 95% of that deforestation occurring in the tropics. However, akin to many of the complex challenges we face today, solutions to address this are not straightforward. Many communities around the world are directly dependent on both the forest ecosystem and agriculture for their livelihoods, with few, if any, alternative ways to access basic needs or have an income. With booming populations, this drives a cycle of increased dependency on declining forest systems, exacerbated by rich countries' demand for timber, meat, and soy.

We are now seeing what is known as the ‘arc of deforestation’, a band of forest loss and degradation spanning several Brazilian states across the Southern edge of the Amazon, causing soil degradation, disrupting local water cycles and climate regulation, and affecting the livelihoods of many local and Indigenous communities.

One of these states is Pará, soon to host COP30, and is home to a significant portion of this vast rainforest. Here lies a story of innovation, experimentation and collective action, a coming together of business and local communities to imagine how to find a middle ground, how to revitalise nature whilst providing livelihoods for local people. 

FarFarm x 100 local families x VEJA

The northeast of Pará is currently undergoing a transformation in its biome: the so-called “savanization” of the Amazon, which means that the tropical forest has longer periods of drought. Cotton, native to semi-arid regions of the Middle East, is traditionally not suitable for regions with high humidity, such as the Amazon. However, the rapidly changing climate and the drying out of soils has been creating conditions for the cultivation of cotton in this region.

FarFarm, an organisation with the mission to develop supply-chains that regenerate nature, has been working in partnership with VEJA, a sneakers brand, to build an organic cotton supply chain with 100 local families in this region. Organic cotton, being the cash crop, instigated the adoption of agroforestry systems. Whilst the cotton grows first, its short production cycle means it is harvested, leaving space for the native plants and trees in the system to take over, bringing life back to the degraded land and providing additional food and income streams such as cocoa and fruits. The system results in the regeneration of degraded land and forest, income generation from the cotton, food security, and economic resilience thanks to diversified income streams.

“Most often when we engage with an object made from nature, whether it be a cotton bedsheet, a pair of leather sneakers or a wool sweater, we are engaging with agriculture. Yet, as the first step in a long and complicated value chain, farming is often left out of the equation in fashion brands’ efforts to improve social and environmental impacts. It’s true that many brands engage with sustainability by establishing criteria for what materials and fibers are and aren’t acceptable for their collections. It’s less likely that brands actually interact with the farms and farmers who grow the plants and raise the livestock that generate their materials” - Beto Bina, founder of FarFarm

Watch the film

 

Join the movement

Storytelling is at the heart of Restor, amplifying the voices and stories of people and communities around the world working to protect and restore nature. This film is part of a broader series that journeys from India and South Africa, across the Atlantic Ocean to the Brazilian Amazon and the Atlantic rainforest, exploring seed saving, an experimental model of agroforestry and one man’s journey to reconnect his community with nature.

What You Can Do: 

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About the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 , led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. As a global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade . Follow #GenerationRestoration.