JBS Fund for the Amazon invests over £10 million in new projects to protect the rainforest

Image credit: Jony Wagner

A compostable alternative to plastic made from nut shells; a “cocoa corridor” of protected rainforest; and an initiative empowering women in indigenous tribes to protect their ancestral forests will all receive funding from international food company JBS, as part of their £10 million ‘Fund for the Amazon’.

In total, seven new projects have been selected from over 100 proposals, to add to the existing 12 initiatives being funded. All the projects supported by Fund for the Amazon aim to promote sustainability and protect the Amazon region, while respecting the rights of indigenous inhabitants. Each of the seven had to pass through a strategic analysis and an in-depth verification process to ensure they create lasting sustainable change.

“The new projects supported encourage the study and development of ingredients and products based on the biodiversity of the Amazon biome, generating business for the region”, points out Joanita Maestri Karoleski, president of the JBS Fund for the Amazon. “These innovative projects will undoubtedly make a massive contribution to the Amazon production chain and the local communities”, added Andrea Azevedo, Programs and Projects Director of the Fund.

The initiative already supports the development of bioplastic (green polypropylene) with the aim of scaling up Brazil nut waste into the composition of plastic.

Additionally, a joint study involving institutes and universities in the Amazon region, seeks to investigate the quantity of raw materials that are biodegradable. This would replace plastics which rely on fossil fuels for their production. A plant located in the Manaus Free Zone is willing to test this result on an industrial scale. The projects aims to diminish the impact of the plastic chain on the environment, generate income for the community and create a biodegradable product that fosters the circular economy and community-based businesses.

Two of the seven new initiatives will be partnerships with The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa). One of these will be dedicated to the development of artificial intelligence applied to forestry automation and the spatialization of carbon. The other line of study will focus on social innovation and will be undertaken with the Carauari Rural Producers Association (ASPROC) to improve the results of the “Fair and Sustainable Fishing” project which the Fund approved last year.

The seven new projects approved are as follows:

Sustainable cocoa corridor – This project aims to create the World’s First Cocoa Corridor, by consolidating several local forest conservation and restoration initiatives in the southwestern region of Pará. Within 10 years the project aims to cover 45,000 hectares of restored areas using agroforestry systems in Southwestern Pará; and will provide a 30% increase in direct income for local farmers through improved productivity. It also aims to generate £115 million in added value, including the creation of 60,000 jobs. Lastly, it aims to increase domestic cocoa production by up to 90,000 tons.

The Fund’s partner in this project is Systemiq.

InovAmazônia – Amazon Ingredients – This project will finance research and development of new products and/or ingredients, from the biodiversity of the Amazon, which can be used in the plant-based food industry.

The Fund will allocate financing to six studies whose aim is to develop new ingredients and products using native species of the Amazon Biome, includingcupuaçu, guaraná, Brazil nuts, babaçu, and mushrooms, among others. Priority will be given to research projects that result in innovative technological processes, involve local communities and make use of waste from the existing production chains boosting the circular economy.

Within this project, the Fund is partnering with The Good Food Institute (GFI), a not-for-profit institution that is working to accelerate transformation in the food production chain to make it more sustainable, safe and fair.

Mãos Indígenas, Floresta em Pé – Aims to improve the bioeconomy on indigenous lands by boosting socio-biodiversity value chains and by encouraging women and young people to play a leading role in strengthening governance in indigenous territories. The goal of the project is to promote the conservation of 4.5 million hectares of forests located on 16 indigenous lands in central southern Rondônia and northwestern Mato Grosso. Around 650 families are set to benefit from the project, with an annual increase of 5% in their family incomes over 18 months through the bioeconomy. Also expected is an increase of around 20% in the production of the three chains (cashew nuts, handicrafts and forest seeds).

The Fund is partnering in this project with Forest Trends, a not-for-profit organization that has been active for over 18 years among the indigenous people,Greendata, a hub consisting of 20 associates engaged in the development of projects in the Amazon, and Ecoporé, a Brazilian organization working to balance socioeconomic interests with the conservation of the Amazon biodiversity. 

Bioplástico da Amazônia – This project addresses the need to develop a sustainable material (biocompost) to substitute polypropylene (PP) partially and fully by taking advantage of Amazon fibers such as sawdust and Brazil nut shells and casings. The objective is to stimulate the forest economy and guarantee its preservation, while at the same time generating income for the communities in the region.

The Fund’s partners in this project are WTT, which supports scientists and innovators in developing science-and-technology-based solutions for the challenges of sustainable development. Another partner, Idesam, is a non-governmental organization operating for over 15 years in the Amazon, working to foster a new inclusive and sustainable economy. Final partner TUTIPLAST, specializes in promoting injection plastic solutions. The academic institutions involved in the study are the State University of the Amazon (UEA), the Federal University of the Amazon (UFAM) and the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR).

Proteínas da Amazônia – an applied research project that seeks to develop alternatives protein extracts from cupuaçu and Brazil nut seeds for application in the food industry. The Fund will support the first phase of the initiative, which consists of a preliminary technical and economic feasibility evaluation of the processes, including proof of concept and a technical and economic viability study. The pilot will be developed at the RECA (Consortium and Densified Economic Reforestation) Cooperative at Nova Califórnia (RO). The Fund is partnering with Senai and Brazilian Company of Research and Industrial Innovation (Embrapii). 

Sustainable Pirarucu Project – Support for the “Fair and Sustainable Fishing” focuses on good processing practices and diversification of the ASPROC production line. It will also develop a diagnosis of water usage and waste generation within the fishing industry, identifying critical points and channeling actions to reduce water demand. This project will be implemented by another branch of Embrapa: Fishing and Aquiculture, Livestock Farming in the Southeast and Eastern Amazon. The activities will involve the engagement and support of ASPROC.

Geoflora – Forest Automation and Carbon Specialization – the study aims to understand the dynamic of carbon in different uses of land by using leading-edge technology to monitor greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation, while also recognizing the value of environmental assets and carbon credits, among other uses, serving as a structuring element for the restoration chain. The project will be in partnership with Embrapa Acre.