Faces of Restoration Soares Family: Making Agroforestry in the Amazon a Family Affair

The Soares family in Juruti, Brazil, is transitioning from traditional slash-and-burn agriculture to an agroforestry system to diversify income and restore the landscape. Originally focused on cassava production, the family is now integrating native tree species and fruit trees to increase food security and climate resilience. This transition is part of a pilot project involving 22 farmers, designed to provide a sustainable economic alternative to deforestation in the Amazon region.

• The Soares family is participating in a pilot project initiated in 2018 by WRI Brasil and Preta Terra, which includes 21 other farmers, to replace slash-and-burn agriculture with agroforestry systems.
• Traditional slash-and-burn practices in the Pará region lead to deforestation and severe soil degradation because farmers now remain on the same land and burn the same area every two years, unlike the sustainable semi-nomadic cycles of indigenous peoples.
• The implemented agroforestry system uses a layered design: high-value native trees (such as rosewood, cumaru, andiroba, and red cedar) are planted 10 meters apart, fruit trees are planted 2.5 meters apart, and traditional cassava is planted at 1 m x 1 m intervals without burning.
• Agroforestry is intended to improve local food security in Juruti, where staples like fruits and vegetables are currently shipped from other regions via boat, often taking a full day to arrive.
• The transition to agroforestry aims to provide diversified income streams through the sale of fruits, essential oils, and tree-based products, reducing the economic reliance on cassava alone.
• The project emphasizes the role of women and youth in sustainable farming; the Soares daughters, some studying Environmental Management at the University of Amazon (UNAMA), are integral to implementing the agroforestry system.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Faces of Restoration Soares Family: Making Agroforestry in the Amazon a Family Affair. https://www.wri.org/faces-restoration/soares-agroforestry-brazil

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Faces of Restoration Soares Family: Making Agroforestry in the Amazon a Family Affair. n.d. https://www.wri.org/faces-restoration/soares-agroforestry-brazil.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Faces of Restoration Soares Family: Making Agroforestry in the Amazon a Family Affair |url=https://www.wri.org/faces-restoration/soares-agroforestry-brazil |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendfaces, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Faces of Restoration Soares Family: Making Agroforestry in the Amazon a Family Affair}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/faces-restoration/soares-agroforestry-brazil}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }