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

This case study describes the transition of the Soares family, based in Juruti, Brazil, from traditional slash-and-burn agriculture to a sustainable agroforestry system. Supported by a pilot project led by WRI Brasil and Preta Terra, the family is diversifying its production beyond cassava to include native trees and fruit species to increase income, food security, and climate resilience while restoring the Amazon landscape.

• The Soares family is participating in a pilot project initiated in 2018 by WRI Brasil and Preta Terra, involving 22 farmers in total, to transition from slash-and-burn agriculture to agroforestry systems.
• Traditional slash-and-burn agriculture in the Pará region causes deforestation and soil degradation because farmers now remain on the same land and burn the same area every two years, unlike the sustainable semi-nomadic practices of indigenous peoples.
• The agroforestry system implemented by the Soares family uses test plots of up to 1 hectare and integrates three layers of vegetation: traditional cassava (or other annual crops) planted at 1 m x 1 m intervals, high-value native trees (such as rosewood, cumaru, andiroba, and red cedar) spaced 10 meters apart, and fruit trees spaced 2.5 meters apart.
• The Soares family has diversified its cassava production from simple flour to over 30 products, including biscuits, cakes, desserts, tapioca, tucupi, and cassava gum, which are sold to local stores and markets in Juruti.
• Agroforestry improves local food security in Juruti, where a population of approximately 50,000 residents currently relies on expensive imports of fruits and vegetables that can take a full day by boat to arrive.
• The transition to agroforestry is supported by the active involvement of the Soares daughters, who bring technical knowledge in agriculture, livestock, and Environmental Management to the farm's operations.

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} }