Problem

The Amazon rainforest, a critical global carbon sink, faces severe deforestation and land degradation driven by the expansion of monoculture agriculture and livestock farming on large land holdings. Such unsustainable planting methods deplete the fertility of the land, leading to parts of it being abandoned by large landowners. These unproductive and abandoned lands are the subject of dispute and must be legally absorbed by the national government and donated to landless rural workers as part of Brazil's agrarian reform. However often this doesn't happen peacefully, and the result of years of political struggle. The smallholder farmers living in these settlements often have to rely on environmentally harmful methods to achieve enough income to survive. This cycle of poverty driving environmental degradation exacerbates the challenges of achieving both ecological preservation and smallholder farmers’ economic security and development.

Response

The Amazon Restoration project is a cross-stakeholder collaboration supported by WRI Brasil, Imazon, Instituto Centro de Vida (ICV), and Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST)—the Landless Workers Movement. Together, these organizations work with MST local farmers to implement a community-driven approach to reforestation. The project promotes agroforestry systems, where native trees are planted alongside crops, restoring degraded lands while enhancing biodiversity and creating carbon sinks.

Smallholder farmers, the key stakeholders, are actively engaged through training, technical assistance, and financial support, enabling them to adopt sustainable practices and improve their livelihoods. Imazon and ICV provide critical on-the-ground support and technical expertise, WRI Brasil contributes by facilitating knowledge sharing and connecting the initiative to broader climate and sustainability goals, while MST ensures that the voices of landless farmers are heard and their needs addressed

The project also aims to create economic opportunities by connecting farmers to markets for sustainably produced goods, such as fruits, nuts, and timber. By integrating traditional knowledge with modern sustainability practices, the initiative seeks to ensure that local communities benefit directly from restoration efforts. Environmental safeguards are also claimed to be central to the project, with measures to protect biodiversity, improve soil health, and restore water cycles.

Find Out More: WRI Brasil