The focus of this day was to connect us to sustainable food systems that exist within the jungle. Staying true to the Amazonian way, we hopped on a boat toward our next adventure. On arrival at the fariña house (a structure build to produce fariña), we were warmly greeted by local experts Ms Maria do Socorro and Mr Ze Da Silva Mendonça. 

 

Maria took us through the process of harvesting then replanting cassava - a forest staple. Once one root is harvested, the branches are chopped up and replanted to produce a number of cassava plants. There are two common types of cassava in the area - the poisonous one and the non-poisonous one - but the locals prefer to take their chances with the poisonous one by fermenting it over 3 days.

 

From the cassava, Maria can produce many products like arubé (a chilli sauce), fariña and pe de moleque (a forest flapjack) - which we helped her bake for the festival.

 

Friday afternoon saw us delving into the world of agroforestry - where agriculture and forestry meet to produce a sustainable forest farming method. We cleared and prepared a fruit and vegetable garden in such a way that the unwanted organic matter was moved to the garden beds to form a clear pathway and provide nutrients for the fruit vegetables.