Mukatri

Context

The Amazon rainforest loses on average 12’302 square kilometers per year largely as a result of unsustainable commercial practices from farmers, who in order to make a living, clear forested lands for agriculture, cattle raising and illegal crops. The Caqueta region has suffered for decades from the Colombian armed conflict, fueling the poverty levels of 42.1%, amongst the highest in the country.

Solution

• Mukatri buys ecologically harvested fruits (araza, cocona and copoazu) from subsistence farmers, to manufacture and commercialize sweets, cookies, sauces, and marmalades
• By buying 100% of its fruits from certified farmers who commit to planting in agro-forestry schemes and to excluding illicit crops from their land, Mukatri is helping to protect Amazonian rainforest, which would otherwise be used for cattle raising or subsistence agriculture
• Farmers benefit from selling the totality of their fruits to Mukatri, ensuring predictable sales and increasing their income by up to 40% - enough to exceed the national poverty line of USD 2/person/day

Impact depth

Over a hundred families are continuously providing fruit to Mukatri collectively protecting around 13’000 hectares of the Amazonian Piedmont, while having an average income increase of up to 40%.

Mukatri achieves:

• Sustainable preservation of the environment: Mukatri reduces degradation of the rainforest by developing a profitable economic activity from native varieties harvested ecologically
• Farmers income increase: Farmers committed to the agroforestry harvesting schemes benefit from a significant increase in income which can lead to improvement of their families’ living conditions