Against the environmental crisis, the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement concluded the airdropping of 12 tons of seeds

By Kaique Santos
Translated by: Ana Paula Rocha

The Fernando de Lara Encampment, in the town of Quedas do Iguaçu, was one of the communities in the state of Paraná that benefited from the aerial sowing of juçara palm seeds on the first day of this year’s Nature’s Journey, on Monday (3). Raquel Viana de Araújo lives in the encampment and was touched by the power of contributing to the airdropping of seeds using a Federal Highway Police helicopter.

“It was a memorable day because I was sowing juçara palm trees in the reserve. It’s amazing to be here making part of a historic moment amid so many environmental disasters. [It’s amazing] To contribute to environmental recovery.”

Watch below the airdropping of seeds (audio in Portuguese):

In the legal reserve areas of the Celso Furtado Settlement and nearby communities like that where Raquel lives, 4,000 kilos of juçara palm seeds, considered to be “the açaí of the Atlantic Forest,” have been sown. The species, which is threatened with extinction, was one of the reasons for the movement to create Nature’s Journey last year in Paraná.

“As I was given a plot of land where we still have a certain quantity of juçara palm trees, I felt obliged to do something for this species. So, from the first year since we started harvesting the juçara palm fruit to extract the pulp, we started sharing the seeds with neighbors, friends, who sow them,” says Josué Evaristo Gomes, from the Dom Tomás Balduíno pre-settlement.

“We realized that going through this pulping process breaks the plant’s dormancy. After two weeks, the seeds are all germinating. This makes it easier for people to take and sow them because you can see the results straight away.”

MST’s National Plan

The event has also spread to other locations in Brazil, but the state of Paraná held the second edition of its Environment Week with the slogan “Sowing life to confront the environmental crisis.” Bruna Zimpel, from the national leadership of the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST, in Portuguese), highlights the importance of the journey.

“We understand that what is happening in our country, both in periods of no rain and heavy rain, including the floods that have been happening [in the state of Rio Grande do Sul], are the result of the environmental crisis caused by the capitalist system, which exploits and destroys nature. That has led to the climate crisis we are experiencing. So, we understand that this kind of action is necessary not just this week, but throughout the year,” Zimpel said.

The initiative is part of the National Plan for Planting Trees and Producing Healthy Food. The MST launched the project in 2020 to plant 100 million trees by 2030. In this edition, we visited the 67-hectare area covered by the aerial sowing of juçara palm in 2023.

The seedlings are, on average, 14 centimeters high, according to researchers from the Federal University of the Southern Frontier (UFFS, in Portuguese) who are analyzing the first results of the sowing. “Where we’ve seen seeds fall, they’ve germinated. They’re highly concentrated,” says Julian Perez-Cassarino, a professor at UFFS.

“We estimate that if we keep 10% of these seedlings in the forest, we would have an average of five tons of pulp per hectare. For BRL 20 (US$ 3,8), that would generate BRL 100,000 (about US$ 19,000) per hectare per year. And it would happen through enriching the forest, attracting fauna, allowing the recovery of other species and harvesting only the juçara fruit,” says Perez-Cassarino,” says Perez-Cassarino, smiling.

“People knew the juçara palm tree for its heart of palm, which means trees are cut down. When we collect its fruit, we don’t cut down the tree, and we use the seed to sow more,” adds the professor.

Also in a part of the area where seeds were sown a year ago, juçara palm trees are growing, sharing space with pine trees, says MST farmer Itacir Gonçalves Helminski. He draws attention to the preservation of biodiversity, which is often affected by monoculture.

“This contrast is very important for us: knowing that this is a new era, a new stage for us, from monoculture to biodiversity. In each red ribbon like this one, just in an area of 1m², we have three, four, five seedlings or more of the juçara palm,” says the farmer.

“Soon, this pine straw will disappear and make room for this rich plant, the juçara palm, which provides food for more than 100 species of birds and animals in the Atlantic Forest, in addition to feeding us, human beings.”

Pinhão and Juçara in Indigenous Land

As in Quedas do Iguaçu, the Federal Highway Police helicopter was used to sow seeds of pine nut and juçara palm in Nova Laranjeiras, also in the state of Paraná. The seeds were sown on Rio das Cobras Indigenous Land.

In all, during Nature’s Journey, the Federal Highway Police contributed to the sowing of 12 tons of seeds. Fuel costs for the flights were paid for thanks to sponsorship from Caixa Econômica Federal, one of Brazil’s state-owned banks.

“I feel very honored and proud to be here in an activity different from our day-to-day work. This aircraft was purchased with funds earmarked for these activities, funds from the Ministry of Justice’s Fund for Diffusing Rights. Therefore, to be able to use it in this activity makes us happy,” says Federal Highway Police commander Juliano Kunen, who comes from a family of farmers.

He interacted with Indigenous children after another officer explained how the aircraft worked. Still at Indigenous land, the caciques (the Portuguese word for Indigenous leaders) handed over a letter to federal representatives who attended the event, such as Minister Sônia Guajajara, with their demands.

“We face a lot of difficulties in education, health, and agriculture, in many ways. So, it was put on paper for the minister to take and study to decide what can be done for Paraná. It wasn’t just for the Rio das Cobras Indigenous Land, but written by caciques from all over Paraná, with many demands for her [Sônia Guajajara],” says cacique Ângelo Rufino.

Last days of the Journey

In Guarapuava, more than 3,000 kilos of araucaria seeds were dumped in the Nova Geração settlement last Wednesday (5), World Environment Day. A march by landless workers was held before the aerial sowing, and activities were also carried out in the town of Pinhão, also in the state of Paraná. On Friday (7), the Journey ended in Antonina. In all, the initiative planned to plant 17,000 seedlings over the four days of the event.

In addition to the Federal Highway Police, representatives from different agencies such as the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA, in Portuguese), the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA, in Portuguese), the National Supply Company (CONAB, in Portuguese) and the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Natural Resources (Ibama, in Portuguese) attended the days of Paraná’s Nature’s Journey.

“I think the slogan of this year’s journey is quite appropriate: sowing life to confront the environmental crisis. We’re sowing millions of seeds, dozens of tons, and I think this is the way forward,” says Ralph Albuquerque, Ibama’s superintendent in Paraná.

“People’s movements are showing us, once again with their banners, a way of possibilities for these crises, which is not just a climate crisis: it’s a civilizational crisis, another crisis of capital,” concludes Albuquerque.

MST flag seen during the march before the aerial sowing in the town of Guarapuava, Paraná state. / Photo: Kaique Santos

Edited by: Thalita Pires