Mekem Green Amazon Forest
FROM MAN WEA RAET FOR WEKAP! LONG BRAZIL
MIDOLWAN 1990-99, world lusim staka million hectare bilong natural forest, United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization hem sei. Long Amazon area bilong Brazil, chain saw and fire tanem finis wanfala sekson bilong forest wea moa big winim Germany for kamap grass area nating. Bifor, olketa tree nomoa kavarem full area, bat distaem olketa drae graon stap wea garem lelebet grass and haf tree nomoa.
Nomata disfala wei for distroem forest mekem pipol wari, hope start for showaot. Wanfala program wea luk olsem bae help hem start for kasem gud samting finis. Olketa kolem diswan agroforestry, wea wanfala study sei hem “wankaen farming wea mixim wei for plantim tree witim garden or grass wea helpem . . . and keepim land gud.” Hao nao agroforestry hem waka? Wanem nao kamaot finis from hem? Wanem hope nao hem givim for future? For faendaot, Wekap! visitim National Institute for Research long Amazon (INPA) long Manaus, kapitol bilong Amazon Province bilong Brazil.
Sorre Long Niu Ples
Johannes van Leeuwen, wanfala Dutch agronomist long Department bilong Agronomy long INPA, hem waka witim olketa farmer long Amazon for 11 year finis. Bat why nao olketa farmer go long Amazon forest long firstaem? Wei for iusim machine long midol and south Brazil mekem olketa smol farmer for lusim land and waka bilong olketa, wea kosim olketa for muv. Olketa nara farmer wea growim jute, wea olketa iusim for wakem olketa difren kaen copra bag, no kasem selen moa from pipol iusim nao olketa plastic bag. Samfala moa, from land wea olketa stap hem drae tumas, mas lukaotem land wea moabeta. Bat wea nao olketa savve go? Bihaen olketa herem promis for kasem land, haos, and gud graon long Amazon, olketa muv long there.
Bat gogo olketa farmer faendaot hao disfala area hem ples bilong hevi rain, staka wata long air, hot, and nogud graon. Insaed tu-thri year, graon kamap nogud and sem problem hem kamap moa: poor pipol antap long nogud raon. For deal witim disfala problem, olketa farmer wea no wei nao mas kliarem moa area bilong forest for wakem farm.
Hem tru, olketa smol farm no main wan wea spoelem forest bilong Amazon. Olketa big buluka farm, bigfala bisnis saed long kaikai, mining and logging, and olketa hydro dam nao barava spoelem. Nomata olsem, kakam bilong staka smol farmer, and wei bilong olketa for katem and bonem olketa tree hem tu spoelem forest.
Askem Help Bilong “Olketa Library wea Laef”
“Nomata hao olketa affectim forest,” Van Leeuwen hem talem, “olketa poor farmer hia stap nao and no garem eni ples for go long hem. So for trae stopem wei for spoelem forest, iumi mas helpem olketa kasem living from land bilong olketa long wei wea no need for katem daon forest.” Long hia nao agroforestry program hem help, for teachim wankaen wei for farming wea no spoelem graon and letem olketa farmer iusim sem land for staka year. Hao nao olketa wea duim research kasem disfala program?
Agroforestry program bilong INPA kamap bihaen staka year bilong study, wei for askem olketa kwestin, and olketa test long plant and graon. Barava important information kam from wei for askem “olketa library wea laef”—olketa Indian and caboclos, pipol wea olketa haf white, blak, and Indian wea laen dadi bilong olketa kam firstaem long Amazon area.
Olketa pipol hia bilong Amazon garem bigfala savve. Olketa savve gud long lokol weather and graon—blak and red graon, red and white clay, graon wea sandbis and clay mix—and tu olketa difren kaen frut, spice, and plant wea olsem medicine. Olketa information hia mekem olketa agronomist and farmer for waka tugeta—wanfala wei for waka tugeta wea mekem disfala program moabeta.
Forest Hem No Wanfala Mine
Olketa isisi start for iusim disfala agroforestry program. Firstfala step hem for mekem olketa farmer luksavve hao forest hem no wanfala mine—for waka long hem and then lusim—bat samting wea savve niu bak. Next samting, olketa kasem advaes for plantim no just cassava, banana, corn (maize), rice, bean, and olketa nara samting wea savve grow kwiktaem, bat for plantim tree tu. “Tree?” olketa farmer ask olsem. “Why?”
From olketa farmer planti taem kam from area wea tree hem no samting for plantim and tu, from olketa no savve gud long olketa difren kaen tree bilong Amazon, olketa wea duim research mas talem klia gud samting wea kamaot from wei for plantim olketa tree. Olketa explainim hao graon long forest no garem samting wea garden needim. Bifor gud samting from graon savve go insaed kaikai long garden, rain wasim olketa awe. Bat olketa tree savve kasem and hipimap olketa gud samting hia, wea mekem graon moabeta for farm. And tu, olketa tree givim animal kaikai and ples for stap. Olketa farmer savve iusim olketa tree olsem fence for markem spialaen bilong olketa. And, tru nao, frut tree savve givim olketa frut and timba wea olketa savve sellim.
Olketa encouragem olketa farmer for plantim staka difren kaen tree tu. Why? Mekem olketa savve harvestim olketa difren kaen frut and timba. Long disfala wei, farmer savve harvestim no just wan or tufala kaen frut wea hem mas sellim long low price from evri narawan sellim tu.
Niufala Program Kasem Gud Samting
Wanem kaen tree nao olketa plantim? “Distaem mifala plantim 30 go kasem 40 long olketa frut tree hia,” Van Leeuwen hem sei taem hem givim mi wanfala list bilong nem bilong 65 tree. For showim wei wea disfala program hem waka gud, Van Leeuwen showim tu-thri foto bilong wanfala area bilong forest wea olketa kliarem, wea olketa tek foto long hem long olketa difren taem.—Lukim box “Hao Forest Savve Gud Bak.”
Taem iu visitim market long Manaus, bae iu lukim hao disfala niu agroforestry program hem waka gud. Long olketa market hia, olketa sellim winim 60 difren kaen lokol frut. For future, olketa agronomist hope taem olketa farmer getius long agroforestry, bae hem katem daon wei for distroem forest. Tru nao, taem farmer savve hao for iusim moa wanfala olo farm, hem bae no katem daon forest for wakem niu wan.
Olketa gudfala samting hia bae no finisim danger wea stap for living long earth. Bat olketa showimaot wanem savve kamap taem pipol respectim spesol earth bilong iumi.
[Box/Piksa long page 14]
Orange and Acerola, Lukaot
Orange, datfala samting wea savve mekem iumi tingim vitamin C, hem samting nating taem iumi markem witim wanfala frut wea olketa praisem olsem “niufala queen bilong vitamin C.” Nomata acerola, wea nambawan long vitamin C, mas lus nao. Disfala niu ruler? Wanfala smol bat maeti, purple frut wea size olsem grape and wea grow wild long samfala area bilong Amazon. Nem bilong hem? Camu-camu. Waswe, fitim iumi for givim hem disfala position? Wanfala magasin bilong Brazil sei 100 gram bilong orange garem 41 milligram vitamin C, 100 gram bilong acerola garem 1,790 milligram vitamin C. Bat, sem hevi bilong camu-camu garem bigfala 2,880 milligram vitamin C—70 taem moa big winim orange!
[Credit Line]
Acerola and camu-camu: Silvestre Silva/Reflexo
[Box/Piksa long page 15]
Wei for Plantim Olketa Tree Followim Big Bilong Olketa
Bihaen olketa farmer agree for followim samfala part bilong agroforestry program, agronomist Johannes van Leeuwen savve givim olketa wanfala plan wea moa klia—wanfala plan for future tree farm bilong olketa. Winim wei for chusim olabaot nomoa wanem tree for plantim, computer showim olketa difren kaen wei for plantim wea helpem man savve wanem for plantim and hao for arrangem. Spesol savve nao stap long wei for arrangem olketa difren kaen smol, midol-size, and bigfala tree long olketa grup.
Olsem example, insaed firstfala grup, olketa plantim guava, guarana, and cupuaçu tree klosap tugeta. Olketa tree hia grow smol and garem frut kwiktaem. Mek-tu grup, midol-size tree olsem biribá, avocado, and murumuru palm, bae needim moa spes. Insaed disfala grup, olketa harvestim frut bihaen olketa long first grup. Mek-thri grup, olketa bigfala tree olsem datfala Brazil nat, piquia, and mahogany, wea needim moa spes. Samfala tree long disfala last grup givim frut, samfala givim timba, and samfala tufala evriwan. Taem evri thrifala grup growap tugeta, farm kamap olsem natural forest.
[Olketa piksa]
Johannes van Leeuwen (long barava raet saed)
Market long Manaus witim frut from datfala ples
[Credit Line]
J. van Leeuwen, INPA, Manaus, Brazil
[Box/Piksa long page 16]
Hao Forest Savve Gud Bak
1. February 1993—Olketa katem daon and bonem disfala part bilong forest midol long Amazon long September 1992. Long January 1993, olketa plantim olketa pineapple. Wan month bihaen, olketa plantim olketa frut tree tu.
2. March 1994—Olketa pineapple plant big, and iu savve lukim olketa frut tree. Olketa smol saen long olketa stik klosap long olketa tree talem nem bilong tree, olsem abiu, Brazil nat, and peach palm tree. Weeding wea olketa farmer duim raonem garden hem helpem olketa tree tu. Olsem for sei thankiu, olketa tree start for putim bak nutrient long graon.
3. April 1995—Olketa harvestim kaikai wea grow kwiktaem and kaikaim or sellim, and difren kaen frut tree go ahed for grow.
[Credit Line]
Pictures 1-3: J. van Leeuwen, INPA-CPCA, Manaus, Brazil