Creating a Best Practices Guide to Açaí Harvesting

April 20, 2021

The Amazon’s ecosystems provide an array of vital services to the region and the world as a whole, as they are home to millions of people who rely on the forest for their livelihoods. Many communities derive income from the açaí berry, the popular “super food” often found in juices and smoothies. Açaí is harvested each year from April to November, complementing the harvest of Brazil nuts that takes place from December to March. 

Thus, to encourage safe, sustainable harvesting of açaí, we worked with five associations of açaí producers in Bolivia, belonging to the Bolivian Departmental Federation of Açaí and Amazon Pando Fruit (FEDAFAP), to compile standardized, best practices for harvesting açaí . This led to creation of the Best Practices for Harvesting Fruit of Açaí (Euterpe precatory) guide in Spanish.

The illustrated guide is divided into five essential parts spanning nearly fifty pages. The first section covers the acai fruit and its uses, the second gives planning advice for its management, the third section discusses best practices for harvesting the fruit, the fourth about the food’s quality, and the fifth covers safety.

Through this guide, it is one way to increase local communities’ capacities to sustainably manage these highly productive forests in the Amazon.

See the full guide here:

https://issuu.com/conservacionamazonica/docs/buenas_pra_cticas1?fbclid=IwAR0mwpGIpFgJMv4h0aRkj3B8i4zB2_WwTiR5-jNlBsznoBeWt5-K2TxYlYs 

 

We thank our local contributing organizations who worked with us to make this guide possible:

  • Association of Harvesters, Producers and Processors of Amazonian Fruit from Trinchera (ARPTFAT)
  • Association of Collectors and Producers of Amazonian Fruits of Petronila Pando (ARPFAP)
  • Comprehensive Forestry Association of Agricultural Producers of the Jericho Community (AFIPA-CJ)
  • Comprehensive Association of Harvesters, Producers and Processors of Fruit of Abuna (ASICOPTA) 
  • Comprehensive Association of Harvesters and Producers of Amazonian Crops (AIPROTCA).
  • During this process, the leadership of the Inter-Institutional Platform for Connection of Amazon Fruit Products (Picfa Pando) was essential for coordinating with Departmental Secretary for the Economy (SEDEPRO Pando), as was the contribution of the institutions that provided technical support to Departamental Federation of AçaíHarvesters and Amazonian (FEDAFAP), Conservación Amazónica-ACEAA, CIPCA-Norte Amazónico, WWF Bolivia and the Bolivian National Food Safety and Quality Service (SENASAG).