PFAFFIA

A fair collaboration that secures the work of small farmers and fights deforestation

Pfaffia, or “ Brazilian ginseng " is especially dear to the Amazonian people. It’s a rare medicinal plant found in the rainforests of Brazil, which is among the most threatened in the world by deforestation.

Following ancestral traditions, farmers use a burning technique since pfaffia is the first plant to regrow after a fire. This traditional but devastating method contributes to the deforestation of their land and places them at the mercy of major intensive farming groups.

To reunite their forces when faced with environmental and industrial pressure, many small producers from Querência do Norte joined together at the heart of the cooperative ASPAG. The first challenge in our partnership was to make them aware of the risks associated to this type of wild harvest. Then, to preserve their land and environment, we trained them in plant culture techniques.

Seeking to value their production lead to an organic certification. Today, their land is more profitable and therefore secure.

The cooperative members have full autonomy over the destination of the development funds we provide with 5% of our annual raw materials purchase.

In 2019, farmers who had until then spent drying their harvests in their own homes have chosen to purchase a drying-house that will benefit their entire community.