The Bico do Papagaio region has traditional production of babassu (Orbignya phalerata, Arecaceae) palmnut oil and mesocarp by the so-called palmnut breakers. The palmnut collectors, who sell it whole to industries have become a threat to the livelihood of these women. Lands on lease for collection had freedom of access for palmnut breakers, who, in addition to collecting the palmnuts, process them to make oil, mesoacrp and charcoal.
Many landowners and rural workers, including husbands of palmnut breakers, have cut down babassu trees due to the low selling price, creating much conflict between men and women. Cutting these trees down is a result of a lack of knowledge about the conection between babassu and other production systems, such as Agroforests, pasture and permanent crops.
In addition to the aforementioned conflicts, there is also a state government program for integrated regional development (PDRI) of the Bico do Papagaio region, in which there are plans for large areas of irrigated soy and rice plantations and eucalyptus along the Araguaia and Tocantins rivers. Successful implementation of this program depends on reallocation of several settler families.
This poroject focuses on support for five rural communities in the municipality of Buriti by means of diversification of babassu use, through production of charcoal from the shells and incentives for joint production with permanent crops, using seedlings produced by this project. Furthermore, capacity-building will be offered for five young adults from each community in environmental education and arts, all of whom will hopefully become multipliers of this knowledge, disseminating the work of the organization of rural working women in Buriti do Tocantins