Kurimá In the 1970's the military government treated the Amazon as if it was an "empty place" that should be "civilized" and "integrated" to the rest of the country. They built a highway system and farmers claimed plots of land. They cut down the trees, depleted the soil and dried out the water from the air and from the rivers. In the first half of the 21st century the ecosystems began to collapse.
Pedro This area in Brazil, around the Indigenous Xingu Reservation, became know as the "Death Hug". The cities built to support the farms, like Canarãna, started to fail.
Kurimá We saw that animals were losing their home and the rivers were sad. But we spoke different languages and lived in a different system. The white farmers didn’t hear us.
In the early 2000’s deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon accelerated to an average of 139 hectares per hour. 99% of it was illegal. Font: Elida Oliveira in G1, May 2020
Copyright National Institute of Space Research (INPE). “PRODES deforestation." Accessed through Global Forest Watch on 05/15/2021. www.globalforestwatch.org
FOREST CITY . A generation of Care in the Amazon Even though the Amazon region is largely perceived as a forest, the process of extensive urbanization (Lefebvre) is rapidly changing its socio-spatial forms (Monte-Mor). As the global economy advances deeper into “natural realms” and border territories disintegrate through changes in ecological systems, we know that 70% of the population in the Brazilian Amazon lives in urban areas. These areas function as the backbone for a large infrastructure of extraction, that causes immense environmental damage. Forest City is the story of an inflection point when the economy of monetary profit had to change to halt climate change and rely on shared resources. It’s the result of a productive encounter of the forest (and its dwellers), traditional Indigenous knowledge and practices, Western civilization and technology. The encounter of “nature” and “city”, the transformation of the process of extensive urbanization into one of extensive naturalization.
Farming in Mato Grosso 70’s-now with Federal incentives to accommodate immigrants from the Brazilian South, South, it became one of Brazil’s most profitable export industries in the nineties and two-thousands. two-thousands. A great part of its soy production was destined to to feed animals abroad.
The Xingu River Basin marks the transitional zone where two important biomes meet, stretching from the central plains of Brazil all the way North to the Amazon Basin. It is where the “cerrado” (the Brazilian savannah) and the rain forest meet to form one of the rich ecotones of the planet. The deforestation caused by extractive practices, such as monoculture farming and lodging, was putting at risk not only this rich ecotone, but also the lush rain forest further North.
Pedro
Tree loss from 2001 to 2015
‘Parque Indígena do Xingu’
Without the forest the rivers were shrinking, we couldn’t go on pulling from them. More and more chemicals were needed, the soil became weaker and weaker. There was a time when we couldn't farm anymore, but in some places in the Xingu Indigenous Territory there were still green forests and their soil was healthy. Local communities were planting and harvesting without the use of chemicals. We understood we had to work with them.
Kurimá When the soy farms started polluting the rivers, we suffered; it was harder to farm and the fish was diminishing. Some communities started relying on industrialized food from the city and became sick and dependent. Our kids went to study in schools that didn't know our languages, our traditions. We started to fear we were drying up as a people, like the land was drying up around us.
The Xingu Indigenous Territory (TIX) 60’s-now The Xingu Indigenous Territory (TIX) was structured in the 60’s to safeguard the rich cultural and ecological environment of the South Xingu River Basin. It houses sixteen different indigenous ethnicities with a rich cultural heritage that includes seven different linguistic families.
Copyright REUTERS/Pablo Garcia and Ueslei Marcelino National Institute of Space Research (INPE). “PRODES deforestation." Accessed through Global Forest Watch on 05/15/2021. www.globalforestwatch.org
Protection against the wind
AGROFORESTRY Agroforestry is the
management and integration of trees, crops or livestock on the same plot of land for the practice of productive agriculture. By diversifying crops and plant types, it parotects the soil from dryness and erosion and can be employed to reclaim eroded and degraded land. In Brazil it has been successfully used in different regions and scales. Traditional indigenous planting method
The network of indigenous seeds in Xingu
Traditional indigenous farming is done in symbiosis with the forest
Kurimá The land and water are one and move in cycles. The rain comes and nourishes the land. The healthy soil and trees hold on to it and slowly release it over time, so all are strong when the dry season comes again. These cycles are how we understand the land. We plant with the forest; each plant has a different life span, needs different nutrients and attracts different animals. When one area has been replanted many times and is tired, we let it rest. If it’s surrounded by forest, it will regenerate quickly.
New Forest Agroforestry
It helps the reforestation of the area and the diversification of crops. Trees and crops are planted according to their "parenthood" and specific cycles"
Linear Crop Rotation
Pedro We learned about agro-forestation and how we could plant and prune some trees to feed the other plants, so they could grow in the depleted soil. Some of these trees and bamboos were then used as construction material. We were able to plant our own food and bring the forest back.
Image form the Agenda Gotsch site (http://www.agendagotsch.com/)
Xingu Indigenous Territory
Pedro Our grandfathers set up Farming Associations to start new farming practices in shared land. We rehydrate the soil and rivers by building a decentralised network of small retention ponds to retain rainwater and allow them to filtrate into the land. Like drops of rain falling in the desert, desert we started to farm in strategic places and saw the forest re-emerging. First in isolated areas along rivers, then retaining ponds, and in the interstitial areas, with simple, low-tech and small scale irrigation systems.
Existing Xingu Forest
Agroforestation Centers School
Market
Lodging Canarana
Pimentel BarbosaIndigenous Territory
Storage
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Stable Process Center
Retention Pond
Kurimá In some years we could see the forest coming back and now it already forms green corridors connecting different indigenous territories. The jaguars have room to roam and aren’t hungry. The streams and rivers went back to their abundant cycles and the fish came again to shallow ponds to procreate and leave during the rainy season.
Parabubure Indigenous Territory
Agroforestation Center
Water Management Agroforestation
New Forest (Agroforestry) Su
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Areoes Indigenous Territory
Swale
River
Legend Forest
Tree loss 2011-15
Agroforesty
Tree loss 2006-10
Amazon Basin
Tree loss 2001-05
Main Settlments Settlements
Indigenous Territories
Mayorga, E., M.G. Logsdon, M.V.R. Ballester, and J.E. Richey. 2012. LBA-ECO CD-06 Amazon River Basin Land and Stream Drainage Direction Maps. Data set. Available on-line [http://daac. ornl.gov] from Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.A. http://dx.doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1086 Saatchi, S.S. 2013. LBA-ECO LC-15 SRTM30 Digital Elevation Model Data, Amazon Basin: 2000. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1181
NEW FARMING LOGISTICS
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Packed produce
Solar-flowers Follow the sun to maximize efficiency and provide the energy for the cooperative
Cooperative School Indigenous farming knowledge and practices guide the pedagogical curriculum
Seed Banks From the indigenous territories preserved the diversity of plants and now are used in the coops
Pedro We built Agro-forestation Centers and created the infrastructure to help farmers and communities diversify their crops. These cooperatives were arranged around educational facilities that showed how the new farming systems could be implemented and how they could be profitable. A mix of Community Land Trusts and private lands composed a mosaic of ownership possibilities. New Federal and State regulations allowed for new policies and creative credit lines. Major Brazilian banks and private industries helped leverage the capital. They knew they had to protect the forest and stop climate change.
Kurimá
Rain water retention ponds
We shared knowledge and learned from our traditional indigenous practices, as well as from universities and other experiences around the world. With shared facilities and equipment, it was easier to organize the logistics of irrigation and transportation. Some of these centers also built processing facilities. A large network of seed exchange supported the health and diversity of the crops. We started seeing traditional plants and foods come back. Humidity levels rose and fires started to subside.
Fill up during rainy seasons and hydrate the soil year around
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Central market in Canarãna
Bamboo is used as a “sacrifice plant” in the agro-forestation method. It grows fast and can be pruned to feed the soil. When its life-cycle is at an end, it is used in construction. It can be resistant as steel, however the production is way less harmful to the natural environment.
local products
Pedro We have no waste - our human waste fertilizes our soil and gives us natural gas to cook with. Plastics from the "beforetime" have been woven into mats and street furniture that have lasted decades (can u believe they just left this out in landfills before?!) We use natural products that have been invented by Brazilian universities to wrap and package things. Our buildings are made with natural and recycled materials and have low-carbon footprints.
Kurimá In the Forest Cities a central market always has fresh produce and fish and local arts and crafts. Indigenous people from the territories can stay in lodging centers when they come to town. People come from all over the world to visit our forests.
Agroforestation Center
Solar Power
Rain Water Collector
Solar panel farms
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Biodigestor
Canarana is located in the region with most sun incidence in Brazil. Its daily average global horizontal solar irradiation is 5.4 kWh/m2, one of the highest in the country. In the Forest City, clean, renewable solar energy sustains the city’s electricity needs. Given the high water table, with have dry bathrooms with no flushing water. Reforested areas
Domestic and industrial bio-digestors provide gas and take care of our waste.
New settlement
Community gardens Agroforestation Tourism Center
Central Market in Canarãna
Retention basins
Pedro & Kurimá We learned so much from these practices! As the network of lowlands captured rain water and spread biodiversity, we also transformed our cities. We started using our forests to build a new type of city: a Forest City where nature and man can co-exist in more direct ways and the distinction between what is “urban” and what is “rural”, what is “natural”, and what is “man-made” became more subtle. Forest and city became more integrated.
Pier/Dock
COOP
Flow of Goods
Kurimá Our schools are bi-lingual, we learn about our traditions and practices along new technologies and science. We are able to use solar panels to generate energy that helps us with our gardens and power our transportation. We are seeing our forests grow stronger and the trees we use to build our houses with are once again abundant.
The bulk of the transportation of goods and people is done through rivers in boats powered by solar and hydrogen energy.
Google Earth @2019. Multiple satellite images of Brazil Amazon Forest. Accessed through Google Earth on 05/23/2021. www.earth.google.com/web/
Houses
Micro Hydropower Turbine
River
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Floating structures allow for seasonal use of multiple places with little infrastructure
Solar-powered boats The bulk of the transportation of goods and people is done through rivers in boats powered by solar and hydrogen energy.
Pedro & Kurimá After the rivers were healthy again, most of our transportation was done through water. Solar-powered boats are now used for private and public transportation, taking kids to school and connecting different regions. Larger boats powered by hydrogen are used for cargo transportation. Several towns and farms working together have formed a great natural machine for food production. With this new city and this new productive platform, we were able to bring back the virtuous cycle of forest and humidity and work with it to produce nutritious food. With shared effort and investments we have been able to generate a profitable cycle that can sustain itself and help build better cities and grow better lands.
Hydropower Turbine Water canals were created to accommodate mini turbines for hydraulic energy generation.
This project was the collective effort of a group of people who beleive in a bright future here on Mother Earth. It is dedicated to the Indigenous Peoples of Xingu and specially to the Yudjá People, who are farming and reforesting Xingu for all of us. Project Team: Aruna Ananta Das Anna Dietzsch Corina Fuenmayor Zuzanna Jarzyńska Chao Li Victor Lo Mariana Majima Paulla Mattos Clarissa Morgenroth Thanawat Phituksithkasem Jil Shah Luis Octavio de Faria e Silva Scarlet Tong Victoria Vuono With: Guilherme Castagna (water management) Marius Lopez (agroforestation and permaculture) Tawá Yudjá (Yudjá People of Xingu and “Seeds Network of Xingu”) Collage images from various open source data banks used to represent fictional characters. Also used images from © Kamayurá People © Yudjá People Last image shows Indigenous leader Mário Juruna and singer Sting.