Limits and Possibilities of Vegetable Extraction in Extractive Reserves in the Amazon

Abstract

Vegetable extraction has been considered a new paradigm of adequate development for the Amazon Region by ecological movements, international organizations, and foreign governments. This study evaluates whether the supply of extractive products transformed into economic value can ensure the livelihood of families and prevent deforestation. The study was conducted at the extractive reserves Alto Juruá, Rio Ouro Preto, and Rio Cajari during two periods: January to March 2017 and January to March 2019. A total of 384 interviews were conducted—234 in 2017 and 150 in 2019. The field results show that low returns, low land productivity, and lack of labor point to the economic infeasibility of vegetable extraction in the extractive reserves of Alto Juruá, Rio Ouro, and Rio Cajari. As a priority, extractivism should be considered a cultural institution and an economic model that can promote sustainability. A strategy capable of valuing products derived from extractivism should be developed, and an approximation of the markets that remediates the efforts of forest conservationists should be considered.