Thanks to its luscious berries, the asaí's international popularity has skyrocketed in recent decades.

 

On the global market, the asaí berry is widely promoted as a superfood, brimming with antioxidants that boost the immune system, protect cellular integrity and alleviate inflammation. With images of these dark purple berries atop salads and yogurts or blended into smoothies, asaí fruits are also associated with cardiovascular health benefits, including lowering cholesterol and regulating blood pressure, as well as claims of weight loss and energy enhancement.

 

However, for the Porvenir Indigenous Peoples' community, the asaí palm is worth so much more than its fruits' nutritional and health benefits. These trees are a precious natural resource that sustains their livelihoods and their environments.

Before 2009, the Porvenir Indigenous Peoples' community harvested the asaí palm by chopping down entire trees for their fibrous cores, which were processed and sold as heart of palm.

 

Today, with financial and technical support from the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Indigenous Peoples' community of Porvenir has transitioned to a sustainable asaí value chain.

 

The community established the Association of Forest Producers, focused on artisanal and small-scale production that respects forest resources and revives Indigenous Peoples' knowledge about the health benefits of the asaí berry. Since 2022, support from the FFF has helped to increase production by providing new equipment and improving and expanding a processing plant.

 

 

"The first few years were tough; we didn't sell a single gram of asaí in the first year," recalls Rólvis Pérez, administrator of the Porvenir Forest Producers' Association.

 

Then slowly the community started reaping results, with asaí production increasing from 50 tons of pulp per harvest a decade ago to over 100 tons today.

 

Now, thanks to asaí berry production, the community has eliminated the need to cut down palm trees, protecting both the species and their future earnings.

 

"People started believing in this because they started receiving their earnings, improving their living conditions," says Lisandro Saucedo, the Association's former leader. "They have seen that if they preserve this resource, it also guarantees jobs in the community. They have taken ownership of the resource and even when palm companies have tried to work with them again, they have said no."

 

Building on the success of the asaí value chain and with FFF's technical support, the Indigenous Peoples' community is now exploring the untapped potential of other trees and non-timber natural resources as a way to diversify the bioeconomy, while applying their Indigenous Peoples' knowledge and traditions.

 

For instance, now when harvesting from another important tree, the moriche palm or burity (Mauritia flexuosa), the community climbs the palm tree to collect the fruit instead of felling the tree. The pulp is then processed into juice and oil, which can be integrated into cosmetics such as body oils, lip balms and creams.

 

The community is also maximizing the use of non-timber natural resources by converting residues from asaí and moriche palm fruits into high-caloric charcoal briquettes.

 

Significantly, with support from its partners, the Association last year secured Forest Stewardship Council certification for its non-timber forest products and obtained the wild harvest and organic certification from Ceres Germany.

 

To bolster the growing circular economy, a new solar-powered integrated processing plant is being built to handle fruit, pulp, flour and oil. The plant will have additional capacity to refine asaí shells for compost, with the wastewater used for irrigation. 

 

"This is what we need to ensure employment in the community while also making sure that everything we do is sustainable, not only for Porvenir's residents but also for visitors and even people from other countries," says Lisandro.

 

By enhancing asaí harvesting and management to meet local and global demand, the Porvenir Indigenous Peoples' community, with the FFF's support, is demonstrating how healthy and sustainable resources can also drive economic growth and improve livelihoods.

 

Beyond economic benefits, this transformation has strengthened a deep sense of pride and ownership over their land.

 

"Porvenir is my life and my beautiful community," declares local asaí harvester Pedro Gutierrez. "It's my beautiful town, the best life we have. Right now, we're working, and we have everything."