‘Hunikui do Cacho’ Association of Growers and Agroextractivists

The association’s mission is to legally represent the indigenous people from the indigenous land ‘Kaxinawá do Igarapé do Cacho’. It acts in defense of their health, education, environmental land management, as well as organizing and unifying the community which it represents.

The land in question is directly affected by the paving of the federal highway BR-364. The indigenous people owns only 12,318 hectares, where around 700 people distributed in four villages live – Praias, Caucho, Nova Aldeia and Tamandaré (1).

It is also part of the association’s duties to monitor public policies, to strengthen food security together with the improvement of agricultural production and the surveillance of the territory to prevent the entry of hunters and/or timbers, mainly.

To fulfill its mission the group has the support of the Brazilian Federal Government and the Government of Acre for specific projects such as the training of environmental agroforestry agents held by IBAMA – Brazilian Institute of Environment and the CPI – Pro-Indian Commission.

The Project

With the support of Brazil Fund, the group intends to surveil and inspect the land to avoid the invasion of hunters and other environmental crimes, as theft of wood and forest products, biopiracy and predatory fishing. The fact that the indigenous land borders on deforested farms and is close to BR-364 facilitates the action of invaders.

The initiative provides for the instrumentalization of environmental agroforestry agents accredited by IBAMA so they can act more efficiently in the inspections. The grants donated by Brazil Fund will be spent on food, fuel and objects for camping in the woods, as well as to organize, plan and evaluate inspection teams, which have about 40 people.

The ultimate goal is to preserve the environment, protecting hunting, springs, streams and natural seeds as açaí, patoá and other native fruits. Seven hundred indigenous land residents and other five hundred of the surroundings will be direct beneficiaries. Indirectly, the project will benefit the population of Acre, especially from the city of Tarauacá, with the preservation of more than 12,000 hectares of forest.

(1) N.T.: these are the names of each indigenous village.