The community of Mutuca was faced with a challenge that could shatter its life and history, destroying up to 247 acres of agroforest.
For over 15 years, the riverine people of Mutuca have been living in harmony with the Earth. Disseminating traditional knowledge and empowering other communities, Mutuca is an indisputable figurehead in agroforestry and apiculture in the amazonian region of Maués.
They often receive other riverside and indigenous communities for classes and practices related to agroforestry, and they have also reached great results with creating turtles, native stingless bees, horticulture, guarana fruit, amongst other cultures.
But at the beginning of 2021, they were faced with a challenge that put their work and life in danger. The land they lived on was bound to be sold to buffalo breeders, known for burning forests to create pasture and grow monoculture. They would be forced leave their homes, their houses, their forest, their history.
The acquisition of this land from the main interested buyer, in addition to destroying all this logic conquered by them, went in the opposite direction to the preservation and conservation of nature: it would cause the disappearance of animals and other sensitive cultures that collaborate with the wealth of the environment.
They were offered a chance to buy their land first, so they called out for help to raise the money.
To solve this challenge, Be The Earth collaborated with Welight Institute, Idesam and Rede Maniva in Brazil to co-create the Mutuca crowdfunding platform - a fast and reliable solution that made it possible for donations to happen with just a few clicks.
The campaign aimed to collect the full amount of money to buy the area of access and surroundings to the community, and access to the community's port, totalling up to 247 acres. That's BRL 100,000.00, or GBP 14,000.00 to guarantee this land, its housing and animals remain untouched.
The Mutuca Amazonas Crowdfunding Campaign (click on image to visit)
Happily, after 3 months of the campaign, we have collectively achieved our goal!
This is a real turnaround in Mutuca's history, as they are now in process of buying the land they live on, making sure it will remain safe for many more generations to come.
With the purchase of the land, the housing of these people will be ensured, in addition to maintaining a place that offers opportunities to several other original peoples neighbouring Mutuca.
We want to thank you all who were a part of this beautiful story. Here's a personal message of gratitude and an invitation from Mutuca's leader, Dona Rosário:
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