Companies in the Brazilian Amazon already export 64 forest-compatible products, with an average annual revenue of nearly US$300 million.1 This figure seems impressive but represents only 0.17% of the corresponding global markets. In the more specific case of products linked to food chains, the participation of companies in the Amazon is also modest, including at the domestic level, as can be seen from the scarce presence of Amazonian products and producers on platforms such as Mercado Livre – Produtos da Amazônia, Amazônia Ativa/Americanas and Caras do Brasil/Pão de Açúcar.
The aim of the Amazon: Food Territories study is to assess how value chains linked to food can serve as leverage to promote regional development. And what conditions are necessary for the assets of the extraordinary Amazonian biodiversity – with its vast application potential in these chains – can be transformed into competitive advantages that strengthen the regional economy.
The study was carried out based on interviews with 45 representatives from 38 enterprises and institutions that operate in food chains in the Amazon. The selection of interviewees prioritized companies with some degree of success and some experience in the area of sustainability or social entrepreneurship, as determined by the authors.
