Alaion's Farm

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Geographic coordinates of the cacao harvesting site:

02° 24' 14.9" S | 48° 09' 59.3" O

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Tuerê - Pará - Amazônia – Brasil

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Grown amidst the regenerated landscapes of the Tuerê Settlement in Novo Repartimento, Pará, the cacao cultivated by Alaion Sousa and his brothers reveals vibrant notes of orange peel and red fruits. Their beans are produced within a regenerative agroforestry system that restores degraded pastureland through the planting of cacao alongside native and high-value Amazonian trees — such as genipap, mahogany, tonka bean, courbaril, and Brazil nut. This approach embodies a new generation of Amazonian producers who see cacao not only as a crop but as a living expression of biodiversity and cultural renewal.

The Tuerê Settlement was created in 1987 by Brazil’s National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA), covering over 240,000 hectares in the municipality of Novo Repartimento, Pará. Initially, around 3,000 families were granted 50-hectare plots as part of a land-reform effort to promote rural occupation of the Amazon. Early on, most settlers depended on small-scale farming and cattle ranching — practices that, while essential for survival, often led to soil degradation and loss of biodiversity.

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In the 2010s, this scenario began to change. The NGO Solidaridad launched its Amazon Program in 2014, bringing technical assistance and sustainable-production training to 230 families across Tuerê. The results were remarkable: within a few years, the region’s cocoa quality had improved dramatically, and by 2019 local producers were winning national and international awards for fine-flavor cacao. Out of this collective transformation emerged a new generation of producers — families determined to reconcile productivity with ecological regeneration.

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Among them is Alaion Sousa, who, together with his brothers, cultivates 100 hectares divided into two plots of 50 hectares each. Their journey began eight years ago with the planting of 3,500 cacao trees, soon expanding to 12 hectares integrated with native forest species. Learning from each planting cycle, in 2025 they took a decisive step forward: the regeneration of 16 hectares of degraded pasture, now reborn as a rich agroforestry system that blends commercial cacao with species such as Brazilian mahogany, tonka bean, tatajuba, and cinnamon tree.

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This model demonstrates how family farmers in the Amazon are becoming agents of sustainable transformation — restoring ecological balance while generating long-term livelihoods. Alaion’s commitment reflects a broader movement that redefines what it means to cultivate cacao in the 21st century: not merely as a commodity, but as a vehicle for regeneration, identity, and respect for the forest’s intelligence.