Ilex Guayusa: A new driver for sustainable development in agroforestry systems in the Western Amazon

Presenter: Aliana Piñeiro, Director of Evaluation and Development

Presented at a Seminar: “Can Agroforestry Address Food Security Concerns Under a Changing Climate?” on November 11, 2014 Gothenburg, Sweden | Sponsored by SIANI and FOCALI

Map of Napo, Ecuador

Geographic/Historical Context

• Napo Province in Ecuador ranges in altitude from 300 to 1200 meters above sea level

• At higher elevations there is premontain forest and in the lower elevations there is lowland wet tropical forest, the WWF calls this the Napo Moist Forest

• Amazon region in Ecuador was historically isolated until the 1970’s when it became a petroleum based economy

• Unlike the coast of Ecuador, there was almost no investment in agriculture in the Amazon region, only in the last 15 years has there been much government investment in cash crops like cocoa, coffee, etc.

Indigenous Traditions

• In the Ecuadorian Amazon, indigenous people wake up before dawn to drink guayusa with their family and discuss their dreams and plan for the day ahead.

• One guayusa tree is traditionally grown by a family’s home. A newly married woman typically brings a cutting of the guayusa from her childhood home to plant at her new home with her husband and her future family.

• Guayusa has been domesticated by the indigenous people of the Amazon by clones for so long that the plant’s ability to reproduce sexually has greatly diminished.

Traditional Agroforestry Systems

• There are several types of agroforestry systems in the Amazon such as silvo-pastural, cash crops (coffee and cocoa) with some shade trees, but we focus on traditional agroforestry systems of the indigenous people of the Ecuadorian Amazon.

• Chacra is the Quechua word for “farm”, which is used all throughout S. America; however in the Ecuadorian Amazon it specifically refers to the forest gardens of the indigenous people. They typically farm on less than 5 Ha. and have subsistence crops like yuca and plantain, medicinal plants, fruit trees, various palms and timber trees.

• In the last 15 years, they have added cash crops such as corn, cacao, naranjilla and coffee with limited success, they generally have low yields and receive little pay for their products.

• Most recently they have introduced guayusa, a plant that has always been in their chacras for family consumption, as a new cash crop.

RUNA’s mission: to look for new ways to create value for tropical forests that benefit local people and forest eco-systems

RUNA - Commercialization of Guayusa

• RUNA has transformed a traditional crop for family consumption into a profitable agroforestry crop suitable for local farming practices.

• Since 2010 RUNA has exported to USA and Canada and in 2014 began selling on the Ecuadorian market

• RUNA Guayusa is sold in 7000 stores in the USA• In 2014 RUNA works with 2900+ small scale indigenous farmers as

suppliers• Over 5 years the market has experienced exponential growth; in 2010

farmers sold 22,000 lbs. of guayusa to RUNA, in 2014 farmers will sell over 600,000 lbs.

ILEX GUAYUSA

• Ilex guayusa, a tree native to the Western Amazon, is in the same family as holly and yerba mate and is one of hundreds of Ilex species in the Americas.

• Guayusa is found mostly in the Ecuadorian Amazon but it is also found a in Peru and Colombia. It can be kept in a leafy bush but it can grow up to 20 meters if left unpruned. It reacts well to pruning, it can be coppiced.

• It is a very rare sight to see a guayusa tree with flowers as far as we know currently, guayusa does not reproduce sexually, only through cuttings.

• Its leaves contain high concentrations of caffeine and antioxidants. Guayusa trees are shade-tolerant, pest resistant, readily adaptable perennial crops cultivated in traditional agroforestry systems.

How can we manage this growth sustainably?

Agroforestry• We created a research program with Yale University

and Dr. Florencia Montagnini to investigate how guayusa production can be sustainably scaled up in agroforestry systems.

• We are working with researchers and farmers to identify best practices.

• Through our network of stakeholders in the region, we are able to disseminate the findings.

• We recently published a Guayusa Best Practices Manual and a Compendium of Technical Information to share information with farmers and other public and private institutions.

Guayusa in agroforestry systemsThrough our research we have concluded that guayusa can be grown with native species such as:• Trees:

– Laurel (Cordia alliodora)– Chuncho (Cedrelinga cateniformis)– Chonta palm (Bactris gasipaes)– Copal (Protium copal)

• Fruit trees:– Chirimoya (Annona cherimola)– Guaba (Inga edulis)– Plantain, banana, beans and peanuts

Certain cash crops are also suitable as long as they are certified organic• Cash Crops

– Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.)– Corn

Pruning and coppicing

Through our multifactorial research plots we have found that guayusa responds well to pruning, especially coppicing.

These illustrations are from our Guayusa Best Practices Manual.

Genetic study

• Objective: to determine the genetic diversity of guayusa in Ecuador– Collect samples around Ecuador– Samples analyzed at the lab at San Francisco University

in Quito

• Results: Guayusa has a low genetic diversity compared to other Ilex– Two main groups exist – North and South

• Given the shallow gene pool, it is better to plant guayusa in mixed systems and at distances of 4m to protect the crop from plagues that might damage it.

Species mixturesThe agroforestry investigative plot has shown that compared to the monoculture plots, soil nutrient content is retained better and therefore expensive organic fertilizers do not need to be used as frequently by farmers.

• Diversified income– Grown in agroforestry systems, guayusa provides an additional income to

farmers and allow them to diversity into another cash crop while maintaining their current cash and subsistence crops.

• Fair Trade Certification– Certification guarantees a minimum price for guayusa, allows for dialogue

among stakeholders, and includes payment of the Social Premium Fund to be used by cooperatives and farmer groups for community projects.

• Partnerships with guayusa cooperatives and other actors in the value chain– Runa has created the Guayusa Roundtable to facilitate communication

among stakeholders

Fair Trade/Inclusive Model

Next steps for RUNA

Using the guyausa model of create of a value chain, we are working with new products in agroforestry systems including medicinal plants, natural fibers, palm fruits, and rain forest nuts. We hope to continue to find ways to benefit local people and ecosystems through creating value for other products in tropical forests.

Thank you

Swedish International Agricultural Network InitiativeForest, Climate & Livelihood Research Network

Torsten Krause, PhDLund University Centre for Sustainability Studies