Centro de Formação dos Povos da Floresta

In June 1994, the Acre Pro-Indigenous Commission (CPI Acre) acquired a rural area of ​​26 hectares 12 kilometers from the center of Rio Branco with the purpose of hosting the training courses offered by the institution, which until then had been held at the Cultural Foundation and at the Agricultural College, locations provided by the Government of Acre. In 2002, the acquired area was expanded with the acquisition of another 5 hectares, totaling 31 hectares. From the beginning, the idea was to offer a more pleasant place for the Indigenous people who participated in the courses, close to the village environment, which would value the forest materials and the Indigenous aesthetic. The acquisition of this area also made it possible for participants in the courses for training teachers, health agents and agroforestry agents to have practical classes related to the implementation of agroforestry systems, among other experimental demonstration systems related to the use of agroforestry techniques and environmental management practices.

The CFPF is largely made up of forests. Throughout this process, the indigenous people taking part in the courses have been experiencing, in practice, how it is possible to reforest a degraded area and make it productive. In conjunction with the agroforestry systems, demonstration units have also been set up for the raising of domestic and wild animals that are appreciated in indigenous cuisine, such as turtles (turtles and tracajá), native fish, stingless bees and various domestic birds (turkeys, geese, chickens, quails and ducks). The objective of these farms is to offer alternatives for the production of animal protein without the need for deforestation.

https://cpiacre.org.br/centro-de-formacao-dos-povos-da-floresta/

The main purpose of implementing demonstration systems at CFPF is to replicate them in the villages. Therefore, there is concern that these systems actually work on indigenous lands without major technical difficulties and with small inputs of resources. For example, the fish raised at CFPF do not feed on feed but on fruit that falls from the trees planted around the reservoir and from the production of agroforestry systems (safs). This is an example of an experiment that was successful and that, throughout all stages of the process, had the participation of indigenous students who, at the end, were able to verify the results. Likewise, traditional indigenous environmental management practices are tested. Some examples are indigenous agricultural practices, their techniques for controlling leafcutter ants, or the Manchineri technique for managing straw for roofing houses without cutting down palm trees. These techniques/practices are knowledge incorporated into the curricular content of the training of agroforestry agents covered during the courses.