Brazil: Guaraná farmers gain access to better sanitation
Guaraná extract is renowned for its high caffeine content, making it a popular ingredient in energy drinks, dietary supplements, and weight loss products. Last year we extended our support to the guaraná-producing communities of South Bahia, in a sanitation project that addresses longstanding sanitation concerns.
The remoteness of the producers' villages and their limited resources had resulted in vulnerable living conditions with limited basic sanitation infrastructure, where most villagers relied on unsafe water, often taken directly from local rivers. In place since 2022, the project looks to improve hygiene and sanitation by installing ecological treatment systems and raising awareness on proper practices.
In 2024, together with our local partner organisation, we successfully constructed two additional Ecological Rural Sanitation Systems, aiming to provide better water treatment. The project also introduced “banana circles”, a sustainable gardening technique to treat greywater in residential houses. Bananas are used because they are heavy feeders, requiring a lot of nutrients and water, making them ideal for this aspect of the project.
Training in the local communities also promotes socio-environmental education on sanitation, hygiene and overall health. To date, the initiative has benefitted over 1,000 villagers in nine guaraná-producing villages.
“The challenge and daily difficulty of motivating rural and manual workers to study at night was substantial, but after reading the first sentences in messages from farmers, even with errors, we knew that the literacy course was the start of a significant change in their life.”
Erika, Floravida Institute Programme Coordinator
