In the municipality of Novo Progresso, Cuiabá, home to the headquarters of the Kabu Institute, a community organization run by a Kayapó group (self-identifying as the Mebengôkré of the Mekrãgnoti people), sustainable development is implemented through its diverse activities. Around 300 families manufacture more than 60 artisanal products, which are shipped throughout much of Brazil and also exported to France and the United States.
With a view to sustainable economic development, the Kayapó people's work generated more than R$1,400,000 in 2019 alone, according to Cleber Araújo, coordinator of the Kabu Institute. "If there's a sustainable income to meet their basic needs, there's less risk of predatory activities expanding. This also shows that a standing forest is worth much more than a felled one," says Cleber.
Photo: Sergio Matos
