My excursion to São Francisco do Pará and Igarapé-Açu proved to be both remarkably interesting and beautiful. We spent the first two days studying forest processes, slash and burn agricultural practices, and forest succession. Our last day, we met several farmers and organizations that use alternative farming practices to enhance crop production by using crop and drop agricultural practices rather than slash and burn.
These farms were amazing to visit; they maintained the soil health by increasing the diversity of the species rather than burning an area of land and creating monocropped fields. This is a relatively new way of thinking for many of these farmers, but in the long run you are using the natural functions of plants to reduce pests, increase nutrients in the soil, and increase crop yields. This means that no fertilizers and pesticides are necessary; instead, they allow plants to do their job. The system is by no means perfect yet. One of the farmers we met with does not seem to have a proper irrigation system in place, and I can only assume the cost of energy to bring water to his fields must be rather high. However, it's amazing to see such a beneficial movement towards sustainable and economically beneficial farming practices here in Pará.

 One of the several diversified farms we were able to visit

  

While visiting one of the farms, we were able to see people making farinha, a hard flour concoction that Brazilians eat with everything, especially rice

 

Jeff, Molly, and Amy in the back of Gustavo's truck on our way to learn about the impacts of fire on tree regrowth

Delphi made a new friend on the farm! This is Bambi, the friendliest horse I have ever met.

São Francisco do Pará and Other Musings

Tomorrow morning, I will be leaving for São Francisco do Pará, a beautiful village in the South of Pará. Here, I believe I will be learning about tropical forest succession and local conservation issues, though I am not quite sure of specifics. We will be there for three days, after which I return to Belem for the weekend before going on my first long excursion! On April 19th, I will fly to Manaus with everyone on my program and we will live on a boat together for 17 days as we travel from Manaus to Santarem. I am remarkably excited to see a large portion of the Amazon River and learn as much as I can about environmental issues that are affecting the river and those who live on it.
I am still trying to decide what I want to study in my last month here for my Independent Study Project (ISP), though I am leaning towards studying the effects of the Belo Monte Dam on indigenous fishing cultures, migratory fish patterns, and perhaps water quality. However, I am also very interested in studying agrarian land use change due to biofuel production here in Brazil, as most of their energy is derived from ethanol. It would be interesting to better understand the pros and cons of biofuel production, the ways in which they create ethanol from sugar cane, the impacts on food production, indigenous rights and biofuel production, and the like. I'm sure as I visit more places and learn about more environmental issues, my list will grow, so I am trying to stay focused so that I can create a useful and practical final project.

Tchau for a few days!

I've always known that no two people experience time in the same way, but I never quite grasped how differently Brazilians and Americans experience the world until I came to Belem. Brazilians live their lives on p-time, or polychromatic time, meaning that they are used to doing multiple tasks at once and do not compartmentalize their activities into time slots like we do in the United States (monochromatic time). Here, I hardly ever look at a clock to know the time because time here is not the same. Brazilians are often late to meetings or events and it's not considered rude or out of character. Instead, time is flexible and changes in schedule is simply a natural part of the day. As an American, I find this way of life freeing. Days seem much longer and much fuller here, whereas in the United States it's easy to get so caught up in a schedule that one forgets to live in the moment. The focus shifts from work and routine to life and interactions, something that I think I personally am benefiting from the most here. This is not to say that Brazilians are not hard working; on the contrary, many of the Brazilians I've met here work very hard to earn a living and create a comfortable life for them and their families. However, they are also more able to relax and enjoy each moment rather than be constantly concerned for what the future has to bring.

Well I have been living in Brazil now for just over a week, and what a week it has been. For the most part, I've been living in a hotel with 20 other amazing men and women who, like me, are interested in resource management and ready for an adventure. Everyone on my program is incredible, from the other students to our professors.
Our first excursion in Para included a trip to the mangrove forests. There, we climbed on the branches of the mangrove trees and learned how the locals catch crabs and the contention between conservation groups that want to conserve the area and locals who have been catching crabs there for centuries. It's interesting to really consider what you are trying to conserve, whether it be a lifestyle, species, or resource. We then hiked two miles to a fisherman's home and he and his family cooked us fish that he had caught that morning. It was incredible to be able to talk with him about his livelihood and the sustainable ways in which he lives. Interestingly enough, many of the fishermen that live on the beach technically aren't supposed to build houses there, but when they hear that the government is going to conduct a raid, they simply pack up for a few days and come home after the raid is over.

I now am living with my host family in Belem, and I could not have gotten luckier in this respect. My host father, Ruy, speaks english as does his daught, Thais. The younger daughter, Ellen, is 10 and she is learning English as well and the mother, Raquel, knows no english at all. I am doing my best to be able to speak in Portuguese, but it is so different from what I am used to and I haven't been here for very long at all. The culture is so beautiful; the family is very close and we always keep our doors open. For the most part, I am in a very safe and beautiful city and I could not be happier with the fact that I am able to live here in Brazil.

Tenho que ir agora...Tchau!