Harvesting in the Amazon Rainforest
Brazil nuts are harvested by castanheiros or Brazil nut collectors who walk along the forest floor with large baskets strapped to their backs. These collectors maintain customary rights to resources in these areas. The castanheiros travel by foot and boat to remote areas of the forest each year to forage for the nuts, only entering after the pods have dropped from the trees. Once harvested, they carry their loads to collection points often along the banks of the Amazon or one of its tributaries. The nuts are then transported on river barges down the Amazon to a local processing facility, where they are shelled, sorted, dried and cleaned by hand. During the harvest season, mostly female workers are employed in the processing facility, providing a much needed additional income to the communities in the area.
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