Manaus is like an “island” in the middle of the rainforest.
The two million inhabitants’ daily life relies on the goods transported by boat from the port of Belem, 1,600 kilometers east on the Amazon River. But local agriculture and production can offer good and cheaper food. Moreover this local production contributes to the reduction of energy consumption and the environmental impact, mostly due to the long distance and transportation. And If organic farming becomes more common, it would result in saving the cost of fertilizers, transported from afar.
Since 1967, the economy of Manaus has been based on its Zona Franca, where industrial production receives strong tax reliefs. With the crisis due to Chinese investments and competition, agriculture is becoming one of the sectors with the greatest potential for development. Economic and environmental benefits are aligned in agriculture.
Farming in the Amazon is still a challenge. The fertile upper soil is thin and needs specific techniques that our School curriculum passes on to the students (check here and here for reports by TV Globo on the experimentation of organic culture).
In the absence of local employment opportunities, most of the youth in the rural area see the city as the only way to improve their living conditions. This results in the continuation of strong internal immigration which expands favelas and increases marginalization and insecurity.
By offering a professional and economic perspective to the youth, our school contributes to more human and socially conscious development.
