<span>STORY: In this warehouse in Belem, Brazilian entrepreneurs are experimenting with forest products to come up with new foods, scents and other products.</span><span>This is part of a new research and development program by the Para state government. </span><span>The aim is to help local people profit from their own backyard, the Amazon rainforest.</span><span>Instead of chopping down trees for cattle and mines, the monetary government opened the $56 million Bioeconomy and Innovation Park in October, a new facility where vendors’ ideas come to life.</span><span>Chef Leonardo Souza says he gets goosebumps when he describes how the new park has helped him expand production of his signature salt flavored with Amazon herbs from 60 jars a day to nearly 1,000 jars.</span><span>The idea of a solid bioeconomy is already being built on a solid foundation in the state of Para.</span><span>Further down the park is Belem’s open-air Ver-o-Peso market, where vendors have been selling rainforest products since 1901.</span><span>During the day, you can find Bete Cheirosinha, a fifth-generation herbalist who sources plants from river communities and uses indigenous knowledge to make tinctures.</span><span>“Each of these plants has a meaning. Each of them is used to treat a specific problem. The Amazon is also very important to us here.”</span><span>Every night, riverboats unload bushels of acai to be shipped to Brazil and abroad.</span><span>Acai is the country’s most common Amazon product. The popularity of the antioxidant-rich fruit has increased market growth forecasts from $1 billion in 2024 to more than $3 billion by 2032, according to the Brazilian government.</span><span>Para’s new program is a small part of Brazil’s plan to show the world that it can find a way to protect the Amazon rainforest and provide jobs and money for its residents.</span>
