Many of the products we find today in the market, from food items to cosmetics, use palm oil, also known as dendê oil, in their formula. According to data from the European Palm Oil Alliance, global consumption of this input grew from 14.6 million tons in 1995 to 61.1 million tons in 2015. The oil has become the most used in the world, with China, India, Indonesia, and the European Union at the top of global consumers.
To meet this demand, a lot of dendê needs to be planted. Today, two countries are responsible for almost all global palm oil production: Indonesia, producing 33.5 million tons annually, and Malaysia, with an annual production of 19.9 million tons.
It is an expensive expansion. The standard model for supplying industries is monoculture, which means using vast stretches of land to plant a single species of plant. This production system includes the intensive use of synthetic fertilizers and herbicides, which generates various environmental and social impacts.
In Indonesia and Malaysia, millions of hectares of native tropical forest have succumbed to monoculture plantations intended for palm oil (or dendê) production, resulting in a drastic loss of biodiversity, as well as increased carbon dioxide emissions, a key player in the intensification of the greenhouse effect.
Aware of this problem and driven by a constant search to establish more sustainable practices in its supply chain, Natura began to do things differently and started, in 2008, a project to study dendê in agroforestry systems. In partnership with the Mixed Agricultural Cooperative of Tomé-Açu (CAMTA) and Embrapa, field studies were initiated to create the Dendê Agroforestry System, a new model for sustainable production of this product that associates the cultivation of the commodity with other agricultural and forestry species, in addition to adopting agroecological practices in management.
"We encourage research with sustainable production systems that generate quality plant raw materials, promote the conservation of natural resources, and improve the quality of life for farmers,” says Débora Castellani, the project manager and phytotechnologist. “Palm, or dendê, is one of the main ingredients in the cosmetics industry, and that’s why we decided to invest in agroforestry production that would bring greater socio-environmental benefits to the production chain." The Agroforestry System (SAF) was chosen for promoting agricultural diversification in the same area, reducing the risks of pests and diseases, as well as generating many environmental services. These benefits are similar to those found in forests, such as soil protection and the conservation of water and biodiversity. “The bet was not just financial, but on sustainable innovation,” says Débora.
The SAF, a globally recognized cultivation system, seeks to mimic the structure and biological processes of a native forest environment. The presence of trees is the main element that ensures a series of benefits. Plants such as cacao, açaí, ingá, jatobá, and ipê, for example, were planted alongside dendê.
Despite the belief that dendê could not be cultivated alongside other plants, under the threat that it would not grow well or produce, Natura moved forward. With partnerships established with CAMTA, Embrapa, and Finep, 18 hectares of demonstration units were implemented. Two systems were created: the SAF Dendê Adubadeiras, with dendê and other fertilizing species; and the SAF Dendê Biodiverso, composed of dendê alongside fruit-bearing plants, timber, and fertilizing species. The latter showed the most positive results. And the results were undeniably positive: even though the number of dendê plants per hectare is lower in the agroforestry system, the palms proved to be healthier and more productive, compensating for the numerical disadvantage. Additionally, the other plants around the dendê also had their productivity increased, which caught the attention of farmers and researchers.
Currently, the research conducted and the system developed for the production of "climate-friendly" dendê have already attracted the interest of large international organizations that are concerned about the negative impacts caused by monoculture in tropical regions and believe in the socio-environmental and economic benefits of the SAF Dendê.
Through a partnership with the American International Development Fund (USAID) and ICRAF (International Center for Research in Agroforestry), the SAF Dendê expanded in 2018, and 11 more new demonstration units were implemented in Tomé-Açu (PA). Embrapa also reports that soil fertility in the SAF Dendê is increasing and that this system can contribute to carbon sequestration, and that agroecological management is essential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the dendê production chain.
At Natura, the prosperity of the project certifies that the SAF Dendê is the right path for sustainable innovation, and that dendê oil can contribute to this journey.
