Hundreds of domesticated and wild fruits grow in the Amazon. The acai palm forms an important part of life in Brazil. Nutritious fruits are the centerpiece for the local diet as local residents depend on acai for adding essential vitamins, protein, and oils to their diets.   An expert on the Amazon native people and plants calls the antioxidant rich acai palm berry grown in the Amazon basin, the “Cinderella fruit“.  This hard working power fruit has been largely ignored except by those well known to it in the area. Now that the word is out about the goodness of acai berries, the world cannot get enough!    The acai palm is immersed in life in the rainforest. Brazilian river dwellers support their families by ferrying the acai berries to market. The berries have become a global superstar and are now a multimillion-dollar export. The berry is found in juices, smoothies, and energy bars that are shipped all over the world. 

While conservationists fear consumer demand for this super-berry could hurt Amazon forests, others note planting acai palm along the river protects against harmful slash-and-burn farming. Now a large part of the rainforest is certified as meeting Forest Stewardship Council standards, a complex set of social and environmental and social conditions.   All the hard work can go up in flames in an instant. The acai palm needs protection in turn from the people of Brazil for all it provides. Not only do the natives rely on it for food but as a way to make a living. The young people of the rainforest have to be taught respect for the environment. They need to understand the importance of protecting the land for the generations to come.    It is hard labor harvesting the acai palm in the humid jungle, and not without its dangers. A vast majority of people who regularly spent time in the forest contract an insect-borne infection from sand flies, which can take heavy doses of drugs and years to cure.    

Brazil is the home of Chico Mendes, the inspirational activist whose murder in 1988 lit a fire for forest awareness. Mendes developed the concept of a community-owned forest where people extract what they need to survive, collecting enough berries and nuts to eat and sell for a profit.   The Brazilian government plans to combine the insights of socially minded individuals such as Mendes with modern business ingenuity. The idea is to generate wealth for the region from forest products by processing them locally; exporting cartons of juice made from the delectable acai palm rather than the berries themselves.   The federal government runs a program, which rewards small landowners for tree planting.  This will be a model for other Amazon states, the first time any Brazilian state has implemented a reforestation public policy. In the past, deforestation went unabated with powerful soya barons holding onto the political reins. There are many ongoing research projects into the benefits of the acai palm.  The outlook is good for this incredibly special part of the planet, and the sweet acai berries it brings for the rest of us to enjoy.