SEMEAR Castanha launches app to support Brazil nut management

The Castanhadora app can be a valuable tool for Brazil nut gatherers, locally known as castanheiros. It enables them to keep track of their costs during production and calculate the selling price in the harvest season. In addition, the app can help cooperatives and individuals manage their production.

 This tool was developed by SEMEAR Castanha – a network that brings together knowledge and experiences on Brazil nuts from different actors involved in its value chain, such as indigenous peoples, riverine communities, cooperative managers and civil servants from the states of Amazonas and Rondônia. The group is formed by people that attended Formar Castanha, a training program delivered by the IEB in 2017 and 2018 with a focus on continued training in sustainable value chains.

“The idea of an app came up during discussions about production costs, and what would be practical for producers to use,” explained Sávio Gomes, from Pacto das Águas, one of the developers of the tool. “It will meet the castanheiros’ needs because gathering is a family or individual process, and the tool will help them calculate their costs”.

Mika, a Brazil nut gatherer from the Ituxi Extractive Reserve in the Amazon, agrees: “First, it will help our planning. Castanheiros will be aware of what they spend, their earnings, and the funding opportunities available to them. This tool will be very useful, and we on the ground are looking forward to using it.” 

The developers explained that the application was designed to work in the Amazon, where internet connection is unstable or non-existent in some places. The tool is lightweight, can be downloaded quickly on compatible phones, and also works offline.

The app is available for free on Google Play. Access and download it here.