The Articulação Pacari (Pacari Network) brings together 47 traditional pharmacies and community-based organizations to cultivate medicinal plants, preserve traditional ecological knowledge and health traditions, and protect biodiversity in the Cerrado (savannah) biome. In the absence of any comprehensive legislation that legally recognizes traditional health practices, the network has mobilized medicinal plant producers and local health practitioners to create self-regulating policies. Standards have been put in place on the amount of plant used in the preparation of traditional medicines, safety and sanitary conditions for plant processing, and sustainable harvesting techniques.

The network has developed a unique system of documenting traditional knowledge called the "Popular Pharmacopoeia of the Cerrado," which has involved the participation of more than 260 traditional health providers. Network communities produce an average of 40 types of traditional medicine from over 60 priority species native to the Cerrado. The health benefits from the initiative extend to more than 3,000 beneficiaries per month. Medicinal plant cultivation and the operation of small pharmacies provide jobs and new sources of income.

Key Facts 

Equator Prize Winner: 2012

Founded: 1999

Location: Minas Gerais, Goiás, Tocantins and Maranhão

Beneficiaries: 47 community-based organizations

Biodiversity: The Cerrado biome

Case Study

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