The Associação Rede de Sementes do Xingu (ARSX) brings together women from 25 Indigenous, agricultural and urban communities in Brazil’s Xingu and Cerrado regions to promote the collection of over 220 native seed species for large-scale ecological reforestation. Community members collect, sell, and distribute mixed batches of seeds called “muvuca” thus safeguarding community livelihoods and traditional knowledge to restore local value chains and recover over 7.4 thousand hectares of degraded forest.

The seed hubs partner with local research institutions to exchange and blend local and technical knowledge, practices, and research to combat industrial agriculture and mass deforestation seed by seed. The association is a nexus for the restoration of the Amazon and Cerrado in Brazil due to its innovative approach and the adaptability of the sowing process. Various Indigenous and local communities across the Amazon and Cerrado region are replicating ARSX’s muvuca method which demonstrates the association’s wide-scale impact.