WHAT ARE AGROFORESTATION SYSTEMS (AFS)?
SAFs or just agroforests, in simplified terms, are systems that combine annual plant species (such as beans, squash, corn, cassava, vegetables, for example) with perennial plant species, native or exotic shrubs and trees (fruit trees of any kind or trees for shade or wood), with the aim of reconciling agricultural production with environmental conservation.
SAFs can be combined with agroecological management, a process that gradually redesigns the agroecosystem, starting with reducing the use and consumption of scarce, expensive or environmentally damaging inputs, and then replacing conventional inputs and practices with alternative products and practices that have a low environmental impact and are ecologically correct.
Benefits of Agroforestry!
Get to know the trees and fruit grown or potentially grown at Sítio do Bello!
Araçá Amarelo
Scientific Name: Psidium cattleyanum Sabine.
Family: Myrtaceae (Myrtaceae).
Common names: Araçaí, araçá do campo, araçá mirim; araçá do Brasil; goiaba rasteira; goiabinha.
Origin: Central and South America; found in the country's main ecosystems: the Amazon Rainforest, the Cerrado and the Atlantic Rainforest.
From the same family as the guava, but with a more acidic flavor, it is used in the form of juices, sorbets, jellies and sweets, such as araçazada, a sweet similar to guava. It also produces good quality honey. It is a fruit rich in vitamin C, with higher levels than guava and citrus fruits.
In folk medicine, the roots are used as a diuretic and antidiarrheal. The young leaves are astringent and used in tea form as an antidiarrheal. The fruits are harvested between spring and summer and are predominantly obtained by extraction in native forest areas by the local population.
Since 1999, Sítio do Bello has started small-scale commercial cultivation of araçá, the first significant harvests of which took place in 2004/2005.
Image: Benjamin Becker| source text: Carlos
Araçá Boi
Scientific Name: Eugenia stipitata
Family: Myrtaceae (Myrtaceae).
Common names: Araçá mango, yogurt plant, yogurt tree, Amazonian guava, ubá caxi, araçá açu.
Origin: Amazon region.
From the guava and jaboticaba family, it is a shrubby fruit tree about three meters high, native to the Western Amazon, usually grown in Brazil, Peru and Bolivia.
The plant is a shrub about three meters high, with branches from the ground. Its fruit is yellowish when ripe, contains an average of 11 seeds and weighs up to 450 grams.
It grows well in low-fertility soils with a pH of around 4.0 to 4.5 and in regions with an average annual rainfall of 1,700 mm to 3,150 mm and an average temperature of around 25 ºC.
The pulp of the fruit is soft and juicy, with a pleasant smell and acidic taste, and can be used for soft drinks, ice cream, custard and others.
Image: Benjamin Becker | Source text: INPA
Cabeludinha
Scientific Name: Myrciaria glazioviana (Kiaersk.) G.M.Barroso ex Sobral
Family: Myrtaceae
Common Names: Guapirijuba, Jabuticaba-Amarela, Peludinha, Vassourinha Da Praia.
Origin: Native to the coastal mountains and restingas found in the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and part of the state of Minas Gerais.
Cabeludinha is an evergreen shrub 2 to 4 m high with a leafy, compact crown. Its leaves are green, leathery, elongated, 6 to 11 cm long, formed two by two and opposite on the branches, with the main vein protruding on the underside and the margins of the limb curving downwards.
Native tree species such as the CABELUDINHA are very suitable for reforestation, environmental preservation, urban afforestation, landscaping or domestic planting. Reforestation, for example, involves planting forests in areas that have already been degraded, whether by time, man or nature.
Image: Benjamin Becker | Source text: SiBBr and IBF
Cajá Mirim
Scientific Name: Spondias mombin
Family: Anacardiaceae
Common names: cajá, cajazeira, cajá-cajazeiro, taberibá, cajarana, cajá-da-mata.
Origin: Naturally occurring in Roraima and the state of Rio de Janeiro, but can be found in several Brazilian states and in other countries such as Mexico, Honduras, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela.
The cajá-da-mata grows moderately. The trees of this species are used as hedges, shade trees and to feed cattle.
The yellow fruits are used to make wines, ice cream, soft drinks, juices, liqueurs, sweets, jellies and jams, but their greatest value is as a soft drink, with its excellent flavor.
as a soft drink with an excellent flavor. As a result, this species is widely cultivated in the north and northeast of the country. At the end of its roots, a tuber is grown which, in the past, during the great droughts in Ceará, was harvested to make flour.
Image: Benjamin Becker | Source text: Embrapa
Cajamanga
Scientific Name: Spondias cytherea Sonn
Family: Anarcadiaceae
Common names: CAJÁ-MANGA, CAJARANA.
Origin: Tahiti
A tropical cosmopolitan plant that has been around since colonial times, it grows 10 to 15 m high.
With a firm, bittersweet and yellow pulp, the fruit is used to make marmalade, preserves, ice cream and soft drinks. Fermented with orange, it produces an alcoholic drink popular in Tahiti. It is also eaten fresh.
The fruit begins to be picked between the end of February and the beginning of March and the harvest lasts until July in our region.
Image: Benjamin Becker | Source text: CATI
Cambucá
Scientific Name: Plinia edulis (Vell.) Sobral
Family: Myrtaceae
Common Names: Popularly known as Cambucá or cambucazeiro.
Origin: Native to the Atlantic Rainforest, it occurs from the state of Rio de Janeiro to Rio Grande do Sul.
The fruits of the cambucá, similar to those of the jabuticaba, are large, orange, fleshy and sweet, eaten mainly fresh. They are highly prized and, for this reason, the species is widely cultivated in domestic orchards.
Flowering begins in October and lasts until December; the fruit is harvested between December and January.
Image: Benjamin Becker|Source textFonte: CNCFlora
Cambuci
Scientific Name: Campomanesia phaea (O.Berg) Landrum
Family: Myrtaceae (Myrtaceae)
Common names: Cambucizeiro, Ubucambuci, Camuci, Camoti and Camocim.
Origin: Species endemic to Brazil's Paulista Plateau, with a reported occurrence in the Serra dos Órgãos, in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
The fruit of this species, which has a flattened shape reminiscent of a flying saucer, is green, even when ripe, with a fleshy, juicy and acid pulp. They are used to make juice, ice cream, liqueur, alcoholic and non-alcoholic fermented products, jam, cake flour and syrup. Research has found high levels of vitamin C and antioxidant compounds in the fruit.
It is also used to prepare savory dishes and sauces, and the essential oil found in the leaves is highly valued by the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.
In the Paraibuna region (SP), the harvest begins in March and can last until May. In some parts of the municipality, there is a “off-season” in November.
Image: Benjamin Becker | Source text: CNCFlora
Cereja do Rio Grande
Scientific Name: Eugenia involucrata DC.
Family: Myrtaceae
Common names throughout Brazil: bush cherry, black pitanga-, bush cherry, big river cherry and earth cherry.
Origin: Native to the Atlantic Rainforest, it occurs from the state of Minas Gerais to Rio Grande do Sul.
The fruits of this species are small and dark violet in color. Their fleshy flesh is juicy and sweet. As well as being eaten fresh, they are used to make juices, jams, jellies and liqueurs.
The species is widely cultivated in domestic orchards in southern Brazil.
Harvesting takes place from October to December.
Image: Benjamin Becker | Source text: Embrapa
Feijoa | Goiaba Serrana
Scientific Name: Acca sellowiana (Berg.) Burret
Family: Myrtaceae
Common Names: feijoa, goiaba do mato, guayabo verde or guayabo del país.
Origin: It is native to southern Brazil and northeastern Uruguay.
The fruit of this species is oblong in shape, the skin is green and the pulp is light in color, with a characteristic taste and aroma.
They are eaten fresh and in the form of juices, jellies, liqueurs, among others. They also have bactericidal and antioxidant properties, which can be attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds.
They are harvested from January to March.
Image:: Benjamin Becker| Source text: Embrapa
Fruta do Lobo | Loboeira
Scientific Name: Solanum lycocarpum
Family: Solanaceae
Common names: Fruta-do-lobo, lobeira, o, fruteira-de-lobo, jurubebão and jurubeba-lobeira.
Origin: Throughout tropical and subtropical Brazil, predominantly in the Cerrados and Campos of Central Brazil.
The fruits of this species are round with a diameter of between 8 and 13 cm, green in color, even when ripe, with fleshy and sweet pulp, and are used to make jams and jellies.
It is a species that needs further study, but there are reports of its laxative effect when consumed in larger quantities, and its use as a diuretic, tranquilizer, antispasmodic and antiepileptic among the rural populations of the places where the species occurs.
Although the trees produce practically all year round, most of the fruit ripens between September and December.
The species' popular name comes from the fact that its fruits make up 50% of the maned wolf's diet.
Image: Benjamin Becker| Source text: Embrapa
Grumixama
Scientific Name: Eugenia brasiliensis Lam.
Family: Myrtaceae
Common names throughout Brazil: Grumichameira, grumixaba, grumixameira, ibaporoiti, grumixama, cumbixaba, ibaporoti, Brazilian cherry.
Origin: Brazil, it is distributed in the coastal Atlantic Forest from the south of Bahia to Santa Catarina.
The fruits of this species are small, rounded and flattened, resembling those of the cherry tree. When ripe, they have a yellow or dark vinaceous color (depending on the variety) and sweet, fleshy flesh; they are eaten fresh or used to make juices, jams and jellies.
The literature reports astringent, aromatic, diuretic, energizing, revitalizing, anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic medicinal properties.
Harvesting takes place from November to December.
In the Garden: A single individual, with ripe fruit in November.
Image: Benjamin Becker | Source text: UFRJ
Jabuticaba
Scientific name: Plinia cauliflora (DC) Kausel.
There are several species of jaboticaba in the genus Plinia, with P. cauliflora being the most common.
Family: Myrtaceae
Common Names: 'Paulista', 'Açu' or 'Ponhema' jabuticaba and the Myrciaria jabuticaba known as 'Sabará' jabuticaba.
Origin: Native to the Atlantic Rainforest, mainly in the southeast.
The fruits of the different species of jabuticaba, which grow attached to the stems and branches, measure between 2.2 and 2.8 cm. They are dark vinaceous in color (except for Plinia aurea, which has green fruits), fleshy, juicy and sweet. They are eaten fresh and used in the production of juices, wines, liqueurs, jellies and even vinegar.
Studies have found that jabuticaba is rich in iron, a deficiency of which can lead to anemia.
The fruit is harvested from September to October.
Image: Benjamin Becker | Source text: FioCruz
Jenipapo
Scientific Name: Genipa americana L.
Family: Rubiaceae.
Common names throughout Brazil: Jenipapo-da-américa, jenipapo-branco; jenipapo-comum and jenipapo-manso.
Origin: Native to several South American countries and several Brazilian states, including São Paulo.
The fruits of this species are brownish, fleshy and sweet. They can be eaten fresh, but are most appreciated in the form of jams, wines, liqueurs, jam, jelly and candied jam. Green, they are used by industry to extract a blue dye and by the natives of Brazil to obtain the black color for body painting.
The ripe fruit is harvested from November to December.
Image: Benjamin Becker | Source text: Embrapa
Pitanga
Scientific Name: Eugenia uniflora L.
Family: Myrtaceae (Myrtaceae).
Common name: The common name has indigenous origins, from the Tupi pi'tãg, meaning red, alluding to the color of the fruit.
Origin: In Brazil, it occurs naturally from Bahia to Rio Grande do Sul, in almost all forest formations, but it also occurs in northern Argentina.
The fruits of this species are fleshy, yellow, red or dark vinaceous in color (depending on the variety) and have a sweet to slightly acidic taste. They are eaten fresh and used to make juices, ice cream, popsicles, sweets, liqueurs and fermented products.
Harvesting takes place from October to January.
Image: Benjamin Becker | Source text: Embrapa
Sapucaia
Scientific Name: Lecythis pisonis Cambess.
Family: Lecythidaceae
Common Names: Sapucaia, castanha-sapucaia, cumbuca-de-macaco, caçamba-do-mato, marmita-de-macaco.
Origin: Native to Brazil, with a geographical distribution from Ceará to Rio de Janeiro, frequent in the south of Bahia and the north of Espírito Santo. It can also be found in its native state in the Amazon region.
The fruit of this species has a globular shape with a thick and very hard woody wall, which makes it used as an ornament and as a container in rural areas. The seeds or nuts are edible and very tasty. An oil for medicinal use is extracted from them.
Harvesting takes place from August to September.
Image: Benjamin Becker | Source text: UFRJ
Seriguela
Scientific Name: Spondias purpurea L.
Family: Anacardiaceae
Common names: Siriguela, Ciriguela, Ciruela, Ambu, Ambuzeiro, Ameixa-da-espanha, Cajá-vermelho, Ciroela, Imbu, Imbuzeiro, Umbu, Umbuzeiro, Jocote, Ciruela-mexicana.
Origin: This tree has spread widely throughout Tropical America, from Mexico to Brazil.
The fruits of this species, rich in vitamin C, are orange to red in color, fleshy and contain a large seed (stone). They are eaten fresh and used to make juices, ice cream, jellies, liqueurs and also in savory dishes.
Processing the seeds produces a flour that can be used to make sweets.
Harvesting takes place from December to March.
Image: Benjamin Beck | Source text: UENF
Uvaia
Scientific Name: Eugenia pyriformis
Family: Myrtaceae Myrtaceae
Common names throughout Brazil: eucaliptinho, orvalha, pitanga, ubaia, uvaia, uvaieira, azedinha, jaboticaba-do-campo, ovaia, uvaia-do-mato, uvalha-do-campo and uvalheira, cerejeira and uvaieira and uvalha.
Origin: Native to the Atlantic Rainforest, it occurs from São Paulo to Rio Grande do Sul.
The fruits of this species are yellow in color and fleshy, juicy and acidic. They are eaten fresh and used to make juices, liqueurs, ice creams and jellies.
Harvesting takes place from October to December.
Image:Benjamin Becker | Source text: Embrapa
