Overall Aims & Objectives
To raise the profile of Brazil nuts as a product that can promote sustainable livelihoods and help to converse the Amazon rainforest. In doing so consumer purchasing of Brazil nuts shall be stimulated and a reasonable value will be added to the forest product, thus maintaining Brazil nut extraction as an attractive land use that benefits the local communities and the local and global environment.
Freeworld plan to produce an educational pack that targets teenagers of secondary school age initially in Scotland. Teachers will be provided with a user friendly education pack that will include introduction videos to stimulate thoughts and interest, work activities and discussion group ideas.
This audience has been chosen as we believe it is an ideal time when pupils will be forming their beliefs and view points on an array of global issues. These pupils will shortly, if not already, be choosing where and how they spend their money.
An overall objective of the project is to instil a sense in the pupils that an individual can make an impact on global issues by choosing how they spend their money.
In effect, by choosing to buy Brazil nuts, the individual is making a statement to support sustainable livelihoods and land use in the Amazon.
The new Scottish Curriculum for Excellence is due to be launched in 2013. This date lends itself to a launch date for the Freeworld Education Project.
PART 1. Deforestation and Global Consumption
Aims
• To provide an introduction to land use conflicts, using deforestation of the northern Bolivian Amazon as the case study.
• To introduce some of the drivers causing deforestation.
• To make pupils aware of global consumption trends and the impact that this can have on important environments.
• To make pupils aware of population migration and subsistence farming.
• To prompt discussion on the effects that deforestation can have.
Introduction – video details
This short video of around 10-15 minutes, is primarily to engage pupils and stimulate interest in the topic. Footage of the forest and it’s biodiversity will be shown along with images of deforestation, cattle ranching, logging, soya plantations, mining, slash and burn subsistence farming fires. There may also be interviews with “experts†or local people on arising issues such as rates of deforestation, land use change, CO2 loss attributed to forest loss.
Lesson Plan
Teachers can select which exercises and activities they wish to use with the class or year group. An emphasis has been put on interdisciplinary working as per the new Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. We aim to provide the teachers with a range of topics on curriculum areas such as environmental science, business and modern studies, home economics, social studies, mathematics for example.
Examples of group exercises that may be used in this section are:
1. Class discussion groups on different issues e.g. CO2 loss, biodiversity loss, cultural loss, and what “value†do we lose from these on a local and global scale? For example undiscovered medicines for pharmaceuticals or sources of food for local markets.
2. Cards showing generic products that can be produced using “negative†ingredients like palm oil, soya and beef for example. Groups of pupils will then learn more about these products and the impacts their production can have.
3. The teacher and class can discuss, ideas of what measures can be taken to mitigate these negative effects.
4. An exercise discussing population migration and the issues that can arise from this in the Northern Bolivian environments.
This will naturally follow onto the second part of the Education Pack
PART 2. The Solution – Brazil nuts as a model for sustainable livelihoods & food
Aims
• Introduce pupils to the complexity of the Amazon environment, using Brazil nut tree as an example.
• To make pupils aware of Brazil nuts as a global food commodity.
• To provide an understanding of local and international economics and the idea that a “value†can be attributed to a resource.
• Prompt discussion on concept of “sustainabilityâ€
Introduction – video details
This short video of around 10-15 minutes will include footage of Brazil nut trees, the collectors at work and forest camp life. Images of Riberalta and interview/narration about the communities/families whose lives revolve around the industry. Interviews with collectors, land owners, and shippers about the choices they make by choosing Brazil nuts as a land use and the pressure that they feel regarding this land use choice. We can also have interviews with scientist about the life-cycle of the Brazil nut tree. With final shots showing the Brazil nuts being eaten in a UK household.
Lesson Plan
Teachers can select which exercises and activities they wish to use with the class or year group. An emphasis has been put on interdisciplinary working as per the new Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. We aim to provide the teachers with a range of topics on curriculum areas such as environmental science, business and modern studies, home economics, social studies, mathematics.
Examples of group exercises that may be used are:
1. Pupils are to design a poster or product packaging for marketing purposes that trumpets the sustainability message to the consumer. The group will present this to the class. The pupils can submit their ideas to Freeworld Trading, where the designs will be entered into a national competition.
2. Groups can design new recipes using Brazil nuts and plan how to launch the product in conjunction with an event. This can be linked into exercise 1.
3. Pupils are given data sets on Brazil nut yields and climate or agouti populations and collector activity. The data sets will be used for analysis by pupils to demonstrate trends in environmental science.
4. Groups will be given a time frame and budget and will be tasked with undertaking a Brazil nut collection expedition. They will be asked to present their plan with reasoning behind their decisions.
5. Groups are given “character cards†that show generic individuals involved in the Brazil nut industry. The cards tell stories on this person’s connection to the industry and how they are effected by loss of the forest and price of Brazil nuts. People discuss these issues with each other within groups.