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Cultivating guayusa has a positive impact, not only for the economic resilience of indigenous people in the Amazon, but also to reinforce environmental and social values
The Amazon Napo province of Ecuador is the world’s largest producer and exporter of guayusa. It is offered in most restaurants and cafes, and it is heralded as an emblematic product of the region.
Considered to be a domesticated plant, its reproduction is only known to occur through human propagation from hardwood stem cuttings. However the cultivation of guayusa plants has geographically contracted in modern times, now predominantly occurring in Ecuador.
Guayusa leaves are principally produced from traditional agroforestry systems and are traditionally consumed by indigenous Amazon people. This means that establishing its safe use and expanding its consumption internationally, may have significant positive impact, not only for the economic resilience of indigenous people in the Amazon, but also to reinforce environmental and social values that traditional agroforestry systems, support.
