The Seed Paths Initiative is a multi-stakeholder group of experts working to scale-up restoration in Brazil using direct seeding techniques (locally known as “muvuca”). This approach is more cost-effective than planting seedlings, currently the most commonly used restoration method in Brazil. The Initiative has a broad network of specialists at its helm – from technical assistance providers to scholars specialised in forest restoration – who have been improving the methodology and creating a body of knowledge and technical support for applying the technique in different conditions.
Between 2019 and 2020, the Seed Paths Initiative helped development 38 direct seeding restoration pilots in diverse environments such as the Amazon, Cerrado and Atlantic Rainforest biomes. With support from Partnerships for Forests, the Initiative has assisted two pilot projects to implement the technique in the Amazon biome: (1) as part of the work being done by Pecsa – an innovative cattle ranching business that supports sustainable cattle production, and; (2) The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Cocoa Agroforestry Restoration project, that improves smallholders’ cultivation of cocoa.
