Latest News & Articles
Sacred Plant, Protected Forest: How Paraguay's Ava Guarani Community Is Safeguarding 400 Hectares of Native Forest Through Ancestral Yerba Mate Cultivation
In Capiibary, San Pedro department, the Ava Guarani community of Ka'aty Miri San Francisco protects 400 hectares of native forest while cultivating yerba mate using ancestral techniques — supported by the FAO-backed PROEZA project funded by the Green Climate Fund, with the first harvest from seedlings planted in May 2022 expected in 2026.
Brazil's Shade-Grown Yerba Mate in the Araucaria Forest Receives FAO Recognition as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has formally designated Brazil's traditional shade-grown yerba mate cultivation system in Paraná's Araucaria Forest as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System — a recognition that validates the ecological and cultural value of cultivating yerba mate beneath the canopy of native forest.
Literally Made of Dirt: Basura and Yerba Madre Create Sneakers That Crumble into Wildflowers
New York design studio Basura has collaborated with Yerba Madre to create the 'Dirt Shoes' — sneakers handcrafted from compacted soil, organic fibers, and Acacia gum with wildflower seeds embedded in the soles, designed to disintegrate after minutes of wear and plant flowers where they crumble.
'More Forest with Araucaria': A Brazilian Restoration Project Plants Yerba Mate to Rebuild 292 Hectares of Degraded Atlantic Forest
In Santa Catarina, Brazil, the 'Mais Floresta com Araucária' project is restoring nearly 300 hectares of degraded Atlantic Forest using agroforestry systems that combine yerba mate with native Araucaria trees — proving that productive agriculture and ecological restoration can share the same hectare.
Growing Back the Forest with Mate: How Solidaridad's Brazilian Program Uses Yerba Mate Agroforestry to Reconnect Fragmented Atlantic Forest
Since 2019, the international development organization Solidaridad has been working with family farmers in southern Brazil to reforest degraded land and reconnect isolated fragments of the Atlantic Forest — using yerba mate as the economic engine that makes ecological restoration financially viable.
Organic Yerba Mate Farming Delivers Triple the Return on Investment of Conventional Methods, Nature Study Finds
A peer-reviewed financial analysis published in Scientific Reports demonstrates that organic yerba mate cultivation in Brazil's Paraná State achieves a 12.03% ROI compared to 3.99% for traditional methods, with significantly lower financial risk over a 15-year horizon.
Paraguay's Oñoirũ Association: 134 Families Proving That Organic Yerba Mate Can Compete on a Global Stage
In eastern Paraguay, a cooperative of 134 smallholder families has built an organic yerba mate operation from the ground up — navigating certification costs, middleman economics, and the legacy of large-scale soy monoculture to reach international markets.
Brazil's Shade-Grown Erva-Mate System Earns FAO's Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Designation
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has recognized Brazil's traditional shade-grown erva-mate agroforestry system in Paraná's Araucaria Forest as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System, marking only the second Brazilian system to receive the distinction.