Sentient Movement

The Indidgenous communities of Tapajos valley (Brazil) are threatened by construction of over 40 large industrial dams capable of destroying the biodiversity and altering the rainfall cycles that sustain the land -- done to support soybean production, while providing jobs to many farmers in poverty. Our solution would benefit the farmers, government, and indigenous communities by reducing land use, soil degradation, water consumption, but still offering job opportunities and promoting a circular economy. Sentient Movement (https://sentientmovement.com) is partnering with the Soya Project (http://soyaproject.org/) to develop a Vertical Farming skeleton framework on the possible implementation in the region. The global implementation of our system can change the lives of so many. It produces high amounts of food while using less land, water, and energy. This could be a solution in areas that do not have the ideal conditions to produce food, especially in places battling soil degradation.

The entire Brazilian population and Biodiversity are faced with the destruction of one of the last free-flowing amazonia rivers. The indigenous communities have been battling the Brazilian government for land demarcation in the Tapajos Valley while also fighting illegal gold mining and dam construction. And there are over 500 rare species inhibiting the valley; the creation of the dams would destroy all life that sustains the region. 

The government continues to build industrial dams to make up for Brazil’s struggling economy and support global exports. The federal court's decision on the impacts of Belo Monte and Teles Pires on indigenous communities and biodiversity have purposely been delayed to continue the construction. As a result, we cannot file with the Inter-American Human Rights Court, because to be able to file, all domestic remedies must be exhausted. In this case, two federal cases are still being entertained. To satisfy the economical needs of the government, the welfare of the farmers, indigenous communities, and biodiversity, the implementation of vertical farming is imperative. 

A ted talk I gave covers the Tapajos crisis as well: https://www.ted.com/talks/soni...

By implementing controlled environmental agriculture (CEA) and Vertical Farming (VF) in the Amazon to support the mass production of soybeans Sentient Movement will protect the flora and fauna of this region. CEA and VF is when you optimize crop production in stacked layers or in condensed sections. These are condensed farms which can produce the amount of crops needed for export while limiting land, water, and energy usage. VF is under the artificial control of all gases, light, temperature, and food production which is why it relies on a variety of technologies and techniques: robotics, artificial intelligence, data analytics. This makes it possible to produce foods and medicine indoors. Once this initial pilot is successfully implemented in the Tapajos Basin, we plan on spreading it around the world so multiple countries can adopt new, sustainable farming principles. Vertical farming for a circular economy and sustainable production, our solution is the beginning of the technological green revolution.

Our solution serves the Indigenous communities, the regional people in need of jobs, and the biodiversity itself. Indigenous communities, The Munduruku people, continue to be threatened by the construction of the dams and multiple other processes resulting in the destruction of their homelands. The implementation of Vertical Farms would directly benefit everyone -- it would not take over the river basin,and the Munduruku people would still have autonomy over their basin and their land.  This would also support the Brazilian economy and the people in need of jobs. Instead of completely shutting down any type of farming in the Tapajos basin, people will have the opportunity to farm in the vertical farms under specific guidelines that do not interfere with the protected indigenous territories.

Sentient Movement’s plan would support the government because crops would be produced at the same amount and rate; their foreign export and economical needs would be met. The Brazilian government would also decrease their deforestation rates and promote a circular economy; currently Brazil has one of the highest deforestation rates, significantly surpassing other countries. Sentient Movement is reaching out and working with commissioners from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights as well as multiple experts working on fields in the Amazonia region. We are also planning a series of peaceful protests in hopes of generating understanding behind the implementation of CEA and VF.  We are working with the Soya Project (https://www.soyaproject.org) to develop a conceptual framework skeleton on the exact design, energy input and output, water conservation, as well as the demographic information. 

Sentient Movement’s solution addresses and maximises local profits while protecting indigenous and eco-rights. The Indigenous people are allowed to freely thrive in their territories and continue their course of life, while the farmers have a new way of supporting their families and livelihoods. Since the farms generate high yields, the government reaches the amount of soybeans they need to produce and exports which balances their economy. They also meet their eco needs in preserving the Amazon and significantly decreasing their deforestation rates. With this, Indigenous displacement decreases significantly as well.

The Sentient Movement has moved past the conceptualization stage; We set up 6 main prospects during the conceptualization stage to confirm that the farms would benefit the Amazon: Reduction of emissions (consistency with reduction), Conservation of water (neutral), Conservation of biodiversity, does not produce/release harmful chemicals or toxins, Systems are respectful of human rights, Energy conservation. We are now working towards the placement of a possible vertical farm as well as the finances needed to cover the project. We are planning to implement this on the borders or outside of the Tapajos region, far away from the Indigenous territories. To finish the prototype stage and go into pilot, we would need specific finances to fund the implementation as the overall structure itself is expensive when including solar energy.

We are one of the first groups to convert soya production into vertical farming, and thus saving the indigenous people of the Tapajos Region, and saving all of the biodiversity by providing an alternative for unsustainable farming in the Amazon. Vertical farming is an extremely innovative answer because it combats all of the problems created by the current unsustainable methods. It protects biodiversity, uses less water, land, and energy, and is considerate of Indigenous territories. It also promotes a circular economy and balances the production yields that a normal farm would need to meet. This will change the market and change the overall perspective of countries responsible for producing cash crops, the way of producing as well as the goals will change. Intensive production will no longer harm biodiversity but still, provide the nation with the necessities to trade and export. And by implementing the farms, the nations will slowly begin to adopt circular economy principles and respect biodiversity; when we respect biodiversity and build off of its core, we can create effective innovations for the future. 

Currently, our solution will be responsible for serving the population of Brazil as well as countries that have trade deals with Brazil. Brazil's Indigenous population will be most impacted as it is meant to help them and their territories, as well as reduce deforestation rates. The country will benefit as new sustainable production will be adopted with high production yields. Brazil will be able to advocate for a circular economy and continue cash crop trade and production. Living in the Tapajos basin, there are several Tapajos tribes of which, the high ends of the river will be most impacted. The population is around 1.4 million, of which our solution will benefit all. Without it, the government would expand into other territories. In the next five years, we are looking to expand our impact Internationally. Many countries such as the US and China are also producing high yields of soy, soy is a cash crop responsible for soil degradation, increased emissions, deforestation, and much more. We must implement these farms for all types of cash crops and production so that way we can maintain the biodiversity and life around us while advocating for a circular economy. We can coexist with biodiversity and finally link back to our sentient roots.