Agroforestry transformation inspiration for winning film

The story of a Peruvian farmer who has switched from slash and burn agriculture to practicing agroforestry and protecting the forest has won this year’s UN Forum on Forests Short Film Festival.

Reynaldo Ochoa from the Manu region of the Peruvian Amazon is dedicated to championing a system of sustainable agriculture uniquely suited to local soil and growing conditions.

The system involves using waste from chickens to feed algae which then feeds fish kept in a pond. The water from the pond is used to fertilize Ochoa’s land which is intercropped with trees, vegetables and fruit.

The film, titled Reynaldo – Rainforest Hero, is directed by Dan Childs and Nick Werber. It is the first of four such films Werber is producing in partnership with the Crees Foundation, an organization working on sustainability in the Amazonian rainforest.

Through the Crees agroforestry project, Ochoa has worked with other farmers to establish more than 350 gardens and alone he has planted more than 30,000 trees.

Read the full story and view the film on Mother Earth News: Sustainable Farming with Reynaldo Ochoa: Rainforest Hero