First and foremost, a big round of applause to our nursery team, who successfully produced more than the expected 500,000 seedlings for our current planting season! Impressive, right? In spite of all the challenges we had to overcome, we exceeded expectations.
We are very happy with what the BJF Nursery has become. It motivates us to see that our nursery is already providing many local job opportunities, and successfully producing healthy seedlings.
This is a huge milestone that has only been possible with your support! The nursery also includes space for workshops and environmental education, and is already becoming a central hub for ecological restoration along the Araguaia biodiversity corridor.
Have a look at our fully operational tree nursery:
Have a look at how our nursery area looked prior to construction two years ago:
Thanks to your support, we surpassed expectations last year! Keep reading to have a better understanding of how our nursery works.
Inside nursery and outside nursery
It all starts with a seed, many of which are bought from the Araguaia Seed Network! This seed is then cleaned to prevent any pathogens from affecting the seedling. Simultaneously, the substrate which will receive the seed is prepared and added to tubes that will hold the seedling.
We have two nurseries: an inside nursery and an outside nursery. Once the tubes are ready and full of substrate, they are taken to our inside nursery, a covered space that protects the seedling from excessive sunlight. Here, they are able to grow in more controlled conditions. After developing in the inside nursery, the seedlings are taken to the outside nursery. This is an open area where the seedling is exposed to conditions similar to those of the field and can become resilient.
In the video below, seedling production analyst, Norivania Diniz, explains the structure of our inside and outside nurseries:
