Sustainability and Self-Sufficiency in the Amazon

In the Amazon Basin, transport is slow and villages are isolated, situated hours or even days away by boat from Iquitos, the largest city in the region. The indigenous communities along the Ampiyacu River, an Amazon tributary, understand first-hand the concept of self-reliance and sustainable living. Their daily reality is that they still hunt, catch or grow most of their food.

With limited resources, and little government assistance, they must overcome the challenges of their environment: months-long flooding during the rainy season, disease carrying insects, and inhospitable conditions for crop cultivation. The people in these communities strive to balance modernity and progress with their traditions and culture, all while keeping their forest intact.