Growing a movement for change, one nut at a time

It is no secret that the global food system is built on invisible exploitation, in many cases amounting to slavery. With no other option, small-scale farmers and producers are forced into debt bondages, unfair contracts and low wages, while being forced to poison the land with artificial pesticides and fertilisers; environmental degradation that poisons themselves in the process. Meanwhile, intermediaries and corporations profit at the expense of so-called “externalities”, the knock-on costs borne by the environment and communities.

Despite playing an essential role as guardians of the earth’s biodiversity, Indigenous communities often face some of the most severe bureaucratic violence and economic marginalisation. The Kayapó peoples of Brazil, for example, are stewards of more than 9 million hectares of Amazon rainforest. Collaborating with the surrounding ecosystem, they use ancient and ancestral forestry techniques to help manage the forest, contributing to its self-regulation by being part of that ecosystem. In this, they dissolve the modern dichotomy between humans and nature. Their work contributes to climate and water regulation, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity. And yet they have to continually fight for their survival.

That is why last year, Hodmedod, in alliance with the Roddick Foundation, Landworkers’ Alliance, and COOBAY, forged a new direct trade relationship with the Kayapó people of Brazil; our first step in creating a new distribution channel outside the norm.

The project represented a lot of firsts: for the Kayapó it was the first time their wild-harvested Brazil nuts had been sold in the UK; for Hodmedod it was our first trade with growers outside of the British Isles. Whilst it was definitely nuts, it represented a new chapter for Hodmedod, one where our commitment to food sovereignty was expressed through a new medium – an international trade relationship built on friendship, values and solidarity. Together, we called it Solidarity Trade.

What is Solidarity Trade?

“We are building a supply chain of resistance, directly supporting the land rights and economic autonomy of the Indigenous defenders who are protecting biodiversity for all.” - Jyoti Fernandes

Solidarity Trade is built on the idea that how we do trade and who we trade with are crucial to both food sovereignty and food security. It represents a modern-day reclamation of ancestral trade values, where people exchanged goods directly, forged long-term relationships based on trust and fairness, and respected ecological boundaries.

At its heart, it is about creating supply chains that resist exploitation, support and uphold land rights, and inspire financial independence and the agency to act in defence of the ecosystems that support all life on earth. It seeks to set a new standard for trade; one that goes even further than fairness and reaches towards transformation, contributing to a movement towards food sovereignty, environmental justice and global solidarity.

The Bigger Picture – A Nut-Filled Movement

This goes far beyond the selling of nuts – we see it as the early stirrings of a movement. This is about climate adaptation, boosting biodiversity, changing how we relate to each other, and standing in solidarity with those at the frontlines of protecting nature. It is about connecting what we do here in the UK with other communities around the world; communities that share our same vision and mission to build a food system that acts in harmony with both people and nature. While we are at the forefront of promoting agroecology here in the UK, the Kayapó are simultaneously at the frontlines of true, transformative change in Brazil, in their action both on the ground and at the governmental level. This is about strengthening those actions, creating a collective voice of like-minded people that wish to see change in the world.

Food as a Catalyst for Change

If you’re here you probably already share our belief that food is much more than a basic necessity – food connects us to culture, to the land, and to one another. It is a tool for transformation, a way to shape the world that we want to see.

Every time you buy the Kayapó's PI'Y Brazil nuts, you’re doing more than experiencing a (delicious!) taste of the Amazon rainforest. Each purchase has significant agency attached to it. It acts as a vote for a more just, sustainable system, contributing to the financial independence necessary for the Kayapó to continue their commitment to protecting the rainforest. It generates power – the power to say no to extractive industries, to build collective resistance, and to enable the community surveillance that's highly effective at preventing the destruction of their territory. It is an act that supports the Kayapó, celebrates their culture and knowledge, and helps to preserve the Amazon’s vast biodiversity.

These nuts hold more than the nourishing essence of sunlight, rain and fertile soil (a magic of its own, to be sure); they carry within them the spirit of collaboration, representing a rich network of interdependence.

Each purchase may feel like a small act, but it has a ripple effect. Together, we’re building a supply chain that respects nature, honours community, and values integrity. Thank you for being part of this journey, and for believing that our choices, however small, can together transform the world.

Let’s continue to grow this movement for change, one nut at a time.

📸 Photos of the Kayapó are courtesy of Simone Giovine, Coletivo Beture, AFP

Read more about our partnership with the Kayapó's COOBAY co-operative...

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