Astrocaryum chambira Burret is a palm that provides edible fruits and fibers for making handicrafts. This study focused on the fiber products (hammocks and bags) made by the Bora in the Peruvian Amazonia. Making chambira handicrafts consists of several different phases. Handicrafts are marketed to tourists, river traders, or shopkeepers in the city of Iquitos. Villagers travel actively to sell their products because of the remote location of the village from the market. The prices received by producers were extremely low when considering the amount of work, but the prices were low also in other steps (middleman, tourist). Still, chambira works provide an important source of income for villagers. The greater abundance of A. chambira in secondary forest compared with the primary forest indicates that it has potential for agroforestry. Agroforestry systems can provide a sustainable way to use land in the rainforest areas in NE Peru, and in this system nontimber forest products may have an important role.
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1 January 2002
Making and Marketing Chambira Hammocks and Bags in the Village of Brillo Nuevo, Northeastern Peru
Jaana Vormisto
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Economic Botany
Vol. 56 • No. 1
January 2002
Vol. 56 • No. 1
January 2002
Amazonia
Astrocaryum chambira
bags
hammocks
nontimber forest products
palm fibers
Peru