Shipibo-Konibo agroforestry and intergenerational learning in Ucayali

Pacha Nishi is a majority Indigenous-led Peruvian NGO based in the Amazon Rainforest, working at the intersection of ecological restoration, cultural continuity, education, and community resilience in the Ucayali region of Peru. Founded in collaboration with Shipibo-Konibo leaders, healers, and land stewards, the project emerged from a shared recognition that the rainforest and the ancestral knowledge it holds are under increasing threat from deforestation, economic pressure, and the loss of intergenerational connection to traditional ways of life.

Our work centers around restoring degraded rainforest land through regenerative agroforestry systems that integrate native canopy species, medicinal plants, food crops, and traditional cultivation practices. We are currently expanding our reforestation efforts on land adjacent to the Jakon Rate community, where experimental plots established over the last two years have already demonstrated promising growth and biodiversity outcomes. These plots serve not only as restoration sites, but also as living classrooms and research spaces where local families, students, and collaborators can learn practical, scalable approaches to forest regeneration.

A central part of our mission is creating a replicable agroforestry model that can support other landowners and communities throughout the Ucayali region. Rather than imposing outside solutions, we work collaboratively with Indigenous knowledge holders and local practitioners to develop systems that are ecologically resilient, economically viable, and culturally rooted. Our long-term vision is to help create pathways for communities to restore degraded land while maintaining cultural sovereignty and strengthening relationships with the forest.

One of our flagship initiatives is the Koshi Tapon (“Strong Roots”) apprenticeship and education program, which supports intergenerational learning between Shipibo-Konibo elders and younger generations. During the pilot program held in early 2026, students participated in daily workshops focused on medicinal plant knowledge, traditional forest stewardship, herbal preparation, ceremony, song, and cultural practice. Elders and mentors guided participants through hands-on learning rooted in lived experience and ancestral wisdom. The program was deeply impactful for both students and teachers, and community members expressed a strong desire for it to continue and expand into an ongoing educational initiative.

In addition to community-led education, Pacha Nishi is building bridges between Indigenous knowledge systems and academic research through partnerships and exchange with universities and researchers. Current collaborations include work with researchers connected to the University of New Mexico and Dr. Michael Coe’s lab at Tarleton State University, which focuses on ethnobiology, ecology, and the relationships between people, plants, and landscapes. These exchanges support documentation, ecological monitoring, and cross-cultural learning while honoring Indigenous leadership and reciprocity.

Funding received through MA Earth would directly support land restoration, native plant propagation, educational programming, student and mentor stipends, infrastructure for agroforestry expansion, and the continued development of community-led models for ecological and cultural regeneration. More than planting trees, Pacha Nishi is working to restore relationships: between people and land, elders and youth, traditional wisdom and future generations.