True Amazonas

Manaus is the capital of the state of Amazonas, in Brazil's generous cut of the giant South American rain forest. Manaus is a big metropolis in the middle of the rain forest. Last time I was there there was a large Agro show in Manaus. Visiting it, I was lucky to find a true Amazon woman.

Have you ever heard of the legend of the Amazon women and the origin of the name of that mighty river, this region and the state itself?

In Greece, much before Christ, there were tales of women tribes that rode horses, handled the bow and arrow with great skill and lived alone, never admitting the presence of men in their land. They named themselves Amazons. The Spaniard Francisco de Orellana, in 1540, made an exploratory journey into South America and traveled on a great river going through the most mysterious forests. On the banks he saw groups of Indians with long hair, which made him think he had found the kingdom of the Amazon women. And so that name passed to the river, the forest and the place.

Back at the Agro show, it was OK; but if it hadn't been for this finding, I would not have much to report on. You might be thinking, "What is an Agro show for in the Amazon?" Well, there are lots of cattle there, and agriculture. Taken all together, the largest herd of cattle in the world is in Brazil -- more than 195,000,000. In general we think of cattle ranching and farming as the opposite of preservation, but we would do well to look our assumption over.

The Amazonas state government wants to avoid destructive farming. To do so, farmers need knowledge.