People living on an island in the river Amazon have found new ways of making money from their plentiful supply of coconuts. Farmers on Marajo island, near the mouth of the river, are selling fibres from coconut shells to Mercedes-Benz, the car company. These hairy fibres are used in the seats, head rests and sun visors of new Mercedes cars sold in Brazil.

In the past, there were few ways to make money on Marajo. People relied on the sale of fruit and coconut milk, but many chose to leave the island and move to big cities like Belem and Rio de Janeiro in search of a better life. Thanks to this new use of coconuts, farmers are now earning seven times more money than they used to.

This new industry is good news for the environment too. Unlike the synthetic materials that can be used in car seats and head rests, coconut fibres can be recycled, and they do not add to the pollution in the atmosphere when they are burned. Also, people are changing to more sustainable ways of farming so they can grow even more coconut trees far into the future. By mixing crops together, the soil is not over-used by one type of crop so the environment can go on growing coconut trees, and other crops for the people to eat.

Visit this edition's Eye on Brazil pages to find out more about the country. For more information about the river Amazon and the people that live along the river, visit the Focus on Rivers/Amazon page.

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