Humberto Chávez is a farmer from Ucayali, Peru, whose journey mirrors the broader transformation of agriculture in the Amazon — from expansion and extraction to restoration and resilience. His 50-hectare palm plantation in Neshuya is more than a source of livelihood; it is a living laboratory for regenerative practices championed by the Earthworm Foundation.
Through years of shifting weather patterns, declining yields, and changing expectations, Humberto has responded not with resistance but with reinvention: protecting riverbanks, eliminating herbicides, adopting irrigation, and mapping his land for better stewardship. His story captures the human side of sustainable agriculture in Peru — rooted in tradition, reshaped by necessity, and guided by a quiet but unwavering commitment to the land.
Humberto didn’t come to farming through palm oil. His first dream was shaped by childhood memories and a love for the land.
"When I bought this farm, I bought it purely because when I was a child I already had a notion of cattle raising. It has a river, it has an artificial lagoon. So that was my initial idea."
"I told him that I had a farm. He said to me: 'Where in Neshuya? Are you going to plant palm trees?'"
"What is palm?", I asked.
"Palm, palm oil," he said.
"So that is where I, by researching in different entities, came to have a little more generalized information about the palm and I became interested in planting the palm tree."
"The first campaign is from 2010. The second campaign I have is in 2014 and the third one I planted only in 2023. I always planted in October, November, because they are rainy seasons."
"The most serious issue that has happened to us now, is climate change. The year 2021–2022, when rains have started to be scarce, production has also started to decrease in the palm."
"I fertilize, I prune, I cultivate. Why has my production dropped? And they all give the same answer: water stress."
"I always thought that the palm should be irrigated. When I talked to other friends, they told me I was crazy… ‘How are you going to irrigate if you are in the jungle?’ But now it has become an important necessity."
"Thank God, I have several water sources where I can get water to make my irrigation system. I am implementing it personally."
"Every time I receive a visit I try to make the most of it… For example, when you have come to train us you have told us… to plant certain herbs, such as vettiberia, to prevent erosion… I try to apply everything I learn, obviously I also use my criteria to improve."
"We had been advised by Cocepu’s technical area that the palm should not be managed in that way, that it should always be covered in the inter-rows and that is how I am managing it now."
"I no longer use herbicides… I prefer to do it manually, traditional labor or with a cultivator… because that has shown us enough that one contaminates the soil and contaminates the fruit."
"We are in a rest area where it is also a requirement of the RSPO… A hydration point, a trash area, a shaded area in case it rains, a small table so that they can have lunch."
"I think it requires a lot of responsibility with them, both in terms of orientation, as well as in terms of their food and payment."
Now, with his systems evolving, and his values deeply rooted, Humberto speaks of the land not as an asset — but as home.
"I am expanding my production, I am improving my road, I am building my irrigation system."
"I feel very calm with that."
"I am very passionate about everything, so much so that at some point I would have to stop living, and I would like to be buried here on my farm."
