Technological challenges and opportunities for shaded yerba mate

The study looks at the current scenario of the yerba mate production sector in the region of the Municipality of União da Vitória, State of Paraná, addressing the production and processing of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis A.St. Hil). Yerba mate is currently a staple crop and the main non-timber product of forestry agribusiness in the region under study. Yerba mate production takes place in family farming establishments, on small rural properties, with mostly family labor. With a history of extraction, the cultivation of yerba mate in Brazil has little technological input compared to other crops, in all its production phases, from the cultivation of seedlings, through to the production and industrialization processes. There is a low level of technology adoption or low technification of the herbs. Many practices and technologies are not applied in the yerba mate production process, which severely limits productivity and product quality. Although technological and scientific advances already exist, they face difficulties in being multiplied and transferred to the yerba mate community and take time to be assimilated into the yerba mate exploitation process.