Brazil's nut-breakers refuse to crack as their precious palms are threatened

Generations of women of the Amazon and Cerrado have split the coconuts of the babaçu tree for the oil. As the forests are cleared and electric fences put up, they must fight to secure rights to their beloved trees Photographs by Kristin Bethge for the GuardianEarly on a Saturday morning in Monte Alegre, five women are out in the forest, deftly smacking fist-sized brown coconuts on a blade. In a shady spot amid the trees, they sit around a mound of babaçu - also called babassu - coconuts, separating seed from shell by knocking the nuts on axes half-buried in the ground, sharp edge pointing skywards. The chat is about their plans for the evening."I can't make more effort, I've got to save some energy to dance this evening," says Maria Cecília de Jesus, 39.A group of women from the Monte Alegre quilombo community set off in the early morning to collect babaçu coconuts Continue reading...