.webp)
Asta Maps, Brazil's first map of artisanal producers, emerges as a tool to highlight and support micro-entrepreneurs, making it easier for consumers to access a variety of handmade products.
Bringing together categories such as food, crafts, toys, cosmetics, home decor, fashion, and pet supplies, the map is an initiative aimed at boosting local economic development and collecting data on the sector to support the creation of projects and public policies for this segment.
Official data from the Brazilian Craft Registration Information System (Sicab) show that, in 2023 alone, the number of artisans more than tripled between January and October. Currently, the country has about 8.5 million artisanal producers, the majority of whom are women who rely directly on their own production for their livelihood.
The initiative, focused on the sector that generates around R$100 billion per year, is a project by Rede Asta, a social organization that has been supporting handmade micro-entrepreneurs across Brazil for 18 years.
Investing in artisanal production preserves local and ancestral culture, fosters tourism and the social inclusion of vulnerable groups, and reduces cities' dependence on specific sectors, making them more resilient to economic fluctuations.
For Alice Freitas, co-director of Rede Asta, the map not only promotes the work of local producers but also strengthens the economy and the community as a whole.
“Artisanal products are special because they can influence not only income generation, but also tourism, environmental preservation, and the city's economic development and diversification, while also serving as therapy for those who create them.” - Alice Freitas, co-director of Rede Asta.
Asta Maps is available for free access at the link www.maps.redeasta.com.br and already features over 350 artisanal producers registered and selected by Rede Asta.
To learn more about other Rede Asta programs, visit www.redeasta.com.br or contact us via email at