The agricultural sector, the main source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the country, faces the challenge of reconciling the impacts of climate change with increased food production and supply. In this context, which may seem discouraging at first, new initiatives seek to increase food availability by 50%, while reducing GHG emissions by 50%.

Coordinated by the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), the Agroclimatic Intelligence (IAC) promotes crop adaptation to climate change and reduces GHG emissions, while developing farmer resilience in land use. At the end of September, CEBDS technical advisor Felipe Cunha was in the North of the country, together with representatives of bayer, Embrapa and sector technicians to monitor a model farm that is incorporating IAC principles into its operations.

Located near the city of Pedro Afonso, in Tocantins, in the Brazilian Cerrado region known as Matopiba, Fazenda Tupã will be a model for implementing low-carbon agriculture, prioritizing the integration of crops, livestock and forestry (ILPF). In practice, this means integrating crop activities in the same space, with crop rotation and soil conservation techniques; livestock, with integrated pasture management with other crops, such as legumes; and forestry, with the creation of ecological corridors and syntropic agriculture, which preserves natural forests by associating them with the planting of commercial crops. In addition to the productive benefits, the entire process significantly reduces GHG emissions.

“These are ecological benefits with ecosystem efficiency and soil conservation at the highest level, without soil exposed to erosion, and with the development of fauna. This entire process generates a balance in order to reduce or eliminate the need for pesticides or fertilizers, for example,” explains Cunha.

The final benefit is the establishment of highly productive areas, which enable not only the economic use of native fruits, but also the provision of relevant ecosystem services, such as soil formation, microclimate regulation, preservation of local fauna and flora and favoring the water cycle.

The field visit is part of the project to implement IAC techniques in Brazil. The concept is a reproduction of the Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) already used abroad with coordination by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). In Brazil, the theme is coordinated by CEBDS with four areas of action: conservation, monitoring, resilience and finance.

Within these areas of action, CEBDS, with the support of companies such as bayer, and farmers, who will contribute to the construction of a technical-conceptual framework and pilot examples of IAC implementation, with the massive use of technology. The project also has the partnership of Climate Smart Group, Conservation International, Embrapa, among others.

“One of the main actions is to raise awareness of the issue, showing farmers that it is possible to develop low-carbon agriculture without compromising productivity. What we have seen is a gain for farmers, as the syntropic agriculture model aligned with ILPF allows fields to always be productive, with different crops,” explains Cunha.

The project also includes studies on financing models that facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy, as well as an interactive smartphone application with guidelines for implementing IAC techniques and monitoring farms with contributions from the farmers themselves.

On another front, the project foresees an exchange with the Food Improvement for Sustainability and Health (FReSH) Program, from the EAT Foundation and WBCSD, which aims to accelerate the transformation in the global food chain, in order to provide healthy and enjoyable diets for all. Within the scope of the exchange, reduction of losses and waste in the agricultural chain. Currently, 60% of the world's food is lost after harvest.