The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the sense of urgency to adopt more sustainable practices in the food sector. As a result, the complexity of providing nutritionally quality, affordable food that respects the planet's limits for a projected global population of 10.9 billion people by 2050 has become even greater. This is especially true for Brazil, which, in addition to being one of the world's largest food producers, is dependent on the export of agricultural products, which account for 42% of the trade balance.
These were some of the topics addressed during the roundtable held by the Ecosystem and Biodiversity Economics for Agriculture and Food (TEEBAgriFood) project, on July 21 and 23. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), TEEBAgriFood aims to integrate the values of biodiversity and ecosystem services into decision-making at all levels.
The virtual meeting was the result of a partnership between the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) and the Capitals Coalition, with support from the European Union. The objective was to gather contributions from experts in the food sector and company representatives to develop a set of guidelines for assessing the natural, human and social capital that are essential to the Brazilian food sector. In this way, the document seeks to propose guidelines for more sustainable practices for companies’ decision-making processes.
Produce more food in smaller areas
During the debate, Embrapa researcher Renato Rodrigues assessed that sustainable intensification in production allows for an exponential increase in production. “Grain production has grown by 400% in the last 40 years, with an increase of 60% in the area. The idea is to produce more in a smaller area and free up land for other purposes, such as reforestation, for example. We are entering what will be the greenest decade. There is no turning back, and by 2030 we will have a whole green agenda as a priority.”
Valuing environmental services is one of the possibilities for transforming food systems, considering the complexity of Brazilian agriculture. IPAM’s executive director, André Guimarães, noted that more than 90% of Brazilian agriculture is not irrigated, and that the country is one of the only countries that can produce two to three harvests per year, due to Brazil’s climate conditions. The challenge, Guimarães noted, is to turn environmental services into a competitive advantage. “We need to compensate or incorporate these environmental services that make agriculture so vigorous.”
Guimarães noted that current production models need to adapt to these changes that reinforce sustainability as good business. “We need new production models that are more suited to these new demands of society. We have the opportunity to rebuild our economy, in a movement similar to the post-war period, with a focus on infrastructure and social policies. It is an opportunity to review our priorities and invest in production models that prioritize more sustainable production,” he highlighted.
For Peter May, a professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), one of the ways forward is to restore degraded pastures. In Brazil, more than 90 million hectares of pastures are below their productive capacity. “Thinking about restoring agricultural systems is a simple idea. This movement adds value to the land and to the population, in addition to ensuring that land use is more sustainable and provides environmental services to its full potential,” he argued.
