Event promoted by BCG, WBCSD and CEBDS, in collaboration with AIBA and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock discusses how to increase the competitiveness of agricultural activity in the Cerrado, reconciling productivity and conservation through regenerative agriculture
Sao Paulo, April 23, 2025 – On April 15 and 16, the city of Luís Eduardo Magalhães (BA) hosted the Action Agenda on Regenerative Landscapes (AARL) Cerrado Summit, a preparatory event for COP30, organized by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), in collaboration with the Association of Farmers and Irrigators of Bahia (AIBA) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa).
Stimulating discussion among government leaders, financial and business sectors, rural producers and civil society representatives on how to accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices in the Cerrado biome, the conference focused on three key pillars to leverage this transition: financing, viable metrics and public policies. These are the focus areas of LAB (the Regenerative Landscapes Accelerator), an initiative of the WBCSD, BCG and CEBDS in partnership with MAPA that brings together companies and banks to catalyze the transition to regenerative landscapes.
“The AARL Cerrado Summit was a space to build alignments on priorities to scale regenerative agriculture in the Cerrado. The event sought to qualify capital needs, identify what is needed for an effective capital supply and demand platform in the Cerrado, create convergence on the concept of regenerative landscapes through monitoring metrics, and discuss opportunities to unlock financing and meet MRV (monitoring, reporting and verification) needs,” comments Marcelo Behar, senior advisor for COP30 at WBCSD and CEBDS.
During the event, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) presented the main results of the report “Resilience for the Future: A Viable Pathway to Regenerative Landscapes in the Cerrado“, which highlights the potential of the Brazilian Cerrado to reconcile productivity and conservation through regenerative agriculture and sustainable land management.
“The study indicates that the Cerrado accounts for 55% of Brazil’s primary agricultural production, boosting the production of commodities “The project aims to expand agricultural production without the need to convert new areas. However, to achieve this potential, US$1.55 billion in investments are needed,” explains Arthur Ramos, executive director and partner at BCG.
Furthermore, the first day showed the urgency of the transition to a more sustainable agri-food and land use system, given that Brazil has emitted 2.3 billion tons of CO2 in 2023, with 74% coming from land use changes and agriculture.
“Investment in regenerative agriculture and sustainable land use are essential to balance productivity and environmental management. Estimates indicate that 32.3 million hectares in the Cerrado present a unique opportunity to scale regenerative agriculture, with the potential to expand soybean production by more than 60 million tons per year by 2050 and increase beef production by 1 million tons, generating an annual increase of up to US$$ 20 billion in the Cerrado’s GDP by 2050”, reinforces Juliana Lopes, Director of Nature and Society at CEBDS.
On the second day, participants had the opportunity to experience large-scale regenerative agriculture at Fazenda Triunfo Verde and visit restoration projects organized by the Parque Vida Cerrado initiative.
“Investing in the sustainable development of the Cerrado is not only an ecological necessity, but also a significant economic opportunity. The Cerrado can and should be the territory of a new pact […] that builds a future in which production and conservation go hand in hand,” says Moisés Schmidt, rural producer and president of AIBA.
The Secretary of Innovation, Sustainable Development, Irrigation and Cooperativism of MAPA, Pedro Alves Corrêa Neto, highlighted the relevance of the topics discussed during the AARL Cerrado Summit for the action agenda for agriculture and agrifood systems being developed by the Brazilian government for COP30. “The intention of the action agenda is to converge the biodiversity, desertification and climate agendas and this event addresses central themes towards COP30”, he concluded.
About Boston Consulting Group
Boston Consulting Group partners with business and social leaders to help them address their most pressing challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. Founded in 1963, BCG is a pioneer in business strategy. We work side by side with our clients through a transformative approach that embraces stakeholder interests—enabling organizations to grow, build more sustainable competitive advantages, and make a positive impact on society. Our global teams are diverse and have deep technical and functional expertise across industries, as well as multiple perspectives that drive change. BCG delivers solutions through cutting-edge strategic consulting, combined with technology and design, as well as corporate and digital ventures. We embrace a unique collaborative working model across the firm and at all levels of our clients’ organizations, driven by the purpose of helping them thrive and make the world a better place. For more information, visit www.bcg.com.
About CEBDS
The Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) is a non-profit civil association that has been promoting sustainable development in Brazil since 1997, through partnerships with governments and civil society, in addition to disseminating the most current concepts and practices on the subject. The voice of the business sector, CEBDS brings together 120 of the largest business groups in the country, in addition to being the Brazilian representative of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), which is present in 36 countries and has 200 member companies worldwide.
About WBCSD
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is a global community of over 240 of the world’s leading companies driving systemic transformation for a better future in which more than 9 billion people can live well, within planetary boundaries by 2050. Together, we transform the systems in which we operate to reduce the impacts of the climate crisis, restore nature and combat inequality.
We accelerate the transformation of value chains in key sectors and reshape the financial system to reward sustainable leadership and responsible action through lower cost of capital. Through best practice sharing, performance improvement, access to training, partnerships and influence on the political agenda, we drive progress in companies and improve accountability for their results.
