The power of landscapes to drive progress on climate and company commitments in the Cerrado Biome, Tocantins, Brazil

Member/implementing partners:

• Carrefour Foundation

• METRO

• Nestlé 

• Conservation International

A Coalition-endorsed landscape initiative in Tocantins, Brazil is one example of how production landscapes have helped our members deliver positive impacts in climate, as well as in nature and production. Brazil’s role as a leading producer of soy, cattle, and maize has resulted in intensive land conversion in the Cerrado biome, the world’s most biodiverse savannah and an important carbon sink. The state of Tocantins has one of the highest rates of land conversion in Brazil in the last decade. Degraded production areas have led to lower yields, contributing to a cycle of continued unsustainable production practices.

Conservation International, in partnership with EMBRAPA, and with support from Coalition members Carrefour, METRO, and Nestlé is promoting low-carbon regenerative production of soy and beef in the Cerrado biome through:

Supporting farmers in the adoption of low-carbon and DCF agriculture practices, such as no-tillage, integrated crop-livestock systems, and degraded pasture recovery through training modules, field days, and workshops

Encouraging consolidation of agricultural production in areas of degraded pasture, improving land use management through natural capital conservation and monitoring tools

Raising producer awareness of existing credit mechanisms and building capacity for improving producer financial stability through greater access to climate finance (e.g., credit for sustainable farming practices), informed by workshops and dialogues with local financial institutions and producers

Engagement and capacity-building of 53 rural producers and 40 rural extension experts for implementing low-carbon regenerative farming practices in soy and beef (covering almost 60,000 hectares of land)

METRO notes that participation in this landscape has helped drive progress on their commitments as Cerrado Manifesto signatories and broader company commitments to DCF supply chains. The initiative’s endorsement by the Coalition helped initiate collaboration between members and implementing partners, such as Conservation International, that work in priority regions for members.

The full potential of continued engagement in this landscape is immense, improving livelihoods and increasing yields while maintaining a landscape that is a critical carbon sink.

With this partnership, it was possible to maintain the assistance of the technicians in 2022. We were then able to continue the work started in 2021, ensuring a significant increase in dairy production compared to the previous year and consequently an increase in income. Our expectations are to continue with our next goals that are the improvement of animal comfort and the increase of intensive grazing areas for our cattle, which I’m sure will bring better economic results! Ms. Ingergleice Abreu – Rural producer

With the project we were able to implement an intensified and intelligent agricultural system, optimizing the use of the soil and keeping the native areas preserved. We make better technical decisions now, with the adoption of the ABC production model and responsible intensification of the activity. We become more and more sustainable from the moment we manage better our farm. We have also become more prepared to deal with climate issues. Ms. Ariana – Rural producer

We have a lot to be thankful for in this partnership. It helped in the process of deconstructing old systems, so that we could then relearn within new horizons to produce in a more sustainable way. This was only possible thanks to the confidence that the qualified technicians gave us! Today we work with agriculture and livestock within ABC Agrosustentável. I thank you very much and say: Fazenda Cocal owes this evolution to this partnership, I hope we can continue together.Ms. Maria de Fátima Dias – Rural Producers