The Brazilian agricultural sector, responsible for about 27% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is on the way to complying with the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda. Studies by the Observatory of Knowledge and Innovation in Bioeconomy, from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), project that the sector has the potential to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions from livestock and soybean production by 2030.
The researchers point out two main processes for the decarbonization of production: the recovery of degraded pastures, avoiding deforestation, and the integrated Crop-Livestock-Forest (LFP) systems. The documents state that the degradation of pastures directly affects the support capacity of the areas, and that this process, in addition to generating economic losses for the producer, also has negative impacts on the environment.
LFP systems consist of combining different types of agricultural production in the same location. That is, the producer will have a rotation of land use, between farming and livestock.
The research states that “the combination of agriculture and grazing within the same area leads to synergies between the components of the system that can generate production gains, cost reduction and improvement of biodiversity ecosystem services”. This type of integration also reduces the risks of loss of agricultural activity related to the climate and the variation of market prices.
The agricultural sector is responsible for 28% of total GHG emissions in the country. However, it is the main responsible for the emission of methane gas (CH4) in Brazil, equivalent to 76.1% of emissions. According to the FGV study, these pasture areas occupy around 167 million hectares of national territory. Of this total, about 42%, or 70.9 million hectares, show moderate or severe degradation.
According to the research’s conclusions, by 2030 there would be a total net removal of 1,223.6 Mt CO2eq, on average 94.1 Mt CO2eq/year, thus reversing emissions from the livestock system associated with pastures.
Between 1990 and 2020, soybean production in Brazil grew by 532.9%, and planted areas grew by 229%. Currently, soybean production is around 3.3 tons per hectare (t/ha), 92.4% more than the 1.7 t/ha produced in 1990. It is the main Brazilian agricultural crop and its gross value of production (VBP) reached R$250.8 billion in 2020, representing 42.0% of the total agricultural VBP and 28.0% of the R$896.7 billion of all national agriculture.
In the area of plantations, Brazilian soy, already considered a “low carbon” crop, emits around 9 Mt CO2eq per year. This is because the main form of planting in the country is the no-tillage system (SPD), which consists of planting the seeds without the steps of plowing and harrowing the soil, that is, without prior preparation of the area. In this way, to protect the soil, it is necessary to always keep it with vegetation or plants in development.
Thus, through the expansion of the SPD, by 2030, a total of 25.9 Mt CO2eq could no longer be released into the atmosphere, as this system increases the carbon sequestration potential of soybeans. The researchers also point out that grain production in Brazil has the potential to be not only “carbon neutral”, but also a carbon sink.
The livestock market analyst at Safras & Mercado, Fernando Iglesias, explains that, in addition to reducing greenhouse gases, adherence to sustainable plantation systems increases production efficiency, and is also advantageous for the rancher.
“We are moving towards efficient livestock farming, which generates less carbon emissions. The trend is for producers to work more on innovation and efficiency. As the way of raising cattle evolves, the wear and tear generated by pasture will decrease, and this will give a significant financial return”, he explains.
This Wednesday (23), the minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, Tereza Cristina, will participate in a ceremony to sign a technical cooperation agreement between the National Development Bank (BNDES) and the ministry, on low carbon. According to the ministry, the agreement seeks to support studies to create incentive mechanisms to reduce carbon emissions in the production of beef and milk in Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil

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