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We will spread low CO2 emission technologies by 2030, says Tereza Cristina

In a speech to COP26, the 26th United Nations Conference on Climate Change, the Minister of Agriculture, Tereza Cristina, stated that Brazil will disseminate low-carbon technologies by the end of this decade.

“By 2030, we will disseminate low-carbon technologies to more than 72 million hectares of arable land, promoting productivity gains on already consolidated agricultural lands, without the need to convert new areas to productive activity. With this, we will mitigate the equivalent to the emission of more than one billion tons of CO2”, said the minister in Brasília.

The minister also spoke about the ABC Plan, which aims to reduce the environmental impacts caused by agricultural activities.

“We promote adherence to six decarbonising technologies, and I also highlight integrated production systems such as the integration of farming, livestock and forestry. The objective was to recover 35.5 million hectares already anthropized and degraded with one of the six technologies, individually or in combination. This improvement process has not stopped. It is continuous and necessary for us to be able to produce more and more efficiently and sustainably”, said Cristina.

“The truth is that we have many pasture areas that can be used more sustainably. Therefore, we revised the ABC Plan and launched ABC+, which inaugurates a new decade of incentives for sustainable production. ABC+ has expanded its ambition by setting higher goals and adopting new conceptual bases.”

World leaders gathered today in Glasgow, Scotland for the opening event of COP26. First to speak was British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, host of the event. He compared the climate crisis to a time bomb that needs to be defused.

President Jair Bolsonaro (no party) is not at COP26. He sent a video of less than three minutes with messages for the event. In his speech, Bolsonaro says that “Brazil is a green power” and that in the fight against climate change “we have always been part of the solution, not the problem”.

Read Tereza Cristina’s speech in full below:

Ladies and gentlemen,

Brazilian agriculture is science driven.

Over the past fifty years, we have developed a model of tropical agriculture based on research and innovation that uniquely combines the three pillars of sustainability: social, economic and environmental. From investments in the tropicalization of plant and animal varieties, in the development of production practices adapted to the natural conditions of our territory and in the qualification of our producers, we ceased to be a net importer of food and became the third largest exporter in the world. of food, fiber and bioenergy.

Look: if Brazil had maintained the same productivity as in the 70s, 71 million more hectares would be needed to produce the same amount of soy today. That’s the earth save effect. If we considered the entire grain production, these numbers would be even more eloquent.

But that wasn’t the only benefit of heavy investments in research and innovation. In addition to producing more efficiently, we started to produce more sustainably. On this point, I want to recall here Brazil’s pioneering spirit in the development of low-carbon agriculture, which includes, but is not limited to, the dissemination of technologies such as the Direct Tillage System, essential for the sequestration of carbon in the soil, and innovations such as Biological Nitrogen Fixation.

The robustness of Brazilian science led to the creation, in 2010, of the Low Carbon Emission Agriculture Plan, called the ABC Plan. We promote adherence to six decarbonising technologies. In addition to those already mentioned, I also highlight the integrated production systems, such as Integration-Crop-Livestock-Forestry. The objective was to recover 35.5 million hectares already anthropized and degraded with one of the six technologies, individually or in combination.

Data from Embrapa and other research institutions show that Brazilian rural producers have adopted the decarbonising production models of the ABC Plan in more than 52 million hectares, which is equivalent to more than twice the area of ​​the territory of the United Kingdom.

As a result, we mitigated the emission of more than 170 million tons of CO2 equivalent, also exceeding the Plan’s own mitigation targets.

This improvement process has not stopped. It is continuous and necessary for us to produce more and more efficiently and sustainably.

The truth is that we have many pasture areas that can be used more sustainably. Therefore, we revised the ABC Plan and launched ABC+, which inaugurates a new decade of incentives for sustainable production.
ABC+ expanded its ambition by setting higher goals and adopting new conceptual bases.

A very important one is the integrated landscape approach. The emphasis is on the efficient use of areas suitable for agricultural production, with strong encouragement for environmental regularization, landscape valuation, restoration and conservation of soil, water and biodiversity quality, and the enhancement of local specificities and regional cultures , expanding the set of initiatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply to promote sustainable agricultural production.

For the Brazilian territory, the establishment of this multifunctional approach enhances the effective conservation of natural resources, without harming the producer’s productivity and income.

In addition to the integrated landscape approach, ABC+ strengthens the combination of mitigation and adaptation strategies, as agriculture is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. One example is technologies for sustainable irrigated systems, very important for mitigating greenhouse gases, and essential for adapting to climate change.

By 2030, we will spread low-carbon technologies to an additional 72 million hectares of arable land, promoting productivity gains on already consolidated agricultural lands, without the need to convert new areas to productive activity. This will mitigate the emission of more than 1 billion tons of CO2 equivalent.

The transformative potential of low-carbon agriculture is enormous.

We want to share this experience with countries with similar realities. Only with the dissemination of best practices to all producers will we be able to reap the positive impacts that the production of food, fiber and bioenergy can have.

Before concluding my opening remarks, I would like to remind everyone that, in addition to the technologies and innovations I mentioned, the reality of the Brazilian territory is also the result of an institutional effort. It was with the approval of the Forest Code, in 2012, that we laid the foundations to ensure the preservation of our forests. In this law, we stipulate that rural properties must allocate 20% to 80% of their area to the preservation of native vegetation, depending on the biome. As a result, Brazil currently uses only 30% of its territory for agriculture, while maintaining more than 60% with native vegetation. It is estimated that around 25% of the preserved area is on private property, something unparalleled in other countries around the world, as it is land that the owner does not receive to preserve. It’s just a legal obligation.

In addition, we must remember that the rural producer is also a water producer. When the soil is well managed by agriculture, rainwater infiltrates and promotes the recharge of groundwater. Our Forest Code already establishes the mandatory preservation of springs and water courses. In addition to the legal obligation, the Ministry encourages the adoption of soil and water conservation practices. Water and soil are inseparable and essential assets for the development of agricultural activities.

By fully implementing the Brazilian Forest Code and the good practices encouraged by public policies, we will consolidate environmental conservation combined with agricultural production, reinforcing Brazil’s condition as an agro-environmental power.

Farming, carried out in a sustainable manner, is part of the solution to a double challenge: climate change and food security.

Thank you.

Reference: CNN Brasil

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