Brazil

Finding pathways to improved investment

After decades of large-scale agriculture and development, the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado grassland remain only as a mosaic of fragments. The degradation of these biomes poses a threat to Brazil’s society by reducing the capacity of land to provide clean water and livelihoods, while also threatening irreplaceable biodiversity. We are working with the Atlantic Forest PACT, a coalition of over 80 organizations that aim to finance, implement and monitor restoration initiatives, to find pathways to improved investment in landscape management platforms that will engage landowners in conservation while conducting participatory action research with landscape leaders in the field.

Evaluating impacts of eco-standards

Much of the focus on Brazilian agricultural sustainability has been on the implementation of sustainability certifications and standards, like Rainforest Alliance certification, UTZ certification, RTRS certification and others. Our research on the impacts of sustainability certifications and standards has shown these standard bodies, Brazilian policymakers, and international environmental NGOs where standards are insufficient to protect smallholder farmer livelihoods and ecosystem services, and how to improve them.

Innovating for improved land use management

Over the past two decades Brazil has made strides in implementing creative strategies for ensuring agricultural commodity expansion doesn’t further expose Brazilian communities to the consequences of land degradation. EcoAgriculture Partners has worked alongside international organizations and community groups to guide this movement through research and tools designed to incentivize sustainable soybean and sugarcane production. Self-Assessment toolkits, trainings in best management practices, spatial analysis of critical biomes, and financial innovations bedded the seeds for the certification of soybean producers and the launch of forest restoration initiatives.