Spotlight on Producers
SPOTLIGHT ON PRODUCERS
Rural producer and businesswoman at Amaru Araguaia and Estrela do Sul farm Mato Grosso, Brazil
“I may not speak on behalf of 100% of producers in Brazil, but I’m confident that I speak for most of them when I say that we would rather intensify than further deforest our lands.”
Teia Fava, who is a rural producer and businesswoman at a farm in the Mato Grosso province of Brazil, is explaining why the role of finance is so important to farmers at the frontline of Amazon and Cerrado conversion – with the added pressure of the eyes of the world upon them.
“Every rural producer wants to broaden their production and increase the yield per hectare, and of course there are more efficient and nature-positive models to do so. But it requires funding and infrastructure change. I have a medium-sized farm, and it is in my best interests to conserve the environmental assets on that farm if I can get paid. These loan mechanisms that are being discussed – through the launch of IFACC – are critical. If we can get financial help, we can intensify production on existing pastureland or degraded land using rotation methods or fertiliser inputs – and then there is no need to deforest.”
Teia and her fellow producers are extremely aware of both the growing demand for Brazilian products – whether it’s soy or cattle – and also that there is increasing pressure from the consumer markets, such as Europe and North America, for products that do not cause further conversion of Brazil’s critical biomes.
We know the level of demand is increasing, and whoever anticipates that demand will be well positioned. The effort to meet that demand in a sustainable way must be a collective effort. We cannot do this alone, and we cannot do this without the support from financial institutions.
Rural producer and businessman at Rio da Mata and Carlinda Farm, Mato Grosso, Brazil
Luis Fernando Laranja is a veterinarian who spent his childhood on a beef cattle farm and decided to move to the Amazon after abandoning his career as a professor. After studying different business models in the Amazon and getting involved in many initiatives focused on socio-environmental impact in the region, Laranja and his wife Tita recently co-created Ecopec, which aims to produce beef integrated with agro-forestry.
“More and more producers have come to understand that it is possible to continue to generate wealth through the farm without degrading it,” he says. “Agroforestry is an intelligent production system that allows us to integrate agriculture and trees. Unlike conventional integration, agro-forestry seeks diversity to recover degraded soils without losing production areas.”
Laranja recognizes, however, that implementing sustainable ranching techniques is still a challenge as most cattle farmers in the Amazon still lack access to adequate finance.
If fuelled by long term funding, cattle farmers could increase yields on existing pastureland and boost productivity without the need to clear forests.
Rural producer at Progresso farm, Sebastião Leal, Piauí, Brazil
“I want to continue producing food in an environmentally and socially-friendly way, but there is a cost to it,” says Ani Sanders, who is a rural producer at Progresso farm in the Piauí province of Brazil. She recognises that keeping protected areas within the farm requires resources and that is important to join forces with financial institutions and large companies that help producers to take this path.
“I am sure that having access to a differential interest rate, and long-term financing, would help move the entire production system in the region toward more sustainable production. There is a demand. If we had a credit line that benefited these actions, I think everything would be on the upswing. Everyone has this desire to grow sustainably. We want to maintain our areas and increase our productivity; this is a goal we want to achieve.”
Ani argues that a better financial structure is an enabling condition for the changes in production to be realised in practice. “It's a long way to go, but the path might get shorter if more people can help us”.
Ani argues that a better financial structure is an enabling condition for the changes in production to be realised in practice. “It's a long way to go, but the path might get shorter if more people can help us”
I am sure that having access to a differential interest rate, and long-term financing, would help move the entire production system in the region toward more sustainable production. There is a demand. If we had a credit line that benefited these actions, I think everything would be on the upswing. Everyone has this desire to grow sustainably. We want to maintain our areas and increase our productivity; this is a goal we want to achieve.
