Opinion

Brazil can meet its climate goals and lead the world in sustainable food production

Embrapa training and expertise helped expand the uptake of technologies such as pasture irrigation and practices to recover soil fertility and animal health. Photo: Carlos Rudinei A. Mattoso/Shutterstock

Brazil is one of the largest food producers and exporters in the world. Rapid progress towards this accolade was largely thanks to highly advanced agricultural technologies and systems used on Brazilian farms as well as a strong legacy of research, development, and innovation — which represents 37 percent of public investment in agriculture.

The current pressures and complexities created by climate change and new trade opportunities with the European Union provide an opportunity for Brazil to show global leadership once again in developing and scaling up innovations that adapt to extreme conditions while limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

In many ways, Brazil has a clear advantage in the journey towards the intensification of sustainable agriculture, thanks to its robust research institutions and a strong culture of entrepreneurialism. Lessons from previous successes can be the springboard that enables the agribusiness sector to continue to meet growing global demand without compromising Brazil’s wealth of natural resources.

For example, the pioneering “Balde Cheio” (Full Bucket) initiative, launched 24 years ago by

Mauricio Lopes

Mauricio Lopes is a scientist and a former two-term president of Embrapa, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation. He currently serves on the advisory board to the director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization.