SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN BRAZIL

communication from BRAZIL

The following communication, dated 28 April 2025, is being circulated at the request of the delegation of Brazil.

[This communication builds upon communication _WT/GC/W/938 to the General Council. It introduces some of the concepts that will guide Brazil during the sustainable agriculture retreat that will take place on May 2025].

_______________

1  INTRODUCTION

1.  Identifying and compiling best practices to promote sustainable agrifood supply chains and facilitating access to goods and services should be at the forefront of the WTO's forward-looking dialogues. It is vital to move beyond narratives, avoid protectionism, and implement science and evidenced-based practices and policies that assist global agrifood systems to adapt to a changing climate while eradicating hunger and safeguarding global food security (_G/AG/GEN/222/Rev.1).

2.  At the outset of the discussion involving sustainability in agriculture, it is necessary to recognise that different Members have unique agricultural production conditions and practices, Therefore, a "one size fits all" approach for improving sustainability outcomes in agriculture is inefficient. For instance, Brazil's edaphoclimatic conditions, as a tropical country, pose specific challenges to our producers. A great portion of Brazilian tropical soils - being naturally acidic - present low fertility, which requires constant correction and nutrient replacement. Tropical conditions also impact sanitary and phytosanitary control, since specific pests and diseases affect our productions. The diverse array of agricultural production conditions amongst WTO Members has been duly reflected in Article 2.3 of the SPS Agreement.

3.  In our experience, addressing the major challenges our agricultural producers face nowadays "require[s] the implementation of a wide range of methods, new technologies and sustainable production approaches, based on scientific evidence and principles, taking into account good agricultural practices and traditional knowledge" (_WT/MIN(22)/17. _JOB/AG/236).

2  AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY

4.  Recalling the work under the international environmental regime, and referring to, among other conceptual milestones, the three Rio Conventions and the Sustainable Development Goals, Brazil understands that the basis of the discussion on sustainability in the agricultural sector can only follow an integrated and indivisible balance among the three dimensions - economic, social and environmental - of sustainable development.

5.  In Brazil's view, as a concept, agricultural sustainability must encompass the need of agricultural systems to maintain long-term productivity, while at the same time preserving the resources that give rise to them, such as biodiversity, soil fertility and water. Also, agricultural sustainability has to address the profound social and economic impact of the sector, as a source of income for rural populations, food security and development in regional and global terms, integrating economic productivity with environmental conservation and social responsibility. Brazil is a developing country, with a continental territory, a large population and expressive environmental, edaphoclimatic, social, economic and cultural diversity, as well as significant internal contrasts.

6.  Since its establishment in 1973, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) has been a key actor in the transformation of Brazilian agriculture and its research has allowed Brazil to become - in the late 1980s - a net food exporter. Science and the development of innovative and science based technologies, including the use of biological resources in food production, has enabled Brazil to overcome structural challenges and to adopt practices and processes which allow recurrent increases in productivity with sustainability, under the umbrella of sustainable intensification of agricultural production.

7.  Brazil strongly invests in the sustainable intensification of production systems and in various forms of regenerative agriculture. Promoting gains in land productivity involves not only a good management of the soil, but also technologies and practices such as paddocking and grazing rotation. These land-saving technologies, understood as technologies adopted by the productive sector, whether of low or high cost, allow sustainable increases in total production in the same area. Research and development for tailored solutions have been key elements in this endeavour.

8.  In our view, the implementation of actions to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity requires consideration of the integrity of the production system. Therefore, the accounting of greenhouse gas emissions generated by the agrifood sector should be fair and based on the best available science, taking into account all relevant elements in food production and distribution processes, as well as waste management.

3  LAND-SAVING TECHNOLOGIES

9.  Land-saving technologies increase productivity in a sustainable way and contribute to reverse the negative impact of practices which impoverish the soil, since their adoption makes clearing of new areas for agricultural production unnecessary. Accordingly, if these technologies were not in use, more areas would have to be dedicated to agriculture for the necessary production of food and energy. Therefore, they contribute to environmental, economic, and social sustainability of Brazilian agriculture.

10.  Some of the sustainable systems and land-saving technologies in use in Brazil are highlighted below:

·_              Integrated landscape approach (ILA), namely Integrated crop-forest (ICF) and Integrated crop-livestock-forest systems (ILCF): a strategy which combines livestock, agriculture, and forestry in the same area, with mutual benefits for each activity. The system benefits the farmer (by diversifying his/her source of profits over time), and the soil, as the diversification of production avoids the depletion of resources that would occur with a single species or type of production.

·_              No-Tillage System (NTS): a form of conservation management centred on the maintenance of soil cover, composed of straw and crop residues. This practice results in decreased soil compaction, reduced erosion and avoids siltation of water resources. This cover protects the soil surface and reduces evaporation, with a consequent increase in soil water storage and maintenance of temperature in the surface layer, favouring the growth of organisms and, therefore, the increase in organic matter. The end result is increased crop productivity.

·_              Use of bio-inputs to replace non-renewable inputs: the use of biodiversity and natural biological processes in agricultural production, such as inoculants (which promote the fixation of nitrogen in plants), and biological agents for pest control (insects, fungi, viruses, and bacteria). Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF): a process performed by bacteria present in the soil or added through the practice of inoculation that converts nitrogen from the air into forms that can be used by plants. The use of BNF implies a reduction in the need for chemical nitrogen fertilization, with a consequent reduction in the cost of agricultural production and its negative environmental impacts, since it reduces the contamination of water sources. Bacteria which allow plants to increase soil phosphorus use: Embrapa has identified two bacteria capable of solubilizing phosphorus from the soil, which resulted in the first biological inoculant for phosphorus absorption in Brazil. Its use could reduce the potentially negative environmental impacts resulting from the application of phosphorus fertilizers, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the atmosphere.

·_              Precision agriculture: consists of a set of tools and technologies that allow the farmer to know, in detail, technical information of its entire area, which can help increase yields.

4  NATIONAL PLANS

11.  Brazil relies on robust environmental and agricultural domestic regulations, prominently the Forest Code (Law 12.651/2012), which has established strict land-use constraints and national monitoring mechanisms and resulted in consistent growth in production with marginal increase in land-use. The following examples of national policies depict part of the effort to balance sustainable development in all three pillars throughout a continental-size territory, megadiverse biomes and strong economic reliance on agriculture.

12.  Brazil has adopted the Sectoral Plan for Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change for the Consolidation of a Low-Carbon Emission Economy in Agriculture (ABC Plan- 2010-2020), already in its second edition (ABC Plan+ 2020-2030). The ABC Plan+ aims to encourage and monitor the adoption of agricultural practices which reduce emissions and generate resilience without compromising productivity and agriculture sector growth, such as: recovery of pastures; ICLF and agroforestry systems; NTS; bio-inputs; Planted forests; Treatment of animal waste; Irrigated systems; and Intensive pasture termination. The mitigation target of the ABC Plan+ for 2020-2030 is 1076.14 mtCO2eq. In the path of adaptation to climate change, a dedicated Research Center for Climate Change Applied Genomics (UMIP GenClima) was launched in 2017 and will have bioinformatics, molecular biology and breeding laboratories supported by a large-scale phenotyping infrastructure to provide new technologies to the very demanding agricultural sector.

13.  In addition, the National Adaptation Strategy will also have a specific Sectoral Adaptation Plan for Family Farming, which directs efforts to address the specific challenges faced by family farmers, indigenous peoples and traditional communities, strengthening family farming as a resilient sector adapted to climate change. The proposed actions focus on building sustainable agrifood systems, promoting food and nutritional sovereignty and security, facilitating access to adaptive technologies, social and climate justice, recognizing gender and generation as central and cross-cutting elements. The sectoral objectives were defined based on the exposure of agriculture to climate threats, which compromise productive capacity, territorial and food security, and the well-being of populations.

14.  In 2018, Brazil launched the National Program of Brazilian Soils (PronaSolos), whose main objective is to map the national territory and generate detailed data to support public policies, assist territorial management, support precision agriculture as well as decisions for lending, among many other applications. It may allow better soil use, in addition to contributing to greater productivity and, consequently, saving land.

15.  In 2023, Brazil has established the National Program for Conversion of Degraded Pastures (PNCPD). The program aims at converting 40 million hectares of degraded pastures into sustainable production systems, thus avoiding expansion into areas of native vegetation. The requalification of these areas will allow for simultaneous progress in the objectives of increasing production, as a contribution to global food security, and environmental sustainability, with carbon capture, reversal of erosion processes and other damage to soils (through sustainable soil management and conservation practices).

16.  In 2024, Brazil launched the National Productive Forests Program aimed at restoring degraded areas for productive use and supporting family farming. The program promotes environmental regularization, agroforestry, and sustainable economic development. Its actions include technical assistance, rural credit, and financing for agroforestry systems. It also supports seed networks, community nurseries, and public training spaces for learning and experimentation. Additionally, the program funds equipment purchases and provides training in organization and management for economic groups. Research and innovation focus on social technologies in family farming. The initiative facilitates access to markets, public policies, and financial incentives like environmental service payments. Overall, it integrates ecological restoration with economic sustainability to benefit family farmers.

17.  Established by Decree No. 10,375/2020, the National Plan on Bioinputs aims at expanding and strengthening the use of bioinputs for sustainable development, through strategic actions, such as support to investments in science, technology and innovation, credit and promotion, training, implementation of biofactories and the incentive to the development of state bioinputs programs. The plan covers a wide range of products in this sector, from seeds to post-harvest products. Last year, through Law No. 15.070/2024, Brazil defined parameters for the production, registration and trade of bioinputs in the country, enabling operators to invest safely and sustainably in this most promising sector.

18.  At last, it is worth mentioning that in 2024 Brazil launched the 3rd National Plan for Agroecology and Organic Production (Planapo), covering the period from 2024 to 2027, with 7 areas of action: production; use and conservation of agrobiodiversity and nature; knowledge building and communication; marketing and consumption; land and territory; sociobiodiversity; health and care for life. The Plan aims at encouraging the agroecological transition, by seeking to increase the sustainability of agricultural systems, respecting local cultures and diversity and promoting the adoption of practices guided by ecologically-based technologies.

5  BIOECONOMY

19.  Brazil is committed to promoting the development of poverty-stricken regions, including in the Amazon Basin, through leveraging the concept of bioeconomy and generating social, economic and environmental benefits from nature-based solutions. Following the G20 High-Level Principles on Bioeconomy, bioeconomy integrates and promotes sustainable development in an inclusive and equitable manner, contributing to the conservation of biodiversity and advancing both mitigation and adaptation efforts against global climate change and sustainable consumption and production patterns. It is developed through safe, secure and responsible use of science, technology, innovation and traditional knowledge, benefiting from robust and coherent policy frameworks.

6  AVOIDANCE OF TRADE AND PRODUCTION DISTORTING MEASURES

20.  Brazil stresses that the pursuit of agricultural sustainability need not have trade-distorting effects or effects on production, nor involve transfers received by producers individually. Multilateral regulation could help avoid policy fragmentation and the dissemination of private standards, which necessarily weighs more heavily on small-scale producers, marginal economies and the developing world as a whole.

21.  Regarding domestic support, it is worth noticing that payments based on output or on unconstrained use of variable inputs, together with market price support, are known to increase pressures on natural resources and to raise GHG emissions. These types of support are also potentially more production- and trade-distorting, and are inefficient tools for transferring income to farmers, as they tend to be inequitable and not targeted to producers with low income (OECD, Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation 2022).

22.  In turn, investments in science and technology in the form of research, including general research and research in connection with environmental programmes, training services and extension and advisory services are, for instance, forms of agricultural policies that have no, or at most minimal, trade-distorting effects or effects on production, according to paragraph 2(a) of Annex 2 of the AoA.

23.  Furthermore, re-orienting expenditures to innovation, particularly R&D on emission-reducing technologies and production methods, should support mitigation and foster sustainable productivity growth, thereby also reducing income pressures from stricter environmental and emission standards (OECD, Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation 2022).

24.  It is essential that efforts to advance global agricultural sustainability are not accompanied by the proliferation of trade barriers disguised as environmental measures. The development of trade-related environmental rules must strictly respect the multilateral legal obligations undertaken by WTO Members, ensuring that it does not create obstacles incompatible with the progressive liberalization of agricultural trade as set out in Article 20 of the AoA. The unilateral adoption of measures and standards, without adequate legal and scientific justification, without due regard for the diversity of production systems, and with extraterritorial effects that disregard national regulatory frameworks, leads to regulatory fragmentation, increases compliance costs, and undermines productive inclusion, particularly in developing countries.

25.  It is necessary to recognize the role of technology transfer (TT) through the sharing of products, processes and services that positively impact the agriculture-environment interface. For instance, the generation of knowledge and the training of technicians, multiplier agents, opinion leaders, and public agents across various links in the production chains and other sectors of society constitute the main TT actions. Support for the implementation of best practices and for the organization and certification of more sustainable production systems is key in enabling countries around the world to adopt practices that promote the sustainable intensification of production.

7  NEXT STEPS

26.  As the host of COP30/UNFCCC, Brazil will endeavour to strengthen global climate action, including the Global Adaptation Goal. Agriculture is an important part of this work, and the Brazilian presidency is committed to promoting progress under the Sharm el-Sheikh mandate in a balanced and pragmatic approach. Agriculture remains a cross-cutting issue, and therefore a broad political coordination is necessary to promote consistent development in the multiple relevant fora.

27.  Brazil believes that the sustainable agriculture retreat will be an opportunity for discussing practices, technologies and policies of this nature and expects that this contribution serve as a basis for this exercise.

__________