Food awareness organisation ProVeg Brazil has began a project to help Brazilian livestock farmers transition to plant-based agroforestry.

The project aims to get Brazilian farmers more involved in environmentally sustainable farming practices.

Over one-third of Brazil’s land is used for agriculture, 58% of which is pastures used for livestock.

Despite this, the country still struggles to supply sufficient natural, healthy foods for its own population, according to ProVeg.

Brazil is one of the world’s largest producers of animal products, but this position does not come without consequences.

90% of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest is due to Brazilian agriculture, a sector that is also responsible for over half of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.

With the EU-Mercosur trade deal on the fence, an agreement could lead to devastating measures in Brazil if change is not implemented, the food awareness organisation claimed.

Cultiva Project

Executive director of ProVeg Brazil, Aline Baroni said: “We are proposing a solution to this impasse called the Cultiva Project, which will encourage just transition, food security, and more sustainable agricultural production.

“We are offering – completely free of charge – technical support in the areas of agronomy, law, and marketing for producers who are motivated to start producing plant-based foods.

“It is an investment in the future of family farming, because we know how important it is to guarantee food security and promote healthy eating in Brazil.”

The project aims to connect with rural producers who currently work with animals of any type, such as raising cattle for meat or to produce milk, poultry for meat or eggs, or pigs.

From here, a unique plan to suit each individual farm will be drawn up in a bid to achieve at least one hectare of agroforestry on each site.

The project will provide at least nine months’ technical support to help each farm make the transition, according to ProVeg.

Baroni said; “Our goal is to accelerate the transition to more sustainable plant-rich food systems.

“With this project, we seek not only to reduce the environmental impact of animal production, but also to offer rural producers a new income prospect.”

Agroforestry is a sustainable agricultural method where trees and shrubs are integrated into farms to promote diversity in a multifunctional system.

EU-Mercosur trade deal

Meanwhile, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic told the EU Parliament’s Committee for International Trade (INTA) earlier this year that the EU-Mercosur trade agreement is a “win-win” deal.

However, analysis from the Meat Industry Ireland (MII) showed that an agreement could reduce the value of the Irish beef sector by over €100 million.

MII stated that if the proposed deal is agreed upon, Mercosur exporters like Brazil will have additional EU market access of 99,000t of beef.

According to the industry organisation, this will lead to significant herd increases in countries like Brazil, who are already under large environmental burdens.

Source - https://www.agriland.ie