The Vice President of the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA), Muni Lourenço, welcomed on March 19 the visit of the Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Environment of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Kaveh Zahedi.
The meeting was attended by the FAO Representative in Brazil, Jorge Mezza, his Assistant, Gustavo Chianca, the Senior Natural Resources Officer and Researcher at FAO, Martial Bernoux, the CNA Sustainability Coordinator, Nelson Ananias, and the CNA International Relations Advisor, Elena Castellani.
Among other issues, they discussed the standing of the Brazilian agricultural sector at the Climate Conference (COP 30)—which will be held in November in Belém (Pará state)—, as well as sustainable practices implemented by rural producers to add to the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Kaveh Zahedi voiced his interest in learning about the sustainable solutions and projects developed by the CNA/SENAR System for all Brazilian rural producers and highlighted the importance of COP 30 in changing some misleading narratives about Brazil.
For Muni Lourenço, COP 30 will be an opportunity to fight misinformation related to the country. “We have several instruments that confirm the sustainability of rural production, such as the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), which provides an ‘X-ray’ of farms and ranches, and the Forest Code, which is one of the most strict environmental laws in the world, among others,” he said.
During the meeting, CNA Sustainability Coordinator Nelson Ananias commented on the System’s work in transferring technology to the field. “Technology needs to be scaled up to reach producers. Direct planting, for instance, has been used for many years and significantly benefits the environment. Today, 70% of Brazilian agriculture is carried out through direct planting,” he explained.
Ananias also emphasized the need for CAR analysis to bring more transparency to food production in the country and to ensure that rural producers have access to better interest rates for rural credit.
The meeting also addressed the role of Brazilian agribusiness abroad within the climate context, the deployment of good practices, and the sector’s commitment to Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
International Relations Advisor Elena Castellani pointed out that the current global geopolitical scenario is challenging, as the climate change narrative has been questioned. In this context, she explained that Brazil needs to work harder to showcase the efforts of its producers, who have been performing sustainable agriculture for many years.
At the end of the event, CNA Vice President Muni Lourenço stated that he hopes COP 30 will yield effective and concrete actions to address climate change, particularly in improving the social and economic indicators of the Amazon region. “The Amazon is not just a forest. More than 30 million people live there, and they need jobs and income,” he concluded.