Brazilian Farmers highlight their adaptation commitment to climate change in Holland

07/12/2019

Peer Learning Summit participants from Ghana, Saint Lucia, Rwanda, Morocco, Vietnam, Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Sierra Leone and Jordan. | Photo by Nap Global Network

Brazilian Farmers were at the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network, held in Rotterdam, presenting the work carried out by the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA) and the National Rural Learning Service (SENAR) to promote a more sustainable and efficient agricultural production.

According to CNA’s Coordinator of Sustainability and Water Resources, Nelson Filho, the event sought to foster partnerships on climate change adaptation through a debate between public and private stakeholders.

“Brazil is a protagonist in the transfer of knowledge and technology directly to the Brazilian rural producer. Several countries do not have the knowledge to take this on the farms. Brazilians made a great investment in research to increase productivity with more efficient technologies,” said Nelson.

The other countries were interested in the work of SENAR and the possibility of promoting partnerships to gain access to training and technical assistance programs mainly for small and medium-sized rural producers.

“They recognized the investments and actions of Brazil and there was much interest in SENAR’s portfolio of services. We have technology, expertise and investment in low carbon agriculture. Our challenge is to take this to the fields efficiently. To bring together knowledge and production to increase the resilience and adaptation of Brazilian agriculture,” he said.

The coordinator also spoke about the projects developed by Brazil aimed at the adaptation of the rural producer to climate change, such as the Low Carbon Agriculture Plan (ABC) and the Agricultural Climate Risk Zoning (Zarc), in addition to Brazil’s environment legislation, known as the Forest Code and the National Water Resources Law.

“All these actions are complete and show that we have focused our actions in sustainable development, with the adoption of technology and expertise. Now we are ready to take this expertise to other countries and markets,” he said.

In addition to capacity building, the seminar discussed the types of funding for adaptation plans. According to Nelson Filho, Brazil already has a multisectoral plan that involves the entire productive sector and is planning ahead of other countries.

On Thursday, July 11, the last day of the seminar, the discussions revolved around the private sector’s participation in the national adaptation plans for climate change. It was highlighted the importance of funding for these actions in developing countries.

During the forum, Brazilian Farmers met with some funders, such as the Global Adaptation Center, the Green Fund, the Private Investment Fund for Resilience Acceleration and the Nationally Determined Contribution Fund (NDCs).

“As representatives of the Brazilian agricultural sector, we suggest creating an institutional front to better access these funds, not only for projects but also for basic governmental and private actions that reach the producers,” said Nelson.

Another point highlighted in the forum was the need for resources for Payment for Environmental Services (PSA), which he considers a way to motivate and propagate actions aimed at improving the environment, especially those linked to climate change.