The FIP Rural Landscapes Project, a partnership between the National Rural Learning Service (SENAR), the Brazilian Forest Service (SFB), the Ministries of Agriculture (MAPA) and Science, Technology, and Innovations (MCTI), EMBRAPA, and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), has achieved a significant milestone: the recovery of 100 thousand hectares of degraded pastureland. This initiative had a positive impact on the rural landscape across seven states in the Cerrado biome.
Since its launch in 2020, the project has been noteworthy for promoting environmental and productive recovery through Technical and Managerial Assistance. The primary technology used is recovering degraded pastures, aligned with the Federal Government’s Low Carbon Agriculture Adaptation Plan (ABC+), a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
According to Bárbara Silva, the project’s Coordinator, the recovery of pastures aids sustainability and provides direct benefits to producers. These benefits include increased productivity, income generation, and the conservation of native vegetation. In Mato Grosso do Sul, for instance, 16.8 thousand hectares were recovered, benefiting 303 farms in 12 cities.
In addition to economic and productive gains, the project has helped to legalize farms according to the Forest Code and aided the state’s goal of becoming carbon neutral. Nivaldo Jr., Coordinator of Technical and Managerial Assistance at SENAR-MS, highlights that the project prepares producers for new markets that increasingly demand environmentally responsible practices.
Key practices implemented include efficient management of pastures and livestock, soil correction and fertilization, and the construction of small dams for erosion control and rainwater collection. These interventions have yielded significant benefits, such as reducing pasture degradation, improving soil quality, and enhancing the quality of meat and milk production.
So far, the FIP Rural Landscapes Project has benefited 6,459 producers in 66 cities across the states of Bahia, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, and Tocantins, with 1,130 producers still being assisted. These results underscore the positive impact and ongoing importance of the initiative for sustainable agriculture in Brazil.