LUIZ ANTONIO MARTINELLICENA-University of São Paulo

São Paulo, May 15, 2015

Is it possible to conciliate

agriculture and environmental

preservation in Brazil?

A unique and rare opportunity in the world history:

Become a leader in food production with alleconomic and social benefits

AND,…..conserving its megabiodiveristy that in turn will provide several environmental services that will guarantee its agricultural success in the future.

Brazilian geography

1965-1985

Macroeconomics

•High inflation

•Controlled exchange rate

•Farm policy (high)

•Land as a real asset

•“Latifúndios”

Price support and storage

•Massive

Agricultural trade policy

•Closed economy

•High tariffs

•Export taxes

1995-2010

Macroeconomics

•Control of inflation

•Volatile exchange rate

•Farm policy (low)

Price support and storage

•Modest

Agricultural trade policy

•More open economy

•Low tariffs

•Low export taxes

Gasques, 2006; Chaddad and Junk, 2006; Barros, 2008;

Source: FAOSTAT

Municipalities level Soybean (ha/km2)

Source: FAOSTAT

Municipalities level Sugar cane (ha/km2)

2003

Source: CANASAT - http://www.dsr.inpe.br/mapdsr/frame.jsp

Source: CANASAT - http://www.dsr.inpe.br/mapdsr/frame.jsp

2008

Source: FAOSTAT

Municipalities level Corn (ha/km2)

Source: FAOSTAT

Municipalities level Cattle (head/km2)

Brazil: land use - 2010

Source: FAOSTAT

Brazilian Exports 2009

Brazilian Agriculture9% of the country GDPBrazilian Agribusiness25% of the country GDP

Source: Receita Federal do Brasil, 2010

“Poets and city folks love to romanticize agriculture,

portraying it as some sort of idyllic state of harmony

between humankind and nature. How far this is from

the truth! Since Neolithic man or most probably

woman domesticated the major crop and animal

species some 10-12 millenia ago, agriculture has

been a struggle between the forces of natural

biodiversity and the need to produce food under

increasingly intensive production systems”

Norman Bourlaug

“Delight is a weak term to express the feelings of a naturalist who, for the first time, has wandered by himself in a Brazilian forest”Charles Darwin

700 thousand km2

Almost 6 x PA

Amazon

500 thousand km2

4 x PA

Cerrado

Cerrado biodiversityPlants: 10,000Mammals: 195Birds: 607Reptiles: 225Amphibians: 186Freshwater fish: 800Source: Conservation International

Cerrado – Tropical SavannaOriginal area: 2 million km2

Deforested: 0.8 million km2 (40%)Rate: 4,000 km2 per year

1,900 thousand km2

16 x PA

Atlantic Forest

Biomass: 150 – 250 ton/haTrees (DBH>10cm): 400 - 900Species: 250 – 500 species/ha

Atlantic Forest (one of the oldest tropical forests in the world)

Plants: 20,000Mammals : 264Birds: 934Reptiles: 311Amphibians: 456Freshwater fish: 350Source: Conservation International

Atlantic ForestOriginal: 2 million km2

Deforested: 1.86 million km2

Only 7% is left!!!

2007 2008 2009 2010

2011 2012 2013 2014

www.inpe.gov.br

Source: MMA-IBAMA(www.mma.gov.br)

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1963 1986 2004 2014

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The most recognizable of these natural services that depend on the landscape in which agricultural fieldsare embedded are:pollination and biological pest control.

Several fruits, vegetables, nuts and stimulant crops like coffee are highly dependent (Klein et al., 2007)l

It is important to remember that LAC is an important fruit and vegetable producer and the largest coffee exporter of the world.

Gallai et al. (2009) estimated that the insect pollination economic value for LAC would be worth approximately 12 trillion €.

Isopreno (gas) 2-methilthertiol (partículas)

Emission of isoprene e produção de CCN na Amazônia

Ecosystem Services

The Amazon forest works likea rain machine that exports water and water vapor to otherparts of the South America, including the soybean production area of MT.

(Pedro Dias Leite)

• Fertilizers

• Micronutrients

• Lime

• GMOs

• Insecticides,

• Herbicides,

• Fungicides

Land intensification

• Fertilizers

• Micronutrients

• Lime

• GMOs

• Insecticides,

• Herbicides,

• Fungicides

Amazon Transition Forest 250 species per hectare

Soybean field – 1 dominant specie per hectare

a new style of ecotone…

Sustainable Agriculture

Agroecosystems are a simplification of more complex natural ecosystems

The main goal of sustainable agriculture is to mimic natural ecosystems adding to agroecosystems layers of complexity and increase functional diversity.

Additionaly, sustainable agriculture recognizes the role of neighboring landscapeto provide key services to agriculture

Agricultural sustainability also includes a series of field management in order to add layers of complexity to agricultural fields.

• No till (cultivo mínimo)• Cover crops, and (adubo verde)• Crop-livestock systems (integração lavoura-

pecuária)• Nutrients management (manejo de

nutrientes)• ZERO DEFORESTATION