IMPROVING SUSTAINABLE COMMODITY SUPPLY CHAINS IN AMAZONIA

This briefing discusses the use of innovative trade-flow modelling to increase transparency in agricultural supply chains in Amazonia. By linking production jurisdictions in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru to downstream actors, the authors argue that stakeholders can better identify deforestation risks and build coalitions to transition toward sustainable production landscapes.

• Commercial agriculture expansion is the primary driver of forest loss in Amazonia, accounting for more than two-thirds of deforestation and forest degradation. This loss is projected to reduce rainfall in the region by up to 21% by 2050, threatening water regulation essential for energy production, agriculture, transportation, and the livelihoods of millions.
• Current efforts to decouple agricultural production from deforestation, including the Brazil soy moratorium and the New York Declaration on Forests, are described as fragmented across different actors and jurisdictions. The document argues that a more unified and systematic approach is required to transition to sustainable production landscapes.
• A novel 'middle-ground' approach to supply chain transparency has been developed that balances detail and scale. This method links specific jurisdictions (municipalities in Brazil and departments in Peru and Colombia) to downstream actors, such as traders and retailers, by combining country-wide production data, per-shipment customs data, and bilateral trade matrices.
• Increased transparency through supply chain modelling can help identify priority areas and groups of actors for intervention by scanning reputational and operational risks related to forest loss. This allows for the creation of coalitions between public and private actors to distribute responsibilities and lower costs.
• Four primary challenges hinder the large-scale operationalization of supply-chain mapping: the need for significant financial resources and capacity; the difficulty of mapping domestic supply chains for locally consumed commodities (such as beef in Brazil); the ability to track 'leakage' or the displacement of deforestation; and the integration of mapping data with social and environmental impact data.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2016). IMPROVING SUSTAINABLE COMMODITY SUPPLY CHAINS IN AMAZONIA. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Improving-Sustainable-Commodity-Supply-Chains-in-Amazonia.pdf

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. IMPROVING SUSTAINABLE COMMODITY SUPPLY CHAINS IN AMAZONIA. 2016. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Improving-Sustainable-Commodity-Supply-Chains-in-Amazonia.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=IMPROVING SUSTAINABLE COMMODITY SUPPLY CHAINS IN AMAZONIA |date=July 2016 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Improving-Sustainable-Commodity-Supply-Chains-in-Amazonia.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2016improving, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{IMPROVING SUSTAINABLE COMMODITY SUPPLY CHAINS IN AMAZONIA}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2016}, month = jul, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Improving-Sustainable-Commodity-Supply-Chains-in-Amazonia.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }