THE NEXT STEP TOWARDS CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION: IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY OF BRAZIL’S AGRICULTURAL LANDS

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) argues that Brazil can increase agricultural production without increasing deforestation by improving the productivity of already cleared lands, particularly by transitioning underused cattle pastures to crop production.

• Brazil's agricultural land is currently used inefficiently, with a small portion of land producing the majority of output. In 2006, 18% of the country's farmland was responsible for 63% of overall production, and over 70% of non-native vegetation area serves as pastures, which are often unproductive, sometimes yielding only one head of cattle per hectare.
• The adaptation of soybeans for the Brazilian Cerrado in the 1970s led to an expansion of cropland that primarily substituted native pastures rather than forests. This technological shift resulted in lower deforestation in municipalities better suited for soybean cultivation and increased farm and land values.
• Expanding rural access to electric power between 1960 and 2000 incentivized farmers to shift from cattle grazing to more productive crop cultivation. A 10% increase in electricity access resulted in a 3-percentage point decrease in land used for cattle grazing, and farmers who intensified crop production were more likely to retain native vegetation.
• The construction of 14 sugarcane mills in Mato Grosso do Sul between 2005 and 2012 increased sugarcane cropland by over 300%, mostly on former pasturelands. This expansion reduced average deforestation by 6.3 thousand hectares in affected municipalities after three years and boosted local GDP by 30%, employment by 40%, and wages by 44%.
• In the Tapajós Basin from 2002 to 2012, an increase in the relative price of crops compared to beef led farmers to convert pastures to cropland, which reduced deforestation by 5,300 km2. The high investment costs associated with crops (such as seeds and machinery) often limit production to smaller areas, protecting forested land.
• The 2012 Forest Code provides a policy framework to support sustainable growth by requiring rural properties to maintain Legal Forest Reserves (between 20% and 80% of the area) and protect permanent preservation areas near water and slopes. This law encourages productivity gains over further land clearing.

APA

Climate Policy Initiative (2017). THE NEXT STEP TOWARDS CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION: IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY OF BRAZIL’S AGRICULTURAL LANDS. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/PP-ING_-CPI_Digital.pdf

Chicago

Climate Policy Initiative. THE NEXT STEP TOWARDS CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION: IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY OF BRAZIL’S AGRICULTURAL LANDS. 2017. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/PP-ING_-CPI_Digital.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Policy Initiative |title=THE NEXT STEP TOWARDS CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION: IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY OF BRAZIL’S AGRICULTURAL LANDS |date=April 2017 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/PP-ING_-CPI_Digital.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatepolicyinitiative2017next, author = {{Climate Policy Initiative}}, title = {{THE NEXT STEP TOWARDS CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION: IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY OF BRAZIL’S AGRICULTURAL LANDS}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2017}, month = apr, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/PP-ING_-CPI_Digital.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }