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This research paper by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-RIO) examines barriers to accessing the National Program for Strengthening Family Farming (PRONAF) in Brazil. It identifies significant regional disparities in credit access, particularly favoring the South, and highlights technical assistance (ATER) and cooperative membership as critical determinants for expanding financial inclusion among smallholder farmers.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes barriers to accessing the National Program for Strengthening Family Agriculture (Pronaf) in Brazil. It identifies significant regional disparities in credit access, highlighting that technical assistance and rural extension (ATER) and membership in cooperatives are critical determinants for obtaining credit. The study emphasizes that while Pronaf is essential for financial resilience, it must be integrated with complementary public policies to enhance the productive and climate resilience of family farmers.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) evaluates the effectiveness of protected areas—including conservation units and indigenous lands—in reducing deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. While the analysis finds that these areas effectively shield the forests within their boundaries, they have a negligible impact on aggregate deforestation levels because they tend to displace deforestation to unprotected regions.

This research paper evaluates the effectiveness of Brazil's DETER satellite-based monitoring system in reducing deforestation in the Amazon between 2006 and 2016. Using an instrumental variable approach based on cloud coverage, the authors find that targeted environmental law enforcement significantly curbed forest clearing without negatively impacting local agricultural production.

This research paper analyzes the growth of secondary vegetation in the Brazilian Amazon from 2004 to 2014, investigating whether this regeneration was a result of policy spillovers from law enforcement targeting primary forest loss. The authors find that increased enforcement in a cell's neighborhood significantly increases the probability and area of forest regrowth within that cell, suggesting a deterrence mechanism where offenders abandon deforested land due to higher perceived risks.

This research paper evaluates whether legal territorial protection in the Brazilian Amazon effectively shields forests from deforestation. Using a spatially explicit panel dataset from 2006 to 2014, the author finds that protected territories successfully reduce forest clearing in high-risk areas compared to unprotected cells under similar pressure. However, the study concludes that this protection does not reduce the overall level of regional deforestation but instead deflects clearing activity to unprotected areas.

This research paper analyzes the determinants of distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) generation penetration across 5,563 municipalities in Brazil. The study finds that demand-side factors—specifically population, GDP, and electricity tariffs—are more significant predictors of PV adoption than the availability of solar resources. The authors argue that current tariff subsidies in high-potential regions like the Northeast may be hindering PV growth and suggest that climate mitigation policies must address demand-side frictions to be effective.

This research paper examines how the adoption of flex-fuel vehicles (bi-fuel cars) influenced price competition between ethanol and gasoline retail markets in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between 2002 and 2008. Using a theoretical model and panel data from fuel stations, the authors find that increased flex-fuel penetration reduced retail prices and margins for both fuels, though the effect was more pronounced for ethanol. The study concludes that innovations increasing consumer choice can benefit all consumers, including those who do not adopt the new technology.

This research paper analyzes the relationship between agricultural land use and deforestation in the Tapajós basin of the Brazilian Amazon from 2002 to 2012. The author finds that an increase in the relative price of crops (specifically soy) compared to beef encourages the conversion of pasture to cropland, which in turn reduces local deforestation rates.

This research paper evaluates the relative contributions of agricultural output prices and conservation policies to the reduction of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon between 2002 and 2009. Using a panel of 380 municipalities, the authors find that while agricultural prices drive deforestation, conservation policies implemented in 2004 and 2008 significantly curbed forest clearings without negatively impacting local GDP or population trends.

This executive summary evaluates the impact of Brazilian Central Bank Resolution 3,545, a 2008 policy that conditioned rural credit in the Amazon Biome on proof of environmental compliance. The study finds that the policy significantly reduced credit concessions and subsequent deforestation, particularly in cattle-ranching areas, suggesting that cattle ranchers face binding credit constraints that influence land clearing.

This executive summary evaluates the impact of Resolution 3.545, a 2008 Brazilian Central Bank policy that conditioned rural credit in the Amazon Biome on environmental compliance. The study finds that the policy significantly reduced rural credit and subsequently decreased deforestation, particularly in cattle-ranching areas.

This executive summary analyzes the drivers of reduced deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon between 2000 and 2010, specifically comparing the impact of agricultural price fluctuations against the implementation of conservation policies in 2004 and 2008. The study concludes that while agricultural prices influence deforestation rates, government policies were responsible for preventing the loss of approximately 62,000 square kilometers of forest between 2005 and 2009.

This executive summary analyzes whether the substantial decline in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon between 2004 and 2009 was driven by agricultural price fluctuations or government conservation policies. Using regression techniques and counterfactual simulations, the authors conclude that conservation policies implemented at two key turning points (2004 and 2008) were responsible for approximately half of the avoided deforestation during this period.