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This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the financing of sustainable agriculture in the Brazilian Cerrado, with a specific focus on the Matopiba region. It evaluates the effectiveness of subsidized rural credit and innovative blended finance mechanisms in aligning agricultural production with zero-deforestation and sustainability goals.

A briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics detailing how soy-driven deforestation in Brazil's Cerrado biome reduces regional rainfall and agricultural productivity, creating a paradox where individual farmer profits are outweighed by regional economic losses and global supply chain risks.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative evaluates the effectiveness of Brazil's ABC Recuperação credit line in recovering degraded pastures, focusing on the Cerrado biome. Using satellite imagery and econometric analysis of operations between 2016 and 2018, the study finds that the credit's impact on pasture recovery is modest, with severe degradation remaining largely unchanged and some pasture being converted to crops rather than recovered. The report highlights the critical role of technical assistance and soil type in achieving results and suggests that the program contributed minimally to the ABC Plan's 2020 recovery targets.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) evaluates the effectiveness of the 'ABC Recuperação' credit line, a subsidized financing instrument designed to restore degraded pastures in Brazil. Focusing on the Cerrado biome for operations between 2016 and 2018, the study uses satellite imagery and econometric analysis to determine if the credit led to actual pasture recovery or land-use changes. The findings indicate that the credit's impact is modest, with little evidence of recovery in severely degraded areas and a tendency for the credit to facilitate the conversion of high-vigor pastures into agriculture rather than restoring low-vigor ones.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the regulatory and governance challenges of legal deforestation in Brazil, with a specific focus on the Matopiba region. It examines the issuance of Vegetation Suppression Authorizations (ASV) and the effectiveness of the National System for the Control of the Origin of Forest Products (Sinaflor), concluding that current tools are insufficient for monitoring and controlling legal deforestation.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes forest replacement (reposição florestal) mechanisms in the Matopiba region (Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia) of the Brazilian Cerrado. It evaluates current modalities—direct planting, replacement credits, and cash payments—and proposes innovative management tools based on case studies from other Brazilian states and federal initiatives to improve environmental restoration outcomes.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes forest replenishment (reposição florestal) legislation in the Brazilian Amazon and Cerrado biomes. It argues that current implementation is outdated, focusing on biomass supply for markets rather than ecological compensation for biodiversity loss, and highlights significant failures in the management of replenishment funds and recent legislative setbacks in Goiás.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative and PUC-Rio provides a baseline analysis of smallholders in Brazil's Caatinga and Cerrado biomes to inform a 'rural just transition.' It highlights the socioeconomic vulnerabilities of small-scale farmers, the disparities in productivity and resource access between the two biomes, and the need for tailored policies that integrate social dimensions with climate mitigation to ensure that the transition to sustainable agriculture does not exacerbate existing inequalities.

The Climate Policy Initiative warns that Brazil faces a potential cessation of official deforestation data for the Cerrado biome starting in April 2022 due to a lack of guaranteed funding for the National Institute for Space Research (INPE).

This white paper by the Climate Policy Initiative argues that strengthening command and control mechanisms, specifically through technological innovation in monitoring and law enforcement, is essential to combating illegal deforestation in Brazil. It highlights the success of the DETER system in the Amazon and proposes expanding these capabilities to other biomes and smaller-scale deforestation.

This white paper by the Climate Policy Initiative argues that strengthening environmental command and control—specifically through technological monitoring and law enforcement—is essential for Brazil to combat illegal deforestation, protect its native vegetation, and maintain its international agribusiness competitiveness.

The Climate Smart Cattle Ranching (CSCR) initiative, proposed by Naturevest and The Nature Conservancy, is a blended finance model designed to increase the supply of deforestation-free beef from the Brazilian Amazon. The project establishes a 'New Company' to provide long-term co-investment and technical assistance to mid-sized ranchers, specifically targeting those who lack formal land titles and are unable to access traditional commercial credit. By implementing Embrapa’s Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and ensuring compliance with the Brazilian Forest Code, the initiative aims to intensify livestock production on degraded pastures, thereby reducing the pressure to deforest and lowering the emissions intensity of beef production.

This research paper analyzes the drivers and socioeconomic impacts of agricultural expansion in the Matopiba region of Brazil between 1995 and 2012. The author finds that expansion was heavily concentrated in the Cerrado biome, driven by technological innovations in soil management and soy varieties. This shift led to significant increases in GDP per capita and improved access to basic consumer goods and electricity, though it had no significant effect on migration or educational investments.

This technical briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the Joint Resolution SMA/SAA No. 1/2016 regarding the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA) in the State of São Paulo. While acknowledging procedural advances, the document identifies several points of legal insecurity, specifically regarding the loss of land-use rights, the lack of complementary regulations, and restrictive requirements for Legal Reserve compensation.

This report examines the environmental impacts of land use change (LUC) in the La Plata Basin, with a specific focus on the Brazilian Cerrado. It analyzes how the expansion of international commodities, forestry, cattle ranching, and biofuel crops—particularly sugarcane—affects soil carbon stocks and overall soil quality. The document highlights the role of agricultural technology in enabling this expansion and evaluates different management practices, such as no-tillage and the elimination of pre-harvest burning, to mitigate carbon loss and soil degradation.