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Mighty Earth calls for new EU legislation to ensure corporations only sell deforestation-free products, arguing that European consumption of commodities like soy, palm oil, beef, coffee, and cocoa fuels the destruction of global ecosystems, including the Amazon and Cerrado.

The report identifies 12 cases of fire in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes in August 2020, totaling 20,064 hectares of prior deforestation. It links these fires to the preparation of land for pasture or crop production and highlights that major traders like Bunge, Cargill, and JBS are connected to farms engaging in these practices.

The report details the impact of the Emergency Amazon Fire Fund, which raised nearly $2 million in the US for fire response and recovery. It highlights the severity of the 2019 fire season, where the total burned area reached at least 21,621 square miles, and notes that 2020 saw a 28% increase in fires in the Brazilian Amazon during July compared to the previous year. WWF's interventions include donating 700 fire-fighting tools to the State of Amazonas Fire Department, supporting community-led wildfire prevention in Colombia's Chiribiquete National Park, and establishing an emergency program in Bolivia. The document argues that fires are driven by deforestation—fueled by land speculation, infrastructure development, and market demand—and are exacerbated by climate change. Long-term goals focus on securing 210 million acres of the biome through Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) and strengthening Indigenous land rights.

The document argues that cattle productivity in Brazil is inversely related to the share of farmland devoted to pastures, meaning productivity increases as ranch size declines. It identifies land values as a key driver of this relationship, noting that higher land costs incentivize more intensive ranching or a switch to crop cultivation. The authors suggest that combating illegal deforestation, reducing agricultural modernization bottlenecks, and improving access to credit can drive cattle intensification and reduce pressure on forests.

The document analyzes the inverse correlation between the size of pasture areas and livestock productivity in Brazil. It argues that low productivity is driven by land-use inefficiencies and economic incentives, such as low land costs relative to capital. The authors suggest that combating illegal deforestation, reducing agricultural modernization bottlenecks, and improving credit access can incentivize the transition to more intensive livestock production or high-productivity agriculture, thereby reducing pressure on the Amazon and Cerrado biomes.

Over 340 civil society organisations have called on the European Union to stop trade negotiations with the Mercosur bloc, citing a surge in human rights violations and environmental degradation in Brazil since the inauguration of President Jair Bolsonaro in January 2019. The signatories argue that the EU, as Brazil's second-largest trading partner, must use its leverage to demand an end to deforestation and the fulfillment of Paris Agreement commitments before proceeding with any trade deal.

The document argues that strengthening 'comando e controle' (command and control) is essential for protecting Brazil's native vegetation, which is critical for environmental conservation, international reputation, and the competitiveness of the agribusiness sector. It highlights the success of the DETER system in the Amazon, which helped reduce annual forest loss by over 80% and avoided the loss of more than 2 million hectares per year during its first five years. However, it identifies gaps such as the inability to detect small-scale deforestation (under 25 hectares) and the lack of monitoring for secondary vegetation. The authors recommend developing technology for small-scale detection and forest degradation, monitoring forest regeneration, expanding remote sensing to all national biomes, and implementing land tenure regularization in public lands and agrarian reform settlements.

The document argues that strengthening 'command and control'—specifically through technological monitoring and law enforcement—is essential for protecting Brazil's native vegetation. It highlights the success of the DETER system in the Amazon and recommends expanding such remote sensing to all biomes, improving the detection of small-scale clearing and forest degradation, monitoring secondary vegetation, and addressing land tenure issues in public lands and agrarian reform settlements.

The document argues that Brazil can align economic growth with environmental protection by reforming its rural credit system to support the 2012 Forest Code. It identifies inefficiencies in the current credit design, such as annual planning horizons and a dominance of public banks, and proposes a phased transition toward risk management tools, private sector participation, and subsidies strictly tied to the provision of public environmental goods.

The document explores how green bonds can support Brazil's agricultural sector, noting that while the forestry sector has successfully used these instruments, sustainable agriculture remains underfunded. It highlights the underutilization of government programs like the ABC Program and suggests that securitizing small loans via Certificados de Recebíveis do Agronegócio (CRA) and leveraging bank-issued green bonds could bridge the financing gap for sustainable practices.

The document examines the gap between Brazil's agricultural importance and its limited use of green bonds for the sector, which has been primarily restricted to forestry and paper. It highlights that while government programs like the Low Carbon Agriculture Program (ABC) exist, they are underutilised due to complex application processes and a lack of understanding among financial institutions. The authors argue that green bonds and securitisation tools like Certificates of Agribusiness Receivables (CRA) could scale sustainable financing by aggregating small loans and attracting international capital.

The report identifies three distinct patterns of agricultural technology adoption in Brazil from 2006 to 2017. The Direct Planting System (DPS) is converging, becoming more widespread across the country. Tractor use is diverging, with increased concentration in wealthier, urbanized regions of the South and Southeast. Fertilizer use has increased overall but lacks a clear spatial pattern, with growth scattered across diverse regions including the Cerrado and Caatinga.

The Responsible Commodities Facility (RCF) is a proposed debt fund designed to halt agricultural expansion into the Brazilian Cerrado by providing low-interest loans to farmers who produce soy and corn on degraded lands. The facility aims to raise US$ 300 million through green bonds to provide crop financing and land restoration loans, utilizing blockchain for traceability and a dedicated exchange to link producers with international sustainable buyers. Over 10 years, the RCF targets the restoration of 1.2 million hectares of land and the avoidance of 55 million tonnes of carbon emissions.

The policy brief analyzes the Brazilian National Rural Credit System (SNCR), arguing that its complex structure—comprising numerous funding sources and programs with intricate eligibility criteria—creates significant disparities in financing. It highlights how geographic location, outdated farm size definitions (fiscal modules), and shifting revenue thresholds lead to inconsistent credit access for similar producers, potentially resulting in underinvestment and lower agricultural productivity.

The Responsible Commodities Facility (RCF) aims to redirect agricultural production in the Brazilian Cerrado to degraded lands to prevent further deforestation. It will provide low-cost crop financing and land restoration loans to 600 farms, targeting a cumulative lending amount of over US$ 3 billion over 10 years. The facility intends to generate over US$ 20 billion worth of deforestation-free soy and corn, utilizing green bonds for funding and a blockchain registry for traceability. The project expects to restore 1.2 million hectares of degraded land, potentially avoiding or sequestering up to 55 million tonnes of carbon emissions.

The Climate Smart Cattle Ranching (CSCR) initiative proposes a 'New Company' to address barriers to sustainable beef production in Brazil, specifically targeting mid-sized ranchers in the Amazon who lack formal land titles. The model uses a blended finance approach—initially through a Participations Investment Fund (FIP) involving grants, concessional debt, and impact equity—to co-invest in pasture restoration and the adoption of Embrapa’s Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). By providing long-term capital (up to 10 years) and continuous technical assistance, the instrument aims to increase productivity from 0.5-0.7 to up to 4 Animal Units per hectare, potentially reducing emissions intensity by 90-95% per kg of beef. The strategy includes a phase-out of concessional capital in favor of commercial investment via a Credits’ Rights Investment Fund (FIDC) once a track record of receivables from deforestation-free beef off-take agreements is established.

Mighty Earth's May 2017 update reveals that major soy traders Cargill and Bunge continue to be linked to deforestation in Brazil and Bolivia despite public commitments. Using satellite monitoring, the organization identified 60 square kilometers of new deforestation and 120 square kilometers of planned deforestation across previously visited sites. The report highlights a disconnect between corporate environmental advertising and operational reality, while noting that several global consumer brands, such as Unilever and Tesco, support expanding collective action to protect other Latin American regions beyond the Brazilian Amazon.

Mighty Earth's May 2017 update uses satellite monitoring to demonstrate that deforestation continues at soy farms supplying major traders Cargill and Bunge in Brazil and Bolivia. Despite public commitments and pressure from consumer companies, the report identifies 60 square kilometers of new clearing and 120 square kilometers of planned clearing across visited sites. The document highlights a disconnect between the corporate image of traders and the reality on the ground, while detailing the varying levels of support and action from global consumer brands regarding the expansion of deforestation-free soy commitments across South America.

The document presents evidence from the NAPC/CPI project (INPUT) showing that agricultural modernization in Brazil is compatible with environmental conservation. It analyzes four case studies—soy adaptation in the Cerrado, rural electrification, sugarcane expansion in Mato Grosso do Sul, and relative price shifts between crops and beef—to demonstrate that productivity gains often lead to the substitution of pasture land rather than the deforestation of native vegetation. The brief concludes that the 2012 Forest Code can act as a catalyst for this transition, aligning economic growth with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

The document presents evidence that agricultural modernization in Brazil is compatible with forest protection. It highlights that a significant portion of Brazil's cleared land is underused, primarily for low-productivity cattle grazing. Through four case studies, the authors demonstrate that technological innovations, infrastructure improvements, and market shifts lead to yield gains and the conversion of pastures to croplands, which in turn reduces the pressure to clear new forests. The brief concludes that combining the enforcement of the 2012 Forest Code with sustainable marketing strategies can further decouple agricultural growth from deforestation.