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This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) provides 33 recommendations to reorient the Brazilian Harvest Plan (Plano Safra) 2026/2027 toward higher social, environmental, and productive returns. The authors argue that public resources should be prioritized for sustainable, low-carbon agriculture and the most vulnerable producers, while strengthening socio-environmental safeguards to prevent the financing of illegal deforestation and land grabbing.

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.

This report by Climate Policy Initiative/Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (CPI/PUC-RIO) analyzes the financial architecture supporting agriculture in Brazil's Cerrado biome, with a specific focus on the MATOPIBA region. It evaluates the effectiveness of subsidized rural credit and emerging blended-finance instruments in aligning agricultural production with zero-deforestation and sustainability goals.

This executive summary by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes agricultural financing in the Cerrado biome and the Matopiba region. It finds that while financial flows are significant, the current architecture fails to align with sustainability and zero-deforestation goals due to high concentration among large producers and institutions, limited scale of sustainable credit, and insufficient territorial coverage.

This report by the Climate Bonds Initiative analyzes methane emissions from the Brazilian cattle sector and evaluates strategic pathways for abatement. It identifies diversification away from cattle, sustainable intensification of pasture systems, and direct methane reduction as the primary levers for reducing the sector's significant contribution to Brazil's greenhouse gas profile.

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 (CPI) analyzes the regulatory efforts of the Central Bank of Brazil (BCB) to combat deforestation and ecosystem conversion. It details the BCB's integration of sustainability into its 'BC# Agenda', the implementation of social, environmental, and climate risk management for financial institutions, and specific restrictions on rural credit for non-compliant producers. The document also provides context on the drivers of land-use change in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes and offers policy recommendations to further align the national financial system with environmental conservation goals.

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 policy brief examines the challenges of rural insurance in Brazil amidst climate change, using soybean production as a case study. It finds that while the insurance market has grown, it remains geographically concentrated in the South and Center-West, leaving high-production, high-risk areas like MATOPIBA underserved. Using machine learning, the authors identify precipitation, wind, and fire risk as primary drivers of losses. The report recommends expanding insurance coverage to vulnerable regions, utilizing yield data for pricing in areas with limited insurance history, and aligning government subsidies with sustainable agricultural practices.

A study of soy farmers in Brazil's Matopiba region finds that land-use decisions are driven by profit and legal permissiveness rather than sustainability, leading to the erasure of the biodiverse Cerrado savanna. The authors conclude that voluntary conservation efforts are insufficient and that strict regulatory enforcement and supply-chain requirements are necessary to prevent further deforestation.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the Constitutional Financing Funds (FCFs) in Brazil's North, Northeast, and Center-West regions. It finds a significant disconnect between the funds' social objectives—reducing income disparities and supporting small producers—and the actual allocation of resources, which has become concentrated among larger producers and specific municipalities due to overly broad eligibility criteria.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the rural credit market in the Brazilian Cerrado biome, highlighting a concentration of financial flows toward large-scale producers and soy production, while noting a scarcity of credit for small and medium-sized family farmers.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the characteristics of rural credit in the Brazilian Cerrado biome. It highlights a significant concentration of financial flows toward large producers and the expansion of soybean production, contrasting this with limited credit access for small and medium-sized family farmers. The study also notes a growing trend of private financing sources, although public banks continue to dominate the distribution of credit.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the rural credit market in the Brazilian Cerrado biome, highlighting a significant concentration of financial flows toward large-scale producers and soy production, contrasted with limited credit access for small and medium-sized family farmers.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the instruments and public policies used for agricultural risk management in Brazil. It examines the strengths and failures of current systems, including insurance programs and price guarantees, and provides recommendations to improve efficiency and sustainability in the face of climate change.

The report evaluates agricultural risk management in Brazil, finding that while the insurance market has grown, it remains highly concentrated and underfunded compared to rural credit. It highlights that nearly 60% of municipalities lack insurance and suggests redirecting public funds from credit to insurance and expanding the use of Agricultural Climate Risk Zoning (ZARC) to improve productivity and land use.

This briefing describes SEI-PCS, a modeling approach developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) to provide fine-scale subnational data on the origins of traded commodities and their associated socio-environmental impacts. The tool is designed to overcome the limitations of traditional footprinting methods, which typically rely on country-level macroeconomic figures, by recreating supply chains to link consumption to specific production sites.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the adoption dynamics of three agricultural technologies in Brazil between 2006 and 2017: no-till farming (Plantio Direto), tractors, and fertilizers. Using data from the 2017 Agricultural Census, the study identifies three distinct spatial patterns of adoption, suggesting that the drivers and environmental consequences of agricultural intensification vary by technology.