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This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the adoption of three agricultural intensification technologies in Brazil between 2006 and 2017: the Direct Planting System (DPS), tractors, and fertilizers. Using data from Brazil's 2017 Agricultural Census, the study identifies divergent spatial patterns of adoption, noting that while DPS is becoming more widespread, tractor use is becoming more concentrated in wealthier regions, and fertilizer use is increasing without a clear spatial pattern.

The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook: Land Use is a guide by RMI that provides four specific actions for subnational governments to address climate goals through land management, open space conservation, methane capture, and regenerative agriculture.

The 2018 NYDF Progress Assessment finds that while corporate commitments to deforestation-free supply chains are increasing—particularly in palm oil and timber—they remain highly variable in ambition and scope. Traceability systems are improving, and new jurisdictional initiatives in Brazil and Indonesia show promise, but financial institutions lag in addressing portfolio risks. Direct data on deforestation reduction is currently lacking, though new tools like Trase and Global Forest Watch–Commodities are being developed to fill this gap.

This report summarizes progress toward Goal 9 of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF), which focuses on rewarding countries and jurisdictions that reduce forest emissions through public policies, results-based payments, and private-sector commodity sourcing.

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 report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the historical evolution, current structure, and systemic challenges of rural property rights in Brazil. It highlights how a legacy of disordered land occupation and a fragmented institutional framework have led to widespread land insecurity, social conflict, and environmental degradation. The document provides a detailed mapping of land categories, evaluates current government regularization programs, and offers policy recommendations to improve governance, law enforcement, and the integration of land registries.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the historical evolution and current state of rural land rights in Brazil. It identifies systemic insecurities caused by complex legislation, fragmented governance, and a lack of unified land registries, which contribute to land conflicts, deforestation, and inefficient land use. The document provides a framework for improvement focusing on governance, enforcement, regulation, and knowledge, while evaluating specific initiatives like the Terra Legal Program and the SIG-Fundiário system.

This research paper investigates the impact of state-assisted Rural Settlements on deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon between 2002 and 2014. The authors find that while overall deforestation in the region declined during this period, the area covered by Rural Settlements increased significantly, contributing to approximately 30% of total deforestation in the Amazon Biome by 2014. The study highlights a paradox where 'Special Settlements'—those designed with environmental conditions—were the primary drivers of this impact, particularly in remote areas far from the agricultural expansion frontier.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative examines the social, economic, and environmental consequences of insecure rural land rights in Brazil. It identifies key drivers of instability, such as the 'social function of property' requirement and institutional complexity, and outlines obstacles to reform, including the lack of an integrated land database and the prevalence of illegal land grabbing (grilagem).

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) examines the insecurity of rural land property rights in Brazil, detailing the social, economic, and environmental costs of this instability and the institutional obstacles preventing its resolution.

This research paper examines how recent regulatory changes in Brazil's transport infrastructure—specifically highways, railways, and ports—impact agricultural productivity. The authors argue that a general trend toward more complex regulation seeks to limit private profits, which in turn erodes investment incentives and operational efficiency, necessitating costly public subsidies.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes a shift in Brazilian Amazon deforestation from large-scale to small-scale clearings between 2004 and 2012. It argues that while conservation policies successfully reduced overall deforestation, they created a blind spot for clearings of 25 hectares or less, leading landholders in states like Mato Grosso and Pará to adapt their practices to avoid detection.

This research paper examines how the scale of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon shifted from large to small patches between 2002 and 2012. The authors find that the DETER monitoring system, which cannot detect clearings under 25 hectares, led to different behavioral adaptations in Mato Grosso and Pará. In Mato Grosso, large landowners shifted to smaller clearings to avoid detection. In Pará, smallholders remained less visible to law enforcement, leading to a relative increase in the share of deforestation attributable to small properties. The paper concludes that conservation policies must be tailored to regional heterogeneities to be effective.

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 policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute evaluates the effectiveness of deforestation policies in the Brazilian Amazon, noting a significant reduction in deforestation from 2004 to 2012 followed by stagnation and a rise in 2013. The authors argue that while command-and-control measures successfully targeted large landowners, new incentive-based strategies are required to address deforestation by smallholders and in remote areas.

A case study by the World Resources Institute detailing how a civil society campaign and legal action led to the suspension of a state zoning law in Mato Grosso, Brazil, which had opened 50,000 km2 of forest for agricultural conversion.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law and Oxfam examines the role of Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and the systemic risks associated with their lending through Financial Intermediaries (FIs) rather than direct project investment.

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.