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A report by Zero Carbon Analytics quantifies the economic risk to Europe-bound Brazilian soy exports caused by declining river levels in the Amazon. The analysis indicates that by mid-century, up to USD 1 billion in annual soy trade passing through the ports of Manaus and Santarém could be exposed to disruption due to critically low river flows driven by climate change and deforestation.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-RIO) examines the link between subsidized rural credit and deforestation in Brazil between 2020 and 2022. The analysis reveals that a small number of large properties receive a disproportionate share of subsidized funds while being responsible for significant deforestation, suggesting that current economic incentives are misaligned with Brazil's environmental and climate goals.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the regulatory framework of the Central Bank of Brazil (BCB) aimed at combating deforestation and ecosystem conversion. It details the BCB's transition toward sustainable finance through the 'Agenda BC#', specifically focusing on the integration of social, environmental, and climate risks into the National Financial System (SFN) and the implementation of strict environmental requirements for rural credit.

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, produced by Transforma and WWF, advocates for increased policy coherence and synergies between the three Rio Conventions (Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Desertification) ahead of COP30 in Belém do Pará, Brazil. It emphasizes that integrating national plans for climate mitigation, adaptation, and biodiversity is essential for efficient resource use and effective environmental governance, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the impact of the European Union Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR) on Brazilian agribusiness. It examines how Brazil's existing environmental policies, such as the Forest Code and various monitoring systems, align with the EUDR's requirements and identifies the opportunities and challenges for Brazil to maintain and expand its market share in the European Union.

The Yacarantã Collective in Rio Manso, Brazil, promotes syntropic agriculture to restore biodiversity and ensure food sovereignty. After an initial phase of training for affluent visitors, the collective pivoted to support local rural communities devastated by a 2019 mining dam collapse. This resulted in the creation of the 'Margaridas' women's group, which manages a 2,000-square-meter community agroforestry system with over 400 seedlings and 30 types of vegetables.

This policy brief evaluates progress toward the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) goal of eliminating deforestation from agricultural commodities. It reports that while commodity-driven deforestation rates have declined since a 2016 peak, the 2020 target for ending agriculture-driven deforestation was not met, and current rates remain similar to those seen before 2014.

This white paper examines the inverse relationship between pastureland size and cattle productivity in Brazil. It finds that higher land prices and better access to capital incentivize ranchers to intensify production or switch to crops, thereby reducing the need for forest clearing. The authors recommend policies that combat illegal deforestation, remove bottlenecks to agricultural modernization, and improve credit access to promote sustainable beef production.

This white paper by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the relationship between livestock productivity and pasture area in Brazil. It argues that increasing productivity is essential to grow meat production without further deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado, identifying a negative correlation where smaller pasture proportions often relate to higher productivity.

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.

This technical report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the intersection of rural credit and environmental protection in Brazil. It argues that while Brazil has successfully modernized its agriculture and reduced deforestation, the current financial system is overly complex, dominated by public banks, and lacks sufficient risk management tools. The authors propose a phased transition to align financial incentives with the 2012 Forest Code, increase private sector participation, and shift public subsidies toward the provision of public goods and insurance instruments.

This briefing by the Climate Bonds Initiative and SITAWI examines the potential for green bonds to finance sustainable agriculture in Brazil. While Brazil is a global agricultural powerhouse with established government credit programs, green bond issuance in the land-use sector has been dominated by the forestry industry. The document identifies barriers for small producers and suggests that securitization of agricultural receivables (CRAs) and bank-led green bonds could expand financing for eco-efficiency, soil health, and sustainable crop production.

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 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 policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) argues that increasing agricultural productivity in Brazil is a viable strategy for mitigating climate change and reducing deforestation. By analyzing four historical drivers of productivity, the document demonstrates that technological innovation and policy improvements can shift agricultural expansion away from forests and toward underutilized pasture lands.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) argues that Brazil can increase agricultural production without increasing deforestation by improving the productivity of already cleared lands, particularly by transitioning underused cattle pastures to crop production.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes land use efficiency in Brazil, arguing that agricultural productivity can be increased and greenhouse gas emissions reduced without further deforestation. It highlights the potential of converting degraded pasturelands into croplands and examines successful historical examples of land use change, such as the soybean revolution and the implementation of the PPCDAm to combat Amazon deforestation. The document identifies key barriers to efficiency, including poor infrastructure, insecure land rights, and the need for better technology dissemination, while emphasizing the importance of enforcing the Brazilian Forest Code on private lands.

This executive summary from the Climate Policy Initiative outlines a 'Production and Protection' (P&P) strategy for Brazil to integrate economic growth in the agricultural sector with the preservation of natural resources. It identifies key barriers to productivity—such as deficient infrastructure, limited credit access for family farmers, and underdeveloped land leasing markets—while emphasizing the need to combat deforestation in private lands and non-Amazonian biomes like the Cerrado.