QUICK & PULSE

Publication marks entity's advancement in the climate change debate; launch will be held on Tuesday (11/3) at the Contag headquarters in Brasília

Heavily affected by the climate crisis, family agriculture can be part of the solution to the greatest challenge of humanity. Its biodiverse production systems have a low volume of greenhouse gas emissions and can remove more carbon than they release into the atmosphere. However, it is necessary to direct specific public policies to consolidate this potential.

This is the context of Family Agriculture and Food Systems: Carbon Removal and Just Transition, a book developed by the National Confederation of Rural Workers, Family Farmers and Family Farmers (Contag) in collaboration with the Climate Observatory and with the participation of the Research Group on Agriculture, Food and Development (Gepad) from UFRGS.

The publication presents a panorama of the climate emergency and its impacts on agriculture in general, analyzes the gaps in public policies, and points out the claims of family agriculture for the strengthening of the sector, in six chapters.

In Brazil, the fifth largest global emitter, deforestation and other changes in land use, together with agriculture, represent 74% of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, according to the System of Estimations of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (SEEG) of the Climate Observatory. This scenario results from the dominant productive model, based on extensive monocultures and the production of commodities, such as soy and meat.

Despite contributing to the exacerbation of global warming, Brazilian public policies prioritize this type of production. The 2024/2025 Safra Plan for commercial agriculture, coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa), received R$ 400.59 billion, an increase of 10% compared to the previous year's funding. In contrast, the Safra Plan for family agriculture received R$ 76 billion, an increase of 6%.

Moreover, most of the resources of the Safra Plan are aimed at the production of commodities, even in family agriculture. According to the Central Bank, 62% of the cost values of the National Program for Strengthening Family Agriculture ( Pronaf) in the 2023/2024 crop season were contracted by the South region, where nearly 60% of the values were for soybeans, corn, and wheat.

The publication also analyzes the productive and mitigating potential of family agriculture. Based on recent data and scientific research, it demonstrates how it ensures carbon sequestration in highly biodiverse systems, on a scale superior to monocultures, with greater generation of employment and income, as well as food security. One of the topics addressed is agroecological management, which relies on the natural system of each location, involving soil, climate, living organisms, and the interactions between these components, with little or no dependence on external inputs.

Another sustainable solution is the agroforestry-pastoral system, a model of forest, agricultural, pasture, and animal composition that fits within productive family units and needs to gain scale in the country. In this system, the producer can obtain forest products, maintain agricultural activities, promote economic gains, and environmental services.

The book also discusses so-called non-timber forest products (açaí, Amazonian cashew, Brazilian nut and Cerrado pepper, pine nuts from the South region, resins such as latex, and artisanal fishing, among others) as part of an almost invisible economy in the country, the socio-bioeconomy. With great potential and essential for mitigating deforestation and land degradation, it needs to be strengthened by public policies.

The final chapters deal with perspectives and claims, signaling measures necessary for family agriculture to realize its potential in combating climate change, ensuring food sovereignty, and generating employment and income. One of the highlighted points is the need to expand research directed at the biodiverse systems of family agriculture, as well as the consolidation of financing policies, credit lines, and technical assistance.

"This publication is a call to action. Family agriculture and traditional peoples and communities should not only enter as a source of cheap inputs and labor in the country's sustainable development, but as effective agents of transformative processes. Knowledge gaps cannot be an excuse to promote unsustainable supply chains," points out Sandra Paula Bonetti, Secretary of the Environment of Contag. "The implementation of the recommendations presented can redefine family agriculture as a strategic pillar for the Brazilian low-carbon economy, ensuring a just and inclusive transition to a more resilient and equitable future."

Launch: Family agriculture and food systems: carbon removal and just transition