Carbon Farming: Nature-Based Solutions in Brazil

Abstract

Agriculture can breach the emission gap between countries' and companies' declared goals and actual achievements related to carbon neutrality. But to do so, techniques must change from the monocultural to more integrated systems that provide many eco-services, among which carbon sequestration. The Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Innovation, which was created in 2016, in its last renewal in 2021, established the first nationwide nature-based solutions empirical data collection from the seven Brazilian biomes, on forestry, pasture, and agriculture, more specifically researching the role of agriculture for carbon sequestration and the possibilities to implement low emissions pastures. Some of the experts that take part in this centre were the source of the information this paper brings, and that is the result of action research techniques, combined with content analyses assisted by Atlas TI. The main conclusions of this paper are: a) that soil health increases the capacity to sequester carbon inside the soil at the same time that it also promotes socio-economic development because of more productivity in the long term and also by bringing extra economic value derived from the better quality sustainability can provide; b) the transition needed away from low-productivity pastures and in direction to carbon farming regenerative projects can contribute to meeting the emission goals; c) there is the risk of carbon pricing increase the value of land, cause social exclusion or influence production decisions away from food; therefore regulation will need to play an important role, d) Brazil has an opportunity to promote circular sustainable bioeconomy and doing so to assume its position as an agri-environmental power.