If a rural producer does everything right, adopts sustainability, protects biodiversity, zero deforestation, is socially responsible, has never fought with indigenous people, and is not a defaulter, how can he prove it? What is his diploma? A solution is being offered by the Ministry of Agriculture through the “Carbono + Verde” program, recently put out for public consultation that will be open until August 5, 2023. The idea, formulated by the brains of Embrapa, is very good. At the right time. Initially, 13 production chains will be involved: açaí, cotton, rice, rubber, cocoa, coffee, meat, yerba mate, milk, corn, soybeans, wheat and grapes. The first step of “Carbono + Verde” will be to verify socio-environmental “compliance”. Based on the voluntary participation of rural producers and companies in the processing chain, the government is developing tools capable of verifying the regularity of the production agent, simply by presenting their CPF or CNPJ. The producer's registration will indicate whether he or she is eligible to enter the 2nd phase of the program, focused on decarbonization, with the consequent generation of carbon credits. If it works, it will be wonderful.

“First, he or she will need to receive the Ministry's ‘thumbs up’, recognizing his or her compliance,” explains Fabiana Alves, a researcher at Embrapa and coordinator of the “Carbono + Verde” program. The official seal should boost the ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) movement in Brazilian agriculture and may even facilitate greater financing for the sector.

This is essentially a continuation of the Low Carbon Agriculture Plan, known as the ABC Plan (full text – 5.5 MB), also prepared by Embrapa and launched by the Brazilian government in 2009, at the 15th UN Climate Conference, held in Copenhagen. The results of the ABC Plan are quite satisfactory. Its most recognized technological proposal, the recovery of degraded pastures, covered an area of ??20 million hectares, surpassing the target of 15 million hectares established in the Paris Agreement (2015).

As a result, there was a tremendous mitigation effect on GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, thanks to the absorption of carbon in the soil. According to a study carried out by Esalq (Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture) in partnership with IICA (Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture), the investments in the field alone, necessary to carry out this action, generated a 0.31% increase in the national GDP. Sustainable agriculture drives the economy.

Then, developed during the administration of Minister Tereza Cristina, the ABC+ Plan (full text – 1.8 MB) followed, with goals set for 2030, this time including components related to the “adaptation” of Brazilian agriculture to climate change. In technical terms, “adapting” means reducing the vulnerability of production systems to the effects of global warming. “Mitigating”, in turn, involves reducing the emission of gases that cause climate change.

In this sense, the “Carbon + Green” program is a complement to the ABC and ABC+ plans, now with the goal of adding value to the sustainability equation for farmers. In other words, in the medium term, rural producers who reduce their carbon footprint may be compensated for their regenerative actions on their properties.

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