First Land Innovation Dialogues attracted over 300 participants
Held in November and December, events organized by Aapresid and ProYungas with the support of the Land Innovation Fund amplify the dialogue surrounding sustainability
The Gran Chaco spans across Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia, and since the 1990s has faced significant rates of deforestation caused by growing pressures to convert natural ecosystems into farmland.
More than 300 participants from different sectors and organizations participated in the first two cycles of the Land Innovation Dialogues, a series of international events implemented with the support of the Land Innovation Fund (LIF) to promote innovative solutions for a sustainable and deforestation-and conversion-free soy supply chain. Organized by the Argentine No-till Association (Aapresid) and the ProYungas Foundation, LIF’s partner institutions in Argentina, the events promoted dialogue on innovation for sustainable agriculture in the Gran Chaco’s region
The largest tropical dry forest in the Americas, the Gran Chaco spans across Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia, and since the 1990s has faced significant rates of deforestation caused by growing pressures to convert natural ecosystems into farmland, especially for soy farming. These first Land Innovation Dialogues, hosted by the ProYungas Foundation and Aapresid, allowed for information exchange and learning surrounding sustainable agricultural in the region.
Land Innovation Dialogues & ProYungas:
Entitled the “Gran Chaco Dialogues: the role of production in nature conservation”, the meetings organized by ProYungas addressed productive and socio-environmental issues from diverse perspectives and at three scales: i) the rural producer’s perspective and the new opportunities, methods and tools available to them for environmental conservation; ii) the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors; and iii) the importance of achieving an impact on a regional scale to meet the challenges and demands of the international agenda. Promoting greater visibility of the Gran Chaco requires an integrated effort between the different sectors of society, with a cross-border vision and complementary actions between national and - importantly - sub-national governments, in order to achieve the development of environmental policies that promote inclusion and an articulated preservation of the natural goods and services of the Gran Chaco.
Watch here the three Land Innovation Dialogues organized by ProYungas.
Land Innovation Dialogues & Aapresid:
Under the theme “Collaborative innovation for a sustainable soy supply chain”, the three Aaapresid meetings addressed sustainable solutions from a systemic perspective, taking into account different practices, technologies and actors involved in the production process. At the first meeting, sustainable production was discussed from the perspective of farmers, scientific researchers, and environmental organizations; in the second, the focus was on land use planning, in addition to the presentation of the “Chacras System Initiative”, implemented by Aapresid; and, finally, at the third, the tools for certification and traceability for sustainable agriculture were discussed. Concluding with this triad of meetings, it was discovered the importance of knowing the points of view of the different players and of building a dialogue for a common action plan in pursuit of a more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive soybean production in the Gran Chaco region.
Watch here the three Land Innovation Dialogues organized by Aapresid.
ABOUT THE LAND INNOVATION DIALOGUES:
The Land Innovation Fund Dialogues is a series of online, open-ended events organized and conducted with broad range of partners to discuss the challenges and opportunities of making the soy supply chain sustainable and deforestation- and conversion-free (DCF). LIF Funds institutions with recognized experience in the sector and those interested in disseminating information regarding innovations for a sustainable soy supply chain to implement Land Innovation Dialogues. The events promote engagement and incorporate a diverse set of perspectives in the dialogue surrounding innovations for a sustainable and deforestation- and conversion-free soy supply chain. "Increasing the diversity of voices in this debate is key to strengthening sustainable agriculture. We hope to expand that dialogue by aligning greater demand for agricultural growth with the international agenda for environmental preservation and restoration," says Land Innovation Fund Director Carlos E. Quintela.
The Argentine No-till Farmers Association (AAPRESID, acronym in Spanish) is a non-governmental and non-profit organization founded in 1989, in response to the high rate of soil erosion caused by conventional tillage. AAPRESID encompasses a network of farmers and agronomists who share a common interest in the conservation of soil, their main resource, through the adoption and promotion of a new agricultural paradigm based on no-till farming. AAPRESID currently has 1700 members producing and consulting on over 11 million hectares in Argentina.
Fundación ProYungas is an NGO that works for the conservation of the environment and sustainable development, promoting territorial planning processes at different scales, and actively linking production with nature preservation. Founded in 1999, its activities are focused in the South American subtropics, mainly in the Argentine Great North, the region of Argentina with the greatest environmental, cultural and productive diversity.