Sustainable production advances in the Gran Chaco, conserving natural areas and leaving a smaller carbon footprint

155,000 ha. have benefited from a project led by the ProYungas Foundation, the Argentine Association of No-till Farmers (Aapresid) and the Moisés Bertoni Foundation of Paraguay.

Argentina is the world's third largest soybean producer, cultivating an estimated area of 16.3 million hectares in the 22/23 season. In the Gran Chaco area, this crop coexists with natural landscapes, which are important allies for carbon sequestration. In this context, the project led by the ProYungas Foundation, in partnership with the Argentine Association of No-till Farmers (AAPRESID) and the Moisés Bertoni Foundation of Paraguay, with support from the Land Innovation Fund, will promote the adoption of good agricultural practices and stimulate the conservation and restoration of native vegetation on soybean farms in the Gran Chaco biome, contributing to the mitigation of climate change.

"Farmers used to talk about sustainable production as a concept that has nothing to do with conserving nature," says Sebastián Malizia, Executive Director of ProYungas. “The interesting thing about this project is how it integrates farmland with native vegetation to ensure the production of sustainable goods and services, conserving natural plant cover with the help of growers who take the lead in producing and caring for natural areas”, he adds.

The Land Innovation Fund encourages the design, development and delivery of innovative solutions that combine sustainable farming with the conservation and restoration of the environment. "The initiative by the ProYungas Foundation, in partnership with Aapresid and the Moisés Bertoni Foundation, underscores the importance of encouraging responsible management of farms, contributing to carbon balance, climate change mitigation and new business opportunities, in synergy with growing international demands for sustainable and deforestation-free agricultural production," says the Fund's director, Carlos E. Quintela.

A project that meets global market requirements

This project is based on the vast experience of Aapresid's Chacras System Program and the ProYungas Foundation's Protected Productive Landscape Program (PPP). Both programs promote adoption of best agricultural practices to conserve and restore fields in the Gran Chaco, as well as protection of forests and natural pastures, to find openings in ever more demanding international markets for sustainable, deforestation-free agricultural production, while also helping to mitigate climate change.

The project consists of three selected pilot sites in Argentina and two in Paraguay, covering 155,000 hectares cultivated by 12 farmers. The project includes calculating carbon footprints of production activities, measuring carbon stocks in crops and wild areas, and monitoring biodiversity in each of the sites.

The projects' first steps

Now in its first stage, the project is getting to know each system's baseline situation. "This involves soil samples to measure the initial carbon stock, calculate current emission and capture levels of both farmland and wilderness areas, to then be able to compare and calculate the carbon balance of each site," explains Andrés Madías, leader of Aapresid's Chacras System. "This will allow us to propose actions in each scenario aimed at leaving smaller carbon footprints, with a long-term 'carbon credits' project in mind, which could potentially be marketable."

Another indicator being developed is a forest inventory, which consists of collecting data on trees in natural areas. This will make it possible to evaluate the state of the forests and their carbon stock.

They are also monitoring biodiversity with camera traps to detect the presence and diversity of mammals, in order to analyze their relationship with carbon sequestration in these environments. "At the beginning of the year, 18 camera traps were installed in the sites in Argentina," according to ProYungas.

Keys to future food production and fighting climate change

The project involves conserving forests, natural grasslands, wetlands, and various corridors. "When we speak of conservation, this is more than just stopping the transformation of areas into farmland, but also preserving them from degradation by fire, unbridled logging or overgrazing," explains ProYungas. "It means keeping the natural plant life and managing production through efforts – by farmers, companies and organizations – to ensure these areas maintain the necessary quality to ensure biodiversity while producing goods and services," Sebastián stresses.

The ability to produce more with a smaller environmental footprint definitely demands a holistic approach in which farm systems are designed considering all aspects of sustainability, promoting biodiversity and generating resilience to climate change and other adversities.

The project's main goal is for farmers to start recognizing opportunities for conservation and make them work in their own ecosystems. That means using continuous improvement practices on productive land and taking protection measures in natural spaces.

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