Carbon Balance
Western Bahia: a carbon balance improvement
PATHWAYS
pathways
START
January 2021
DURATION
26 months
BIOME
Cerrado
LOCATION
Western Bahia, Matopiba, Brazil
STATUS
Concluded
The project led by Solidaridad Foundation developed a carbon calculator, based on Imaflora’s methodology, that contributes to the ongoing improvement of the carbon balance in the soy supply chain in Western Bahia. The project concluded successfully in February 2023. 129 farmers (including 28 female farmers), representing 58 farms and 323,000 hectares, used the calculator to measure the carbon balance on their soy farms, demonstrating its value to farmers that have adopted climate smart agricultural practices. The LIF-supported carbon measurement methodology is being leveraged by two other major stakeholders in the region, promoting the broad usage of the tool: ABIOVE for its Agroplus program and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) for its Sustainable Landscapes program.
"Efficient land use is a key issue for sustainable soy production in Western Bahia. Reducing carbon emissions in the production cycle is fundamental for conservation of the Cerrado. This support from the Land Innovation Fund, as well as local partnerships with other institutions, enable the dissemination to farmers of sustainable practices for a transition to low carbon agriculture"
-Rodrigo Castro, Country Director of Solidaridad Foundation
The data collected under this project informed Solidaridad's “Carbon balance in Matopiba soy production” study (study linked here) that demonstrates how areas using climate smart agricultural practices have better carbon sequestration rates and stresses the importance of Implementing sustainable agricultural systems that are more resilient to climate change. The study serves as a starting point for the development of public policies that promote low-carbon agricultural practices for climate change mitigation. The study was based on four different soil scenarios on 50 farms in 22 municipalities in the Matopiba region, totaling 150,000 hectares.
To develop and promote the carbon calculator, Solidaridad held six workshops, attended by 74 participants (29 women), and a carbon workshop in partnership with AIBA, attended by 46 people (18 women). In addition, the institution participated in five different panel events which were attended by 256 participants. The working groups and workshops held to develop and promote the tool brought together farmers, entrepreneurs, NGOs, and universities, and helped to make the discussion about carbon balance and carbon markets more accessible to soy farmers, in addition to broadening the farmers' understanding of the importance of climate smart agricultural practices.
“The carbon balance study carried out in this project created the conditions for different actors along the soy supply chain to make decisions and to contribute to the development of the climate change mitigation agenda. Governments, research and development institutions, banks, suppliers’ industry, and traders can collaborate in the development of technical solutions and financial instruments to enable and expand the promotion and adoption of good agricultural practices to reduce carbon emissions in agriculture”.
- Natalie Ribeiro, Soy Project Coordinator
