BRAZIL
Brazil is one of the world's most productive agricultural regions. The country plays an important role in feeding people worldwide, and agribusiness is a key driver of Brazil's economic development and national growth. Brazil is also home to valuable ecosystems, including the majority of the Amazon rainforest.
The challenge facing Brazil is to grow more food to meet increasing global demand and improve the livelihoods of its citizens while also preserving vital natural areas that provide important benefits to the world. Bunge is doing its part to improve the sustainability of agriculture in Brazil by helping growers adopt environmental best practices on their farms and by contributing to larger efforts to preserve the Amazon biome and other important ecosystems.
Improving sustainability on the farm
Bunge works with farmers throughout Brazil, providing training on agricultural best practices and helping them implement those practices through field events and individual consultations. Through an annual awards program, Bunge recognizes farmer-customers who demonstrate leadership in sustainability and other areas.
Addressing big issues
Amazon Soy Moratorium
The Amazon rainforest is emblematic of the challenges of our growing world. Over time, human settlement, industrial activities and agricultural expansion each have contributed to deforestation of the Amazon biome, which includes the Amazon rainforest and its related ecosystems. In recent years, soybean farming has gained public attention as a factor contributing to the cycle of deforestation.
In July 2006, Bunge and other agribusiness companies took action to curb Amazon deforestation from soybean farming. They enacted a voluntary moratorium on purchasing soy from newly deforested areas in the biome and, together with leading environmental organizations, formed a dedicated Soy Working Group to implement a system to track deforestation, address key underlying issues and work on lasting solutions. The group is collaborating with the Brazilian government to develop systems to manage agricultural activity in the biome in order to balance economic development with the need for environmental conservation. Click here to read the Soy Working Group's 2011 Mapping and Monitoring Report.
Soja Plus
Supplier certification systems are a positive way to influence best practices among suppliers because they create a ready means to evaluate supplier performance. Soja Plus is a simple, verifiable certification system that measures how soybean farms perform according to key sustainability indices, including legal compliance, social responsibility, environmental sustainability and agricultural best practices.
Soja Plus is a voluntary program being developed by Bunge and other members of the Brazilian soybean industry that will be available to all soy producers in the country. It is organized by ABIOVE (the Brazilian Vegetable Oil Industries Association), APROSOJA (Mato Grosso State Soybean Producers Association), ANEC (the National Grain Exporters Association) and ARES (Responsible Agribusiness Institute). Click here to learn more about Soja Plus.
Sustainability in the Cerrado
The Cerrado, a woodland savanna, is one of Brazil's most vibrant ecosystems, as well as one of its most active agricultural areas. Bunge, in partnership with environmental organizations and growers, has helped farmers in the Cerrado adopt environmental best practices, set aside legal reserves, revitalize degraded areas and create special biodiversity corridors in which native species can grow and thrive.