Carbon calculator for soybeans in Western Bahia
Partnership between Solidaridad and the Land Innovation Fund, with support from the Bahia Association of Farmers and Irrigators (AIBA), will display the carbon balance in the region's soy crops.
Solidaridad’s Foundation developes a carbon calculator to the Western Bahia State.
Helping to improve the carbon balance in one of the regions with Brazil's highest agricultural yields, Western Bahia, is the goal of a project by the Solidaridad Foundation, with funding from the Land Innovation Fund and support from the Association of Farmers and Irrigators of Bahia (AIBA). The initiative will produce a carbon calculator for the Territorial Intelligence and Environmental Monitoring System (SIMA), a platform developed by Senai Cimatec, as part of a series of investments by the Land Innovation Fund in integrated, innovation solutions for a sustainable soy supply chain in the region.
In coordination with AIBA, Solidaridad set up the Technical Working Group to develop scenarios and validate carbon methodologies for the soy production chain in Western Bahia. The calculator was adapted to the region's reality in partnership with the Institute for Forest and Agricultural Management and Certification (IMAFLORA), based on the Brazilian GHG Protocol Program, an initiative of the Center for Sustainability Studies of the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, to register and publish greenhouse gas emission inventories. Twenty farmers, who work about 61,000 hectares of soybeans in five municipalities in Western Bahia – São Desidério, Luis Eduardo Magalhães, Barreiras, Formosa do Rio Preto, Correntina – provided information on their management systems, yields, and farming operations to define the baseline, adjust the calculator, and determine the carbon balance of each farm involved in the project.
"The calculator will give us a picture of the carbon balance in the region's soybean production. Using the system, landowners know whether their farm's carbon balance is positive or negative, to help them manage the property and make decisions about best agricultural practices," says the project coordinator at Solidaridad, Juliana Monti. A negative carbon balance – where emissions are lower than sequestration – is advantageous both for farmers and for the maintenance of natural resources and climate balance. "With the adoption of agricultural practices that allow for greater carbon sequestration, the soil gains in porosity and can store water, so crops become more resistant to drought, with direct benefits for farmers," adds Juliana.
UN data show that 31% of global GHG emissions – equivalent to 16.5 billion tons – come from agrifood systems, an increase of 17% compared to 1990, the same rate as the growth of the world population and the consequent demand for more food. As the world's main agricultural commodity, soybeans occupy more than 122 million hectares of land around the world (USDA) and Brazil is the leading country in the grain's production and export, with 124.8 million tons produced in 2020. And there are no signs of slowing down: it is estimated that Brazil's soy production will reach 156.5 million tons in 2029/2030, an increase of 30% in a decade (Embrapa; MAPA). The agricultural frontier between the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia (Matopiba) saw a 20% increase in the cultivated area in the 2019/2020 period, with a 46% increase in production in the same period. "Actions, projects and initiatives favorable to low-carbon agriculture contribute directly to soil quality and climate change mitigation, and can even make carbon an extra financial benefit for farmers," says the director of the Land Innovation Fund, Carlos E. Quintela.
In agriculture, conservation practices such as the recovery of degraded pastures, biological nitrogen fixation, and proper soil management, among other techniques, assist in carbon capture and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the main objective of the Paris Agreement. "With the calculator, we can measure the results and make decisions to improve carbon sequestration, understanding that a negative balance brings economic and environmental benefits for rural landowners," says Alan Brock, one of the farmers in the region to participate in the Solidaridad project. "Techniques such as no-till farming and crop rotation are already part of the routine on several farms in Western Bahia. Both practices favor the increase of organic matter in the soil and carbon sequestration, contributing to the improvement of microbiota and the release of nutrients for crops, combining sustainability with productivity," explains Camila Santos, a carbon specialist at Solidaridad.
"Techniques such as no-till farming and crop rotation are already part of the routine on several farms in Western Bahia. Both practices favor the increase of organic matter in the soil and carbon sequestration, contributing to the improvement of microbiota and the release of nutrients for crops, combining sustainability with productivity," explains Camila Santos, a carbon specialist at Solidaridad.
Carbon and the international climate agenda:
As the world' s main carbon sink, second only to the oceans, the soil holds more carbon than the atmosphere or vegetation. The global target is to increase the carbon stock in the soils of the countries that signed the Paris Agreement by 0.4%. Brazil has committed to reducing its emissions of greenhouse gases by 50% by 2030 and to net zero emissions by 2050, in addition to containing deforestation and reforesting or restoring up to 12 million hectares nationwide. Investments in technology, products or services that contribute to the expansion of sustainable agricultural systems are essential to reduce atmospheric emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHG).
"The carbon calculator brings direct and indirect benefits, both for the farm and for the environment, and also brings farmers in Western Bahia closer to the international demand for a carbon neutral policy," says Carlos E. Quintela, director of the Land Innovation Fund. "We see rural landowners as protagonists in the transformation of the countryside, and only with their direct engagement and participation will we achieve concrete results to mitigate climate change and develop sustainable agriculture," he concludes.
Land-Use Monitoring System:
Solidaridad's carbon calculator, developed in partnership with Imaflora, will be part of the data management platform and socioeconomic and environmental indicators being developed by Senai Cimatec, in collaboration with AIBA and with support from the Land Innovation Fund. The Western Bahia Territorial Intelligence and Environmental Monitoring System (SIMA) will compile data capable of improving the management and efficiency of low-impact agriculture in the region, with features dedicated to the management of water resources, land use, and good agricultural practices. The system will be available for use by the end of 2022. With support from the Land Innovation Fund, AIBA, the Solidaridad Foundation, and SENAI CIMATEC use a systemic, integrated approach to work continuously on behalf of environmentally sustainable and financially profitable initiatives to strengthen the Western Bahia region as a benchmark for sustainable agribusiness, especially in Brazil's soy production chain.