organic farming in brazil

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ReportOrganic Farming in Brazil

- Participatory certi cation and localmarkets for sustainable agriculturaldevelopment



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Text: Jakob Lundberg and Fredrik Moberg, AlbaecoProduction: AlbaecoGraphic design: Christine Clifstock, Clifstock FormProject management: Karin Höök, SSNCCover and photo preparation: Christine ClifstockCover picture: Jakob LundbergPrinter: EO print AB, Stockholm 2009ISBN: 978 91558 1681-0Item number 9363

Produced with nancial support from Sida. Sida did not participate in the production ofthis publication and holds no position on the opinions contained therein.



1. Introduction 7

2. Small-scale trade and participatory organic certi cation 10

3. Development o expertise and exchange o knowledge key to success 13

4. Agro orestry provides ecosystem services and protects the

Atlantic rain orest

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5. Conclusions 20

6. Recommendations 21

7. Sources and recommended reading 22

Contents



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ForewordAgriculture plays a undamental role in developing countries. Tis is not just a question o

ood security, but also because around 75% o the world’s poor still live in the countryside andhave arming as their main source o income. Securing this livelihood base in order to decreasehunger and increase global ood security in a way that is sustainable in the long term is one o the greatest challenges acing us. In order to meet this challenge we need a pervasive change o course within agriculture. We need to develop a type o agriculture that is based to an increasingextent on biological diversity and ecosystem services. With the right design, this can decreasethe need or ossil uel and make agriculture less vulnerable to climate change.

Agriculture is increasingly coming into ocus due to the rising cost o ood world-wide anda probable worsening ood crisis. In an age when we are constantly being besieged by increasedreporting on climate change, environmental disasters and non-sustainable use o our naturalresources, the Swedish Society or Nature Conservation would like to provide some positiveexamples. In this report we there ore present a arming project in Southern Brazil and the work o the organisation Centro Ecológico on participatory certi cation o organic oods. Tese examplesshow that it is possible in practice to increase ood production and secure livelihoods with the helpo small-scale trade and organic arming, both o which conserve and draw bene ts rom ecosys-tem services. Trough being active in a range o di erent networks, Centro Ecológico has beenable to in uence the development o organic arming both nationally and internationally.

Te report concludes with a range o recommendations, which we hope can inspire practitionersand decision-makers to make more sustainable decisions in both the national and internationalarena. For example, it is suggested that we increase the conditions or sustainable arming throughworking to change international trade agreements that promote rather than hamper the conditions

or the environment and secure access to ood. In addition, countries that require it should begiven the right to support domestic, sustainable ood production. Furthermore, it is suggested thatinternational aid should prioritise the agricultural sector to a greater extent than at present andincrease investment in sustainable rural development in order to decrease poverty.

Tis report was produced by Albaeco at the behest o the Swedish Society or Nature Conser- vation. Work on the report was carried out within the ramework o the Swedish Society or Na-ture Conservation’s international environmental policy programme in partnership with Albaeco,researchers rom Stockholm University and Johanna Björklund at the Centre or SustainableAgriculture (CUL) at the Swedish University o Agricultural Sciences (SLU). Te report would nothave been possible without the valuable assistance we received rom the Brazilian environmentalorganisation Centro Ecológico and its co-workers and rom local armers and agricultural advisorsin Rio Grande do Sul. Te Swedish Society or Nature Conservation extends warm thanks to allthose involved. Tis is the second report in a series presenting positive examples o how agriculturecan be designed so as to contribute to sustainable development with secure access to ood or theworld’s population.

Mikael KarlssonChairman, Swedish Society or Nature Conservation



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In the states o Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, it has beenpossible to success ully promote organic arming that conserves anddraws bene t rom ecosystem services, e.g. by combining crops andtrees in agro orestry.



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Agriculture is a undamental pre-condition or human wel are. Tis is not simply a questiono all people needing secure access to ood in order to have a decent li e, but also becausealmost three-quarters o the world’s poorest people live in rural areas and have arming as their main livelihood. Agriculture also plays an important indirect role, not least indeveloping countries, since it orms the basis o the rural economy. Brazil is one example.In this huge country with a high proportion o poor people, there is enormous potential oragriculture. With its starting point in the organisation Centro Ecológico’s unique work insouthern Brazil, this report shows that it is possible to increase ood production and securelivelihoods with the help o participatory certi cation system, small-scale trade and organic

arming that protects and draws bene ts rom ecosystem services. By being active in a rangeo networks, Centro Ecológico has been able to promote the development o organic arming both nationally and internationally.

1. Introduction

Global trade and the role o agriculture in airand ecologically sustainable development

Agriculture is coming into increasing ocus dueto rising ood prices and the challenges to oodsecurity posed by climate change and e orts toproduce bioenergy. Te impact o ood productionitsel on the climate and environment is also beingdiscussed increasingly, while a new discussion is

emerging on the undamental role o agricultureor human wel are. For example, in its recent pub-lication World Development Report (WDR) 2008- Agriculture or Development, the World Bank claims that the agricultural sector in developingcountries has been neglected in the past 20 years.According to WDR 2008, targeting agriculture is

our times more e ective than other investmentswhen the aim is to stimulate economic develop-ment and decrease poverty. Te central role o agriculture in combating poverty and achieving theUN Millennium Development Goal o halving pov-erty and world hunger by the year 2015 cannot beoveremphasised. Despite this, only 4% o world aidgoes to agriculture in developing countries. WDR2008 there ore states that the agricultural sector

must be a priority development issue and that investment in rural areas must increase. Agriculturalpolicy in Europe and the rest o the Western worldhas o en been criticised or subsidising its ownexports and being too protectionist, with high im-port duties and other trade restrictions that excludepoor armers in developing countries rom theglobal markets. Many believe that the quickest way out o poverty or developing countries is simply increased ree trade within agriculture. Others are

more doubt ul about this conclusion and claim thataccess to local and national markets is the singlemost important component allowing developmentto take place more on the terms o the environ-ment and poor armers. In this debate on trade,environment and development, it is important topoint out that trade between countries and peopleis in general something good. Te problem is nottrade itsel but the structure o the internationaltrade regulations and how goods are producedand transported. While the governments o richcountries have the greatest power in institutionssuch as the World rade Organisation (W O), theWorld Bank and the International Monetary Fund,the regulations are criticised by many developingcountries and NGOs or mainly bene ting big busi-

Box 1: Ecosystem services

Ecosystem services comprise all the bene ts that ecosystems provide. Human wel are and developmentare completely dependent on these services, or example air and water puri cation, climate stabilisation,erosion control, pollination o crops, natural pest control, the ability o seas to produce sh and the ability o ecosystems to bu er the e ects o natural disasters.



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ness and rich countries at the expense o people andenvironments in the South.

Despite the current nancial crisis, the global econ-omy is expected to treble or quadruple in the next 50years. Tis economic growth, together with an ever-growing world population, brings with it a range o challenges or the climate and or the ecosystems that

orm the basis or economic and social development.For the poor and hungry, who to a greater extent thanother people are directly dependent on healthy localecosystems and the services they deliver, this is an un-

ortunate development. Te same applies to agriculture,which is dependent on a range o ecosystem services(see Box 1), such as pollination, water puri cation, nat-ural pest control and maintenance o soil ertility. Atthe present time, 60% o ecosystem services are already overexploited or under threat due to e.g. climate change,land degradation, invading species, eutrophication andenvironmental pollution (Millennium Ecosystem As-sessment, 2005). I this negative development contin-

ues, it can have extensive consequences or uture oodsecurity and can undermine the possibility o meetingthe UN Millennium Development Goal o halving thenumber o people su ering rom hunger by 2015.

In light o this, growing numbers are now press-ing or undamental changes in global regulations sothat they better promote sustainable and air develop-ment. Increasing globalisation and ree trade would notautomatically solve the problems o hunger and poverty in the world. For example, Brazil would not necessarily bene t rom trade agreements that deregulated agricul-tural trade completely so that its agricultural productscould compete reely in the markets o the North.

From minor research station to nationalnode or socially and ecologically

sustainable agriculture

Te state o Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil and

has a population o more than eleven million. oday,the proportion o organic arming in this state is greaterthan in most countries in Latin America or Europe.However, around 25 years ago the picture was com-pletely di erent. At that time the region was severely a -

ected by the chemical-intensive green revolution, witha range o negative consequences or the environmentand human health. It was against this background thatCentro Ecológico began its work with a small researchstation to investigate whether it was possible to growcrops without pesticides and arti cial ertilisers.

oday, both organic arming and the work o Cen-tro Ecológico are steadily expanding in the region

and throughout southern Brazil. Te organisation hasgradually grown rom being a small research stationto become a whole centre or ecologically and socially sustainable development o agriculture. Te aim is touse alternative and innovative technologies and meth-ods to expand organic growing and make small-scale

arming economically and socially viable.By being active in di erent networks, Centro

Ecológico has been able to in uence the developmento a range o issues associated with organic arming,both nationally and internationally. Te organisationnow acts as a knowledge bank or organic armingthrough e.g. the ollowing activities:

Centro Ecológico is working e.g. on promoting and developing organic production o bananas. Te organisation was ounded in1985 in Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, as a protest against the chemical-intensive agriculture brought by the greenrevolution. Photo: Jakob Lundberg / Centro Ecológico



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Portrait 1: Nelson Bellé: Works as advisor atCentro Ecológico and was the frst eco- armer

in Rio Grande do Sul

It was a er hearing a committed priest talk about therelationship between Man and Nature that NelsonBellé changed his path. At that time, in the mid-1980s,he became a pioneer in the region when he le the am-ily arm in Sierra and began growing organic vegeta-bles. oday he is working at Centro Ecológico, wherehe acts as an advisor or armers who are interested inbeginning to grow organically and or those organic

arms that are already working with Centro Ecológico.He keeps himsel continually updated on the latest

Box 2: Centro Ecológico

Centro Ecológico was ounded in 1985 in Bra-zil’s most southerly state, Rio Grande do Sul,as a protest against the chemical-intensive ag-

riculture brought by the green revolution. Teorganisation has gradually grown rom a smallresearch station or organic arming into anational node or ecologically and socially sus-tainable development o agriculture. oday the centre has its own educational centre withdemonstration and experimental crops. It orga-nises courses and meetings and provides adviceto support groups o organic amily arms inproduction, processing, certi cation and tradein organic ood. Te aim is to use alternativeand innovative technologies and methods todevelop organic production and make small-scale arming economically and socially viable.

In Sweden, Centro Ecológico is perhaps bestknown due to its long partnership with thesociety Framtidsjorden and in later years withthe Swedish Society or Nature Conservation

www.centroecologico.org.br

Partnering and supporting groups o organic•amily arms so that they can certi y their prod-

ucts and set up organic markets.

Directly advising armers in the region with the•help o the centre’s agronomists, who share theirpractical experience.

Providing courses in e.g. organic arming, various•orms o processing and commercialisation.

stablishing organic markets in a number o cities so•as to link town and country.

Supporting consumer co-operatives and shops run•by armers’ groups.

Collaborating with armers who produce, barter•and sell their own crop seed.

Closely • collaborating with schools on di erentorms o environmental education projects.

Supporting the development o agro orestry to pro-• vide e.g. odder, uel and shade, while also acting asan erosion barrier and a natural nitrogen ertiliser.

Working actively in international partnership proj-•ects to promote rural development and developorganic arming.

a) Nelson Bellé (see portrait below). b) Aςaí berry (assai), an important ruit in agro orestry (see p. 15). Photo: Jakob Lundberg

research ndings and when anything importantemerges he usually organises a course with represen-tatives rom various armers’ cooperatives that arecollaborating with the centre. Trough his long com-

mitment to organic arming, Nelson has seen increas-ing numbers o armers convert once they nd outthat they can actually make a good income while alsoreducing the money spent on expensive and health-damaging pesticides and decreasing the number o middlemen. He is working actively to diminish theuse o chemicals and to nd alternatives to monocul-tures in order to create more sustainable long-termlivelihoods or the rural population.

According to Nelson, one o the greatest challengestoday is to expand the organic market and increasecollaboration between eco- armers and consumers in atime when supermarkets continue to expand.



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I n Brazil, a number o armers’ co-operatives have opted to convert to organic arming and supply directly to selected local organic markets. Tese are attended by a growing number o consumers who are particularly interested in where and how the ood they buy

is produced. Te pro ts that previously went to middlemen are now divided between produc-ers, consumers and the environment.

Small-scale trade in networks

Centro Ecológico has ocused its e orts on small-scale trade in networks. It actually does not have any expressed aims to establish its ood on the interna-tional market. Tere are several reasons or this. Itbelieves that the global ood market sets demands thatwould encroach on the reedom o the organic armersand also that there is a risk o it bene ting a small elitethat can a ord organic ood. It is just as important toensure that the regional market is promoted and toact so that even the poor in their home country haveaccess to nutritional organic ood.

In the beginning o the 1980s, Centro Ecológicoinitiated an organic street market or locally produced

ood in the state capital, Porto Alegre. Here in themajor city, local smallholders sell their goods directly to consumers. Tis provides higher income or thegrowers, since the pro ts that previously went tomiddlemen are redistributed. Centro Ecológico alsomakes organic products available to a wider public atcompetitive prices. Market stalls loaded with locally produced organic products appear every Saturday morning in what over time has also become a popularmeeting place or smallholders and city dwellers. Teconventional market has had to move as the organicmarket has expanded and today there are organicmarkets at several sites in Porto Alegre.

2. Small-scale trade and participatory organic certi cation

Establishing local organic markets where producers and consumers can meet is a central part o Centro Ecológico’s work towardscreating agriculture that provides long-term sustainable livelihoods. Tis picture shows the organic street market in Porto Alegre,which is the state capital o Rio Grande do Sul. Photo: Jakob Lundberg.



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Alternative to external certi cationincreases con dence o local population

Initially, there was no certi cation at all or organically produced goods since it was not considered neces-

sary when producers and consumers had such a closerelation-ship. However, the eeling gradually developedthat a certi cation system was necessary to deal withthe claim that certi cation was lacking because thegoods were o lower quality. Te Participatory Guar-antee System (PGS) that was then established by localconsumers and producers is based on trust insteado the international certi cation system model with

Box 3: Renaissance for the local in an increasingly globalised world?

It is not an obvious advantage or poor smallholders in Brazil to certi y themselves according to the international systemand aim or export arming. National import regulations and the act that the international certi cation bodies chargehigh ees or assessing and certi ying armers tend to drive development towards agribusiness, with plantations run by major multinational companies. Tere ore a more local system or trade in arm products and their certi cation bringsa range o advantages or armers in the region. In recent years the costs o transport and energy have also risen in away that can strengthen Brazil’s own armers in the competition against imported ood. Locally produced ood grownwithout expensive and energy-demanding inputs may undergo a renaissance. When cheap oil and biased subsidies arehistory, monoculture o soybeans and palm oil or production o animal eed or the Western world’s cattle and pigs may become increasingly rare. It will hope ully be replaced by more variation-rich agriculture based on ecosystem servicesand biological diversity, with the aim o stimulating long-term sustainable rural development on the poorer countries’own terms.

Above: Locally produced ood being sold in consumer co-operatives in southern Brazil. Embedded photo: wo o the womenwho run the consumer co-operative Ecotorres, which sells organically produced and locally processed oods and ecoclothing.Photo: Jakob Lundberg

expensive external controls. A particular aim is to stim-ulate sel -determination and to build up a sense o pridein local producers. Te network Ecovida, where CentroEcológico is one o the driving parties, coordinates thework on PGS. Ecovida bases its work on a high level o con dence between producer and consumer, and now

covers the three states Parana, Rio Grande do Sul andSanta Catarina. Te network consists o 24 nodes thatall work both regionally and locally through consum-er and producer groups and through environmentalgroups and other voluntary organisations. In dialoguewith the Ministry o Agriculture, PGS has today spreadthroughout Brazil. Similar systems have been devel-oped in e.g. Chile, Bolivia and Costa Rica.



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Portrait 2: Anelise Becker wants to take overamily processing industry

Anelise’s parents run a processing industry, which pro-

duces items such as tomato sauce, g jam and bananacandy. Anelise is training to be a teacher and is activein the youth movement. ‘I want to take over the busi-ness in the uture so that I can stay here in the village.By also training to be a teacher I hope to contribute tomore people having the opportunity to remain in thearea’. Te industry was started by three amilies withan interest- ree state loan. Now they see the market ororganic products increasing. Te next step or the am-ily business is to concentrate more on the local marketand to improve administration in the company.

a) Banana candy, an example o arm processing. b) Anelise wants to take over the amily processing industry, which produces e.g.organic tomato sauce and g jam (see portrait below). c) Selling locally produced ood and processed oods at the organic streetmarket in Porto Alegre. Photo: Solomon H. Mariam.

Box 4: Trade in ecosystem services

Payment or Ecosystem Services (PES) is beingtested and developed in several areas o the worldand means that activities that support or gener-ate ecosystem services are paid or by those who

use these services. Tis can involve e.g. providingarmers with incentives to make agricu lture moreenvironmentally riendly and to manage theirland so that they produce a multiplicity o services such as preservation o biological diversity,uptake o carbon dioxide rom the atmosphereand prevention o soil erosion. Tese ecosystemservices are undervalued as a rule, whi le marketsand subsidies have a tendency to promote maxi-mum production o ood, bres and bio uels atthe expense o other ecosystem services.

Box 5: Research on networks verifies Centro Ecológico’s work Working with the aid o network structures can be extremely e ec-tive in spreading ideas and undamentally in uencing the surround-ing world with relatively ew resources, e.g. or studies o how di er-ent ecosystems and their capacity to deliver ecosystem services can be

urther enhanced. By analysing a landscape and its links and nodes,or example how one type o orest is connected to another through

green corridors, points where nature conservation measures are bestintroduced can be identi ed. Centro Ecológico and its partner organi-sations are actively working in network structures (see picture on le )so as to exchange new knowledge on organic arming and certi cationas efciently as possible.



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3. Development o expertise and exchangeo knowledge key to success

C entro Ecológico could never have developed rom a minor research station into a na-tional node or the development o organic agriculture had it not been or its persistentwork on exchange o knowledge and continual development o expertise. Te centre’s

agronomists carry out a range o tasks rom research and advisory work to visiting arms andschools. ogether with their partner organisations, they actively work in network structures soas to spread new in ormation on organic arming and certi cation as e ciently as possible.

“Development o experti se and exchange o knowledge are two o the most important components o our operations”, say husbandand wi e Ana and Laércio Meirelles (above right), who are two o the key individuals in Centro Ecológico today. Photo: JakobLundberg.

Centro Ecológico and its partner organisations areactively working in network structures (see Box 5)to spread in ormation and develop skills withinorganic production in southern Brazil. Building upand strengthening various networks with numer-ous smaller centres has a greater e ect than spread-ing all in ormation through a single centre. Te work involves visits, meetings and training o smallholders.It deals with everything rom production and process-ing to the marketing o organic produce and the or-mulation o guidelines to stimulate more sustainableagriculture and increased environmental protection.

Centro Ecológico works on a number o levelsrom the local to the international. For example, it is

a member o Ecovida, a Brazilian network that wasstarted during the 1980s to support small armers andto promote organic production and consumption. Intotal, Ecovida organises 3000 amilies in 270 groups.Te network, which consists o 30 volunteer organi-sations and 10 organic consumer cooperatives, is divided into 24 regional nodes spread over three statesin southern Brazil.

Centro Ecológico also has strong relationships withteachers through a network consisting o 40 teachersin 10-15 schools who together provide training in environmental conservation at the schools (see Box 6).Centro Ecológico is also linked to ANA (National Ar-ticulation on Agroecology), which ocuses on organic



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Portrait 3: Dr. André Gonçalves works orCentro Ecológico and has a doctorate rom

Cornell University in the USA

André Gonçalves obtained his doctorate rom CornellUniversity in the USA in 2008, with a thesis that com-pared organic and conventional banana cultivation.Te results show that organic banana production isadmittedly somewhat less productive in terms o kilo-grams per hectare, but is better nancially in the longrun since organic bananas mean higher prices orproducers and lower costs or expensive inputs suchas pesticides and arti cial ertiliser. In addition, theagro orestry o the organic plantations is better or thebiological diversity o the unique Atlantic rain orestand provides considerably more ecosystem services,thus increasing the socio-economic bene ts. Be ore hebegan his research, André worked or Centro Ecológi-co as a coordinator o various projects within sustain-able agriculture and rural development directed atsmallholders and grassroots organisations. Now he isback at the Centre again, using the results o his ownresearch to improve organic agriculture in southernBrazil. André was recently one o the authors o thereport ‘International Assessment o Agricultural Sci-ence and echnology or Development’ (IAAS D).

a) Hibiscus is one o many di erent types o owers grown between the various crops and ruit trees in agro orestry. b) Researchcarried out by Andre, shows that organic arming in Rio Grande do Sul is better or the environment and more economically ben-e cial in the long run (see portrait 3). Photo: Christine Cli stock and Jakob Lundberg.

Box 6: Working with schools

Centro Ecológico works with schools romprimary level to high school to integrate environmental knowledge into the curriculum.Te work mainly consists o advising teachersand producing teaching material or speci cenvironmental projects. Continual assessmentand improvement are the cornerstones o thiscollaboration, where exchange o knowledgebetween teachers, armers and researchers isstimulated. Te aim is to promote contact be-tween di erent disciplines and to investigatehow scienti c and practical knowledge can becombined or better joint activities within theenvironmental area. Trough discussions andapplication o a method based on a step-wisemodel o learning, theoretical and practicalapplications are proposed or joint projects.

arming at the national level, and is an active membero MAELA (Movimiento Agroecológico de AméricaLatina y Caribe), which is working on organic arm-ing and social justice in Latin America and the Carib-bean. It also has international contacts via exchange o knowledge with organisations such as Framtidsjorden

and the Swedish Society or Nature Conservation.



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Agro orestry is the name given to a system where armers grow their crops, e.g. bananas, together with trees, bushes and otherplants. Te trees chosen o en have nitrogen- xing roots systems, which provide natural ertiliser or the surrounding vegetation.Te trees also provide shade and act as a windbreak. Tese systems have been shown to bind more carbon than monocultures inwhich only one crop is grown – a eature that is becoming an increasingly important ecosystem service in view o climate change.Photo: Solomon H. Mariam.

4. Agro orestry provides ecosystem servicesand protects the Atlantic rain orest

Agro orestry means that in contrast to monocultures, many diferent crops, bushes andtrees are grown together. Tese systems imitate the natural systems in many ways. Tey can be high-yielding i correctly designed, while they also provide a range o environ-

mental bene ts – such as promoting ecosystem services and biological diversity – and providea more secure livelihood.

disease to ageing and cancer. In addition, its marrow(palm heart) is a popular delicacy and there ore theassai palm has been elled widely in South America. InBrazil it is now a protected species. Many would liketo be able to grow it legally and sustainably, but this isnot possible under the current legislation, which in-cludes a general ban on its harvesting.

In organic agro orestry in southern Brazil, the cropsgrown include banana, papaya, acerola berry (Mal-pighia punici olia, a small bush with extremely vita-min C-rich ruits), guava, pineapple, maize and other vegetables. Another example is the native speciesheart-o -palm (Euterpe edulis), which is one o thekey species or the preservation o biological diversity in the Atlantic rain orest since its ruit is an impor-tant ood source or many birds, insects and mam-mals. Aςaí (assai), is another important species inagro orestry. It has long been used by the local popu-lation, but in recent years it has attracted attention orits high content o antioxidants, vitamins and miner-als. oday it is regarded as a type o ‘super ruit’, withclaims o positive e ects on everything rom heart



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Agro orestry creates complex and varying habitats where a multitude o birds, insects and plants can thrive. Photo: JakobLundberg/Solomon H. Mariam.

rees and crops grown together or greaterdiversity and secure livelihood

In addition to all the crops and ruits produced, agro-orestry in Rio Grande do Sul also includes ornamental

plants such as orchids and bromelids, which can be soldon the market. Furthermore, lumber is produced romtrees such as cedar and brazil-nut. Overall, this provides a more secure livelihood throughout the year andlower vulnerability to crop ailure and price changesthan when a single crop is grown. Including trees andbushes in crop plantations provides shade or plantsthat are susceptible to sun and protects the soil rom

drying. rees planted are o en nitrogen- xing treesthat have the ability to bind atmospheric nitrogen (withthe help o bacteria in the root system) and that providenatural ertiliser or the surrounding plants. Tey alsoproduce large amounts o organic material in the ormo twigs, branches, leaves, bark, ruits and roots, whichcontribute to improving the humus content o the soil.Moreover, the trees also act as a windbreak, which pro-tects sensitive crops, and via their root systems they transport some minerals up rom deeper layers andmake them available to crops. Extensive experiences

rom South America and A rica show that this type o cropping, i correctly designed, can more than doublecrop yields compared with previous growing systems.In Rio Grande do Sul the increasing number o grow-

Box 7: Agroforestry – learns from natural ecosystems to achieve importantenvironmental and development goals

In agro orestry, di erent types o trees, bushes and arm crops are combined in cropping systems that o en try to resemble natural ecosystems. Agro orestry can thus be seen as a orm o biomimicry, which is a growing re-search area inspired by and learning rom nature in order to nd more long-term sustainable solutions. Agro-

orestry does this by ocusing on recycling and diversity instead o ossil uel-based technology. It also createsmore complex and varying habitats at several levels where a multitude o birds, insects and other animals andplants can thrive. Correctly designed, a system such as this can bind the soil, resist pests and ertilise itsel –almost completely without our help. By being more multi unctional, it contributes to providing bene ts inaddition to ood and can there ore provide a more secure livelihood while also promoting ecosystem servicesand biological diversity (see able 1 and Box 8). In recent years agro orestry has been raised in a number o international orums and reports as an important link in the work o achieving the goals set by the globalenvironmental conventions (e.g. on biological diversity, deserti cation and climate) and in achieving the UN’sgoals on halving poverty and hunger.



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Portrait 4: Toninho, agro orester

oninho (pictured above) runs the banana plantationwhile his wi e grows owers to sell at market. Tey savesuitable sel -sown trees and bushes and plant sometrees that t together well with the banana plants. Inmany respects he tries to replicate the Atlantic rain or-est that was present at the site ‘be ore the colonisers cameand cut down al l the valuable t imber’. oday there arearound 20 di erent types o trees on his arm. Sincehe converted to organic arming, he keeps 80% o thepro ts. In the past there was seldom more than 20%net pro t, as middlemen took the rest.

Box 8: Agroforestry gives a greater diversity of ecosystem services

Cropproduction

Naturalpest control

Timberproduction

Air puri cationand control of

regional climate

Capacity tobind carbon

Water puri cationand control of water ows

Pollination

Conservationof habitats and

biological diversity

Cropproduction

Naturalpest control

Timberproduction


regional climate



Pollination



Cropproduction

Naturalpest control

Timberproduction


regional climate



Pollination



Natural ecosystems Intensive agriculture Forestry

Agro orestry gives a greater diversity o ecosystem services than intensive arming, which tends to maximise cereal produc-tion at the expense o most other ecosystem services. More people are now recommending multi unctional agriculture thatcontributes additional bene ts as well as ood. Te diagram is modi ed rom Foley et al. (Science 2005).

a) Bushes and owers in agro orestry are important or landscape value and or the generation o ecosystem services. For examplethey can provide habitats or pollinating insects and pest-eating birds. b) oninho (see portrait 4) is a proud armer who is reapingthe bene ts o multi unctional agro orestry. Photo: Jakob Lundberg/Solomon H. Mariam.

ers converting to organic production is contributing tonot only protecting but also restoring the environment,particularly the valuable Atlantic rain orest.



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able 1: Matrix with examples o important cropping practices in organic agro orestry and ecosystem services promoted by the respective

practice. Te number o plus signs shows the degree o e ect on each ecosystem service: +++ strongly promoted, ++ moderate e ect,+ detectable e ect. Tis matrix was produced together with André Gonçalves and Ana Meirelles at Centro Ecológico and Johanna Björklund,Centre or Sustainable Agriculture at the Swedish University o Agricultural Sciences.



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5. Conclusions

• Te unique work o Centro Ecológico in southern Brazil demonstrates that it is possible to increaseood production and secure livelihoods with the help o organic arming, which in combination with

participatory certi cation stimulates small-scale local and regional trade.

• e organic farming developed maintains biological diversity and draws bene t from ecosystem services.Tis is an essential alternative to the monoculture o soya or animal eed concentrate, which is expandingthroughout parts o Brazil, e.g. in Cerrado and the Amazon region.

• rough working actively on actor participation, exchange of knowledge and development of expertisein network structures, Centro Ecológico and its partner organisations have been able to in uence thedevelopment o organic agriculture nationally and internationally.

• Certi cation according to the international systems is not necessarily the best option for poor smallholders.Te work o Centro Ecológico shows that local certi cation systems can unction well and that they cantake place on the terms o the local population, while also promoting increasing organic production andgiving a broader range o consumer groups access to organic ood.

• Agroforestry gives a greater diversity of potential livelihoods and ecosystem services than intensive farming,which tends to maximise the production o one crop at the expense o most other ecosystem services. Italso binds more carbon dioxide (combats the increasing greenhouse e ect) and is better or the uniquebiological diversity in the threatened Atlantic rain orest.

• Research shows that organic banana production in Rio Grande do Sul is more nancially advantageousin the long run and better secures local ood supply. Organic banana plantations admittedly producesomewhat ewer kilos o bananas per hectare and require higher labour inputs, but they tend to compen-sate or this by generating a range o other crops and ecosystem services with high economic value or theindividual armer.



21

6. Recommendations• International aid and research must try to prioritise the agricultural sector as an important development

issue and increase investment in sustainable rural development in order to decrease hunger.

• Trade policies must be consistently adapted so that global trade agreements promote, rather than destroy,the conditions or the environment and ood security.

• National strategies for agricultural development and countering poverty must focus more on support andeconomic incentives or small armers wishing to convert to ecosystem services-based arming that usesless ossil uel and ewer chemical inputs.

• Participatory certi cation systems based on mutual respect between consumer and producer should bepromoted. Tey provide scope or more exible certi cation regulations, which are developed with greaterrespect or the environmental, social and cultural context.

• Initiatives that promote contact between farmers and consumers willing to contribute to sustainable development should be developed, e.g. through establishing local markets or organic ood or providing support

or armers who want to process their own organic products and bring them to market.• Various systems for paying farmers for the production of ecosystem services should be investigated more

closely and developed so that they bene t smallholders in the South.

• Decision-makers at local and regional level should cooperate to create better conditions for increasedconsumption o locally produced organic ood in public catering, particularly ood to nurseries, schoolsand homes or the elderly (e.g. by setting up percentage targets or providing tax relie or organic ood).

• e legislation should be changed so that it improves the conditions for agroforestry to access the marketwith more o its products (e.g. today the armers in Rio Grande do Sul are not allowed to actively grow orsell products rom wild plants and trees used in their agro orestry).

a) Various fruit juices are included in the range of organic products which have been certi ed through the Participatory Guaran-tee System (PGS). b) Spiders hardly exist at all in the conventional banana plantations, but they are very common in the organicagro orestry systems. Photo: Jakob Lundberg / Solomon H. Mariam.



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7. Sources and urther readingClimate Change 2007, the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) o the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC): www.ipcc.ch

Foley, J.A. and others. 2005. Global Consequences o Land Use. Science 309: 570-574.

Henrysson, J. and Höök, K. 2007. Food, Climate and Development. Report by Swedish Society or Nature Con-servation: www.naturskydds oreningen.se/upload/Foreningsdokument/Rapporter/rapport-klimat- ood-climate-development.pd

Lundberg, J and Moberg, F. 2008. Ecological in Ethiopia – Farming with nature increases pro tability andreduces vulnerability. Swedish Society or Nature Conservation. 28 p. www.naturskydds oreningen.se/upload/Foreningsdokument/Rapporter/engelska/Report_international_Ethiopia.pd

Mäder, P., Fliessbach, A.,Dubois D., Gunst L., Fried P. and Niggli, U. 2002. Soil Fertility and Biodiversity inOrganic Farming. Science Vol 296: 1592-1597.

Synthesis Report o the International Assessment o Agricultural Knowledge, Science and echnology orDevelopment (IAAS D), 2008: www.agassessment.org/

Te Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: www.maweb.org/

Te State o Food and Agriculture 2007 - Paying Farmers or Environmental Services,FAO: www. ao.org/docrep/010/a1200e/a1200e00.htm

World Development Report 2008: Agriculture or Development, the World Bank: http://go.worldbank.org/ZJIAOSUFU0

IFOAM Online Global PGS Database (International Foundation or Organic Agriculture Movements’ databaseor Participatory Guarantee Systems or Organic Agriculture): www.i oam.org/about_i oam/standards/pgs.html

Nine positive results from Centro Ecológico’s work

1. More arms producing organically.2. Lower use o chemical pesticides that are damaging to human health and the environment.3. Increased sel -con dence in armers.4. Improved relations and increased trust between producers and consumers.5. Stronger protection or the unique biological diversity o the threatened Atlantic rain orest.6. Improved and diversi ed opportunities or making a living.7. Enhanced generation o ecosystem services.8. Increased knowledge o the environment and sustainable development among armers andschoolchildren.9. Greater use o agro orestry, which binds more carbon than monoculture – and is thus positive

rom a climate perspective.



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his report is based around the unique work o Centro Ecológico in southern Brazil and

shows that it is possible to increase ood production and secure livelihoods with the aido participatory certi cation, small-scale trade and organic arming that maintains biologicaldiversity and draws bene t rom ecosystem services. By being active in a range o di erentnetworks, Centro Ecológico has been able to in uence the development o organic armingnationally and internationally.

Te Swedish Society or Nature Conservation is collaborating with Centro Ecológico. Wehave established an exchange o in ormation between our organisations and we are workingtogether to develop sustainable agriculture.

Te Swedish Society or Nature Conservation is also providing nancial support or CentroEcológico and is collaborating with many other arming organisations in the South and withorganisations working with seas and shing, climate, hazardous chemicals, trade and oodsecurity.

In total, the Swedish Society or Nature Conservation is working in partnership with around60 organisations in over 20 di erent countries. Tis work is mainly unded by Sida.

Naturskydds öreningen. Box 4625, 116 91 Stockholm, Sweden

Phone + 46 8 702 65 00. in o@naturskydds oreningen.se

The Swedish Society or Nature Conservation is an environmental organisation with power to bring about change. We spread know-ledge, map environmental threats, create solutions, and infuencepoliticians and public authorities, at both national and international levels. Moreover, we are behind one o the world’s most challenging ecolabellings,“Bra Miljöval”(Good Environmental Choice).

Climate, the oceans, orests, environmental toxins, and agriculture are our main areas o involvement.

www.naturskydds oreningen.se

organic farming in brazil

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