GEO-6 Regional Assessment for Latin America and the Caribbean


Other PES schemes involve the intensification of agricultural activities while maintaining the supply of ecosystem services. Cattle ranching expanded in Latin America during the 1970s and 1980s. Extensive pastures generate very little employment and are the cause of most of the deforestation and land degradation in parts of the region (Gibbs et al. 2010). Recent pressure from other crops, national commitments to ecosystem conservation, and the development of more sustainable technologies have induced the development of large sylvo-pastoral systems that intensify cattle ranching, increasing productivity while protecting land cover, watersheds and biodiversity. These systems are based on the adoption of technologies that increase yields while enriching soils, biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Due to the provision of those additional ecosystem services, they have been tied to payments for ecosystems services stemming from other parts of society.


Two of the largest initiatives on this front have been developed in Brazil and Colombia, supported by the national governments, with additional funding from the GEF, conservation agencies such as The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and local NGOs. The Colombia project targets small and medium-scale ranchers (of up to two square kilometres). Farmers adopt more sustainable practices and receive a payment for ecosystem services and technical assistance. The project expects to reach 580 square kilometres, increase production by 5 per cent, improve soil quality biodiversity, and lead to wider adoption among cattle ranchers (FEDEGAN 2015).


Integrated crop-livestock-forest systems (ICLF) in Brazil have received government attention since 2008 when it started allocating credit for development through the Programa de Produção Sustentável do Agronegócio (Produsa), as well as investments in research and technology for good agricultural practices and mitigation of GHG emissions, under the ABC programme (Agricultura de Baixa Emissão de Carbono). The goal of the programme is to reclaim 150 000 square kilometres of degraded pastures, including adoption of ICLF systems on 40 000 square kilometres by 2020. The programme has the support of Embrapa (Brazil’s Agricultural


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Research Corporation), which has established technology transfer centres throughout the country (de Almeida et al. 2013).


Adoption of these systems has increased as they have demonstrated higher yields, soil fertility improvements and carbon sequestration. A combination of policies that ensure permanent protected areas, incentives to ICLF by providing low-cost credit and technical assistance, together with payments for environmental services, would foster the rehabilitation of thousands of square kilometres of degraded lands. It is estimated that 50 per cent of the 1.05 million square kilometres of pasture are degraded or in the process of degradation (reference). These systems offer an enormous opportunity for sparing land in a region that faces great demand for crops and other land uses.


The round tables for Sustainable Consumption and


Production (SCP) are multi-stakeholder initiatives composed of voting members, including industry and civil society actors, with equal standing. Their purpose is to bring together all stakeholders in a specific global value chain to discuss and share best agricultural practices in each sector. They have proliferated in recent years under the encouragement of global environmental NGOs, particularly the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). They include products like palm oil, aquaculture, cotton, sugar, biofuels, soy, seafood, beef, cacao, forests and even water (WWF 2013). The RSPO and Roundtable on Responsible Soy (RTRS) also offer certification programmes (see below), which outline legal, social, environmental and economic guidelines for crop production.


Most recently a Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) has been developed to ensure the sustainability and traceability of biomaterials (including biofuels) destined mainly for Europe. Although many regional industries, farmers and associations belong to these initiatives, adoption of the standards is still at a very early stage, probably due to the limited trade that Latin American producers and manufactures have with Europe and North America


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