Protecting the Amazon forest and reducing global warming via agricultural intensification

Author(s):Show less -

Marin, Fabio R. ; Zanon, Alencar J. ; Monzon, Juan P. ; Andrade, Jose F. ; Silva, Evandro H. F. M. ; Richter, Gean L. ; Antolin, Luis A. S. ; Ribeiro, Bruna S. M. R. ; Ribas, Giovana G. ; Battisti, Rafael ; Heinemann, Alexandre B. ; Grassini, Patricio

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: NATURE SUSTAINABILITY; v. 5, n. 12, p. 14-pg., 2022-10-10.

Abstract

Vast areas of the Amazon forest have been lost to agriculture in recent decades. This study assesses the potential of intensification-increasing yields on a given area-to produce more soybean in Brazil without further Amazon forest loss and to reduce existing CO2 emissions. The Amazon basin includes 550 Mha covered with rainforests, and 60% of this area is in Brazil. The conversion of rainforest for soybean production raises concerns about how Brazil can reconcile production and environmental goals. Here we investigated the degree to which intensification could help Brazil produce more soybean without further encroachment on the Amazon forest. Our analysis shows that the continuation of current trends in soybean yield and area would lead to the conversion of an additional 5.7 Mha of forests and savannahs during the next 15 years, with an associated 1,955 Mt of CO(2)e released into the atmosphere. In contrast, the acceleration of yield improvement, coupled with the expansion of soybean area only in areas currently used for livestock production, would allow Brazil to produce 162 Mt of soybean without deforestation and with 58% lower global climate warming relative to that derived from the continuation of current trends. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/50445-0 - Brazilian yield-gap atlas: assessing the potential for sustainable intensification of Brazilian agriculture
• Grantee: Fabio Ricardo Marin
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 21/00720-0 - Advancing databases and modeling techniques for yield-gap analysis in Brazilian agricultural systems
• Grantee: Fabio Ricardo Marin
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 18/06396-7 - Quantification and decomposition of yield gap of sugarcane mill
• Grantee: Leticia Gonçalves Gasparotto
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 17/20925-0 - Brazilian yield-gap atlas: assessing the potential for sustainable intensification of Brazilian agriculture
• Grantee: Fabio Ricardo Marin
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants