Food and Sustainability #39: Fires and deforestation
The discussion revolves around the connection between agro-food systems and deforestation, featuring Nadir Marques and Estela São Severino, a graduate student and researcher at the Josué de Castro Chair for Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems at USP. Estela explains that deforestation largely refers to the conversion of native vegetation, particularly forests, for agricultural and livestock purposes. A recent report highlights that over 97% of native vegetation loss in the last five years was due to agriculture. The Amazon and the Cerrado biomes are particularly affected, with significant areas being cleared for cattle ranching followed by monoculture crops like soy and corn. It is noteworthy that most of these crops (about 41% of global grain production) are used for animal feed, especially for poultry and pigs. The conversation also addresses the critical situation regarding fires in Brazilian biomes in 2024. The Pantanal experienced severe fires, exacerbated by climate change and poorly managed agricultural land clearing. Deforestation significantly contributes to climate change, with agro-food systems responsible for a third of global emissions, including 18.4% from forest conversion. Deforestation itself accounts for 11% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Estela points out that Brazil has the potential to implement strategies such as zero deforestation, regenerative cattle ranching, and restoring degraded lands to mitigate climate change. The discussion concludes with Nadir thanking Estela for her insights and encouraging listeners to explore more about sustainable food systems.