Last Friday, August 31, researchers and technicians from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and the Brazilian Institute of Development and Sustainability (IABS) presented the most recent results achieved by the Sustainable Rural project. The project aims at improving land and forest management in the Amazon and Atlantic Rainforest biomes through the adotion of technologies that are in line with the Low Carbon Agriculture Plan (ABC Plan) in rural properties in the states of Bahia, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso, Pará and Rondônia. The results were assessed by representatives of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the project's financial executor; of the International Climate Fund (ICF); of the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), funding agency; of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA); and of Banco do Brasil Foundation (technical support). Embrapa is responsible for the management of R&D activities and IABS, for logistics, transfer and communication action in 70 cities in the seven states concerned. Renato Rodrigues, Embrapa's secretary of Intelligence and Strategic Relations and one of the project leaders, explained that the research work is divided into four segments: mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improving databases on avoided deforestation data, perception of farmers with regard to the adoption of and economic benefits from low carbon technologies and agricultural practices, and the assessment of technical proposals submitted by technical assistance and rural extension institutions. "The knowledge and data generated will contribute to the work of the Multi-Institutional Platform to Monitor the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, the ABC Platform", he stated, recalling that the project will also assess how low carbon technologies contribute to avoiding deforestation. Within the corporation, on top of the Secretariat of Intelligence and Strategic Relations, the project counts on the direct participation of Embrapa Soils, Embrapa Agrobiology, Embrapa Agrosilvopastoral, Embrapa Soybeans and Embrapa Dairy Cattle. Renato presented some of the partial results obtained by researchers in three years of experiments in 100 hectares in Mato Grosso state with the adoption of Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forestry Systems (ICLFS): greenhouse gas emissions were cut by 20% when compared to a traditional cultivation system; 10% when compared with a traditional pasture system; and up to 50% when compared to traditional systems that involve planted forests, crops and pastures. When integrated systems are combined with nitrogen fertilization in degraded pastures, the process proved to be three times more efficient than the traditional one, with up to 800% gains in animal weight. The research also detected that the animals raised in systems that are integrated with trees go to the troughs less often in comparison with those raised in conventional systems, in the sun - the reduction borders 19%. Exceeded targets - The results in logistics, transfer and communications were presented by IABSand surprised the evaluators as they exceeded most of the project's initial targets. By August 2018, 299 of 350 Demonstration Units that are due to be set up had been implemented. Meanwhile the total figure of implemented Multiplication Units (3,637) surpassed the previously established target, which was 3,360. Out of 2,260 field days, 799 had taken place. And three other results had overcome the initial target: 18,292 trained farmers (the target was 11,220); 2,386 trained technical assistance agents (the target was 1,120); and 46,573 hectares of avoided deforestarion (for an initial target of 41,560). Click aqui to access the full report with the partial results achieved thus far. Click here to check the official page for the Sustainable Rural project. Translation: Mariana Medeiros