Science to transform life

Agricultural research results and positive impacts on the economy, the environment and on consumers' tables

Livestock

The adoption of technologies in Brazilian farming has modernized the livestock sector, with sustainably-based increased production and productivity. In the last 40 years, the production of poultry meat increased 22 times; pork meat, 4 times; milk, 4 times; and the production of beef, 4 times. Research in genetics, advances in the control of pests and diseases, and pasture improvements raised the average output rate from 11% to 22% in the Brazilian beef cattle herd. Five Embrapa forage cultivars are responsible for nearly 80% of the national market and led Brazil to become the top exporter of tropical forage seeds in the world. With the "light swine", research contributed to the development of animals with lower fat percentages that today represent the standard of the national herd. Annual milk production doubled in the last 20 years, and the increase occurred not only due to the expansion of the herd, but also due to increased productivity of the cows, stemming from the incorporation of technologies. Learn more about some of such contributions from agricultural research below.