GEO Brasil - UNEP

a) To run a trend and stateanalysis in the world’s
agriculture bio-diversity;
b) To identify practices, technologies and management
policies that cause positive impact and reduce
agriculture’s negative impacts in bio-diversity;
c) To strengthen agriculture workers, their communities
and organisational training, to support national plans
and strategies for the conservation and self-sustained
use of bio-diversity in agriculture.
Among the bio-diversity in agriculture’s main actions
implemented by Brazil, within the first component, the
following deserve to be mentioned:
a) 27 ex-situ vegetal germoplasm banks, with more than
200,000 accesses, with 24% of these made up of native
species; 12 animal germoplasm banks with in vivo and
in vitro samples, specially extinction endangered
species;
b) 10 agricultural interest micro-organism’s germoplasm
banks, including viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoan,
c) Organisation of an international workshop on pollen
agents in agriculture.
Within the second component, the identification of the best
bio-diversity conserving handling practices, some of which
already have broad practical application, must be
highlighted:
Examples: Combined and Concentrated Reforesting
Project (Projeto de Reflorestamento Consorciado e
Adensado - RECA) –occurring between Rio Branco,
AC and Porto Velho, RO. BONAL Project, by Natural
Rubber Inc. and the Forest Centre programmeme, in
Rio Branco, Acre.
d) Organic Agriculture: there are more than 50 certified
organic agriculture products, both “in natura” and
processed products (e.g. açaí, acerola, sugar, sugarcane
liquor, cotton...). In 1999, according to the International
Trade Centre, in Geneva, Switzerland, the amount
relative to organic produce in Brazil was US$ 150 million.
According to the International Trade Centre, in Geneva,
Switzerland and the Bio-dynamic Institute (Instituto
Biodinâmico), which is Brazil’s biggest certification
agency, the amount produced in 2000 was US$ 195
million. Organic agriculture production in the country
should present continuous growth, since consumption
has been growing by 10% a year. According to Biodynamic
Institute, the area occupied by type of
agriculture in 2000 was 61,000 ha.
e) Environmental Impact Evaluation System:
Technological Innovation Environmental Impact
Evaluation System - Ambitec-Agro - (Rodrigues et al.,
2000) was developed and, as of 2002, shall be used to
evaluate some of the environmental impact of
technologies in place.
policies feedback
a) Direct Planting – A soil handling conservationist
system that consists of planting without revolving the
soil and previous crop residues; it is based on crop
rotation and is being used, nowadays, in about 14
million ha.
b) Biological Control – Actions that strive to find
replacements for pesticides in pest control.
c) Agriculture-forest Systems – Consist of combining
forest and agricultural species and have several
advantages, such as extended agricultural production
in already deforested areas. This reduces the need for
more deforestingand improvements to agriculture
workers’ living standards since the need to occupy large
areas for plantation is reduced and an increase in their
awareness to the importance of forest resources
conservation. There have been several such experiences
in the Amazon region. However, they still represent a
minuscule portion of the land being used for plantation
in that region.
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