The event was part of the program of the 62nd Conference of UN Subsidiary Bodies (SB62), in Germany
In discussions about tackling climate change, the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy is a priority, but regenerative agriculture is a topic gaining momentum at this 62nd Conference of the UN Subsidiary Bodies (SB62), held from June 16 to 26 in Bonn, Germany. The event serves as preparation for the World Climate Conference (COP30), which will take place in Belém in November.
For Brazil, this is a vital topic, since the country has a dual prominence in the global climate change scenario: on one hand, it is a country with a strong participation of renewables in its energy matrix, positioning it as a natural leader in the energy transition. On the other hand, there are negative impacts from poor land use, including deforestation, wildfires, and unsustainable agricultural practices such as extensive monocultures, excessive pesticide use, and lack of proper management.
In this context, regenerative agriculture practices are an emerging topic, pointing to a path that reconciles an essential human activity — food production — with ecosystem conservation and its positive consequences for the climate.
The subject was the focus of a debate held last Friday (20th), bringing together Hunter Lovins, president and founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions; Million Belay, general coordinator of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa; and Lígia Leite Soares, head of the Brasília office leading international topics at Itaipu. The debate was moderated by Merijn Dols, co-founder of the Future Economy Forum and representative of NOW Partners.
Lígia opened the debate by presenting Itaipu’s experiences in 434 municipalities in Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul that are part of the Itaipu More than Energy program. For the company, care for water, soil, people, and ecosystems are inseparable from hydroelectric generation, demonstrating an intrinsic relationship between food cultivation, energy production, and water quality.
The presentation also covered social impact initiatives aligned with the Action Agenda proposed by the Brazilian government for COP30 (especially in the axis Transformation in Agriculture and Agricultural Systems), such as: the Sustainable Solidarity Kitchens project (which includes combating energy poverty, replacing cooking gas with biogas, and valuing care work in communities, especially by women); the Sustainable Rural Development program (providing support and technical assistance to 7,000 family farming households); and technological innovations (such as the use of artificial intelligence in diverse applications ranging from territorial data management to strengthening connections between consumers and organic family producers).
“To make the necessary changes in production and consumption systems, it is essential to listen to people and value local solutions. That is why Itaipu implements its actions with participatory management and uses innovation as a tool to promote social justice, empowering people and ecological transition in the territories,” she said.
Million Belay also bets on local solutions to ensure more sustainable food production in Africa. He spoke about the difficulties in confronting the narrative that outside the industrial mode of agricultural production and without industrialized seeds, it is impossible to produce enough food. One initiative in this regard is the campaign “My food is Africa,” which seeks to value the continent’s food culture.
Another front is the exchange with the family farming movement in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, which involves about 800,000 small producers transitioning to agroecology. The lessons learned brought by the Indians to Africa are the same observed in Itaipu’s area of operation, and include: community-based approaches; focus on soil health; proper drainage of rainwater to increase climate resilience; natural practices that increase soil microbiological diversity; and government support to scale up projects, among others.
“Among the results, we see that today African negotiators are addressing agroecology within the framework of the G77+China. We also see that the European Union has included sustainable agricultural practices as measures to tackle the climate crisis in the Climate Council,” Belay commented.
Hunter Lovins highlighted how agroecological practices are a way to promote the regeneration of ecosystems and climate, and to advance climate justice, giving resilience to those among the first impacted. “We are talking about making these small family producers not the victims, but the heroes of the climate,” Hunter declared, closing with a positive prognosis: “All the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are related to agriculture. In other words, we know how to solve the climate crisis and we will do it”.
