JBS’s Green Offices start serving grain producers

JBS’s Green Offices will be expanded. Since 2021, the program has provided free technical assistance and extension services to farmers who wish to improve their environmental performance, with sustainable practices and more productivity. The company will now test the program’s new format in states where it does not operate, such as Maranhão, and among grain producers, announced Liège Correia, Chief Sustainability Officer at JBS Brasil.

The announcement was made on Friday, November 15, during COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, at the panel “Feeding the next billion: a model to build climate resilient food systems in the global south”. The JBS executive also addressed the need to think about agriculture, livestock and forestry in a systemic way, to produce more in existing areas and promote the recovery of degraded areas.

From this perspective, Brazil has the aptitude to produce much more, with the areas already available for the activity. “We have the opportunity to compensate for production deficiencies in the country, whether due to climate change or productivity of the areas, by increasing production in the same areas,” said Correia.

The environmental regularization of rural properties and greater access to science and technology for producers were other points addressed in the panel. “When the agribusiness made a public commitment to reduce deforestation, the industry went through the logic of blocking irregular suppliers. However, the companies understood that the continuous cycle of blocking would not end sustainably.” Since 2021, the Green Offices have enabled the regularization of 13,000 rural properties and 5,000 hectares were targeted for forest recovery.

The program operates in person at 20 JBS units. Recently, the program expanded to a virtual version, serving the entire country. JBS Brasil’s Chief Sustainability Officer explained that the program goes beyond the environmental regularization of rural property and provides access to technologies, information and management knowledge for producers in harmony with the concept of regenerative agriculture, which promotes the preservation of natural resources.

With regard to the climate issue, increasing access to financing for farmers, especially small farmers involved in livestock farming, is fundamental. According to Correia, this type of financing provides more financial backing for a more sustainable activity. “For the rural producer, having money in their account is key to produce tomorrow,” said Correia, who cited the remuneration of preservation units as a promising possibility.

Moderated by Marcello Brito, executive secretary of the Legal Amazon Consortium, the panel also included André Guimarães, executive director of IPAM; Nathalie Walker, director of Tropical Forests and Agriculture at the National Wildlife Federation; Marcelo Behar, senior advisor for COP30 at CEBDS; and Ana Paula da Silva, zootechnician and owner of Fazenda Cigana, in Campestre (state of Minas Gerais), who participated remotely.