outubro, 13 2015

Two years after its establishment, engaging with soybean farmers from Sorriso, the project “People who Produce and Preserve” (GPP, in Portuguese) has finalized its first phase by receiving the RTRS certification (The Round Table on Responsible Soy) for its group of participating producers accounting for over 50,000 acres.
 
This partnership between the WWF-Brazil, CAT (Friends of the Earth), BEL Group, IDH (The Sustainable Trade Initiative), Solidaridad and the ICV (Life Center Institute) was established on October 2013 and has been engaging with soybean producers since then, aiming to promote responsible soy production according to the principles and criteria of the RTRS certification.
 
“Sorriso is the world’s largest soy producer and for the first time a local rural property has obtained this certification. And this is thanks to the producers’ commitment and the credibility we have earned among them”, says Cynthia Cominesi, the project’s coordinator.
 
In this first phase, nine rural properties were certified. The GPP group audit was held in late July and five standards were evaluated: compliance with legislation and good business practices; good working conditions; responsible relations towards the community; environmental responsibility; and good agricultural practices.  
 
“In this first phase of the project, we offered producers a full assessment of their farm regarding the new forest code, labour conditions, inputs management, among others. Since then, these farms have gone through a process of adaptation to the RTRS standards”, explains Cominesi.
 
For the head of the Agriculture and Environment Programme at WWF-Brazil, Edegar Rosa, once these adjustments are made, the soybean producer can have an overview of their business thus improving management and reducing the risks of production in several ways. Therefore, not only the productive aspect is taken into account, but also the legal, social and environmental aspects.
 
“Due to the high level of soybean production in Sorriso, the greatest challenge is in property management. And through this project we have observed that the RTRS standard works as an effective management tool for the producers”, concludes Edegar. Another aspect highlighted by the coordinator is the environmental indicator of this group of properties, which accounts for over 15.000 hectares of protected area or native vegetation with registration in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR).
 
Next steps
For producers participating in the project that have already been certified work is non-stop. They will work towards maintaining these standards and implementing the necessary criteria for the second year of audit.
 
Meanwhile, the GPP project continues to expand its soybean activities and engaging with new producers in Sorriso. “The WWF-Brazil’s goal is for the project to become a showcase of good agricultural practices at the heart of Brazilian agribusiness and further. It is a very positive scenario because we are expanding the project to further 148,000 acres within the next year”, says Edegar.