BRASILIA / GENEVA – Small businesses, Indigenous Peoples and traditional communities dependent on the forest across Brazil are set to produce and sell more nature-based products, in line with increasing global demand for sustainably produced foods and goods, through a new partnership between the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa).
ITC executive director Pamela Coke-Hamilton and Embrapa president Silvia Massruhá signed a letter of intent on 22 October, on the sidelines of the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting. The collaboration supports the G20 Bioeconomy Initiative, launched this year by Brazil. ITC is part of the G20 Bioeconomy Initiative.
The new partnership will foster the sustainable use, management and trade of nature-based value chains, which differ from industrial or agricultural methods, in that here, nature is considered the primary asset and is thus preserved throughout the process. Examples of nature-based products include Brazil nuts, the acai berry and Indigenous handicrafts, while services include eco-tourism and birdwatching.
Using socio-bioeconomic models of production and trade, ITC and Embrapa would also equip producers and small businesses to add value to a product at the source, in a sustainable way, rather than selling raw materials or commodities exports.
This partnership comes at a time when researchers are warning of the risk of Amazon forest “dieback” due to deforestation and climate change. The 2024 drought, one of the worst in recent history, has impacted over 500,000 people in more than 100 municipalities. Indigenous Peoples, who manage nearly 20 percent of the Amazon, play a key role in its protection. By fostering a sustainable socio-bioeconomy, this collaboration will boost economic growth for communities and Indigenous Peoples dependent on the forest for their livelihoods, while supporting Brazil’s zero-deforestation goal by 2030, in line with the country’s Bioeconomy Strategy and Plan.
Key areas of cooperation include developing socio-bioeconomy business models to promote social inclusion, biodiversity conservation, food security and sovereignty, and sustainable development through trade, for small businesses, producers, Indigenous Peoples and traditional communities in Brazil.
The initiative foresees strengthening of partnerships with cooperatives and financial institutions, to develop and promote models, with a focus on technical assistance, capacity building and connection to international markets and financiers; and supporting small businesses to build their skills in areas such as financial and digital readiness, product quality and design, marketing and branding, sustainable sourcing and processing, compliance with voluntary sustainability standards, adoption of measures related to resource efficiency and low carbon agriculture, and the mainstreaming of youth and gender perspectives.
ITC executive director Coke-Hamilton, said:
“The socioeconomic development of local communities and Indigenous Peoples is at the heart of this partnership. By supporting them to share their long-held knowledge of sustainable practices, they can unlock the full potential of their nature-based products at the global level, through trade, enabling them to earn higher incomes and create jobs.”
The president of Embrapa, Silvia Massruhá, emphasized that the organization invests heavily in research aimed at improving the production of bioeconomy products, particularly in the Amazon:
“Our research focuses on developing technologies that increase the added value of these products, with an emphasis on sustainability, directly benefiting local populations. In total, ten research centres are involved in the Inclusive Bioeconomy in the Amazon project, prioritizing groups such as family farmers, Indigenous peoples, traditional communities, agrarian reform settlers and artisanal fishers.”
Massruhá also mentioned that, according to 2022 data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, 18 Amazon socio-biodiversity products reached a production value of over R$ 11 billion (approximately USD$ 1.9 billion), with highlights including açaí, cocoa and Brazil nuts.
Compared to “business as usual”- the deforestation-free, socio-bioeconomy business models would increase the Brazilian Amazon’s GDP by at least $8.2 billion per year by 2050, while creating thousands of more sustainable jobs for local and Indigenous Peoples who depend on the forest for their livelihoods, according to the World Resources Institute.
