Sustainable agriculture is a driving force for economic, social and environmental development in Brazil, especially in the Amazon. In this scenario, the work of Grupo BBF (Brasil BioFuels), which since 2008 has been investing in the sustainable cultivation of oil palm, the production of biofuels and the generation of renewable energy.
Oil palm cultivation, the raw material for the most widely consumed vegetable oil in the world, is a sustainable practice that not only recovers degraded areas and captures carbon, but also generates employment and income for local communities. Oil palm cultivation is perennial and non-mechanizable, which creates opportunities for fixed jobs, helping with the socio-economic development of the regions in which it is grown.
For Milton Steagall, CEO of Grupo BBF, the expansion of palm cultivation reinforces the importance of sustainable development as a means of preserving the standing forest and improving the quality of life of the more than 29 million inhabitants of the Amazon. "The key is to recover degraded areas and create jobs," he says. Steagall also points out that agriculture in the northern region, known for its variety of products such as manioc, beans, Brazil nuts, passion fruit, cupuaçu and guaraná, can further expand its bioeconomy with crops such as oil palm, without deforesting the native forest.
According to the executive, Brazil has the potential to lead global palm oil production in a sustainable way. "We need ways to keep the forest standing, while providing jobs, income and wealth for the population," he says. Today, Grupo BBF has more than 75,000 hectares of oil palm cultivated in the states of Pará and Roraima, which allows for the capture of approximately 800,000 tons of carbon per year.
With some of the strictest legislation in the world, Brazil allowed oil palm cultivation exclusively in degraded areas until 2007, following the Agroecological Zoning of Oil Palm, established by Decree 7.172 of 2010. In research by Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), more than 31 million hectares in the Amazon have been identified as suitable for oil palm cultivation, while maintaining the preservation of the native forest. Brazil is currently the 10th largest global producer of palm oil, with around 300,000 hectares under cultivation, 85% of which is located in Pará.
