Family farming plays a crucial role in global food security, providing a large portion of the food consumed daily. However, its impact goes beyond food production. With growing concerns about climate change and the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions, small farmers are emerging as key players in the transition to sustainable agricultural practices.
New legislation was recently passed to strengthen access to rural credit through the Fundo Garantidor de Operações (FGO), expanding financing possibilities for family farming. This measure could be a game-changer for small farmers seeking to adopt low-carbon practices and enter the carbon credit market, transforming their activities into an additional source of sustainable income.
Opportunity for Low Carbon Agriculture
With the advancement of the carbon market, rural producers who adopt sustainable practices can benefit financially by reducing or capturing greenhouse gas emissions. Among the main agricultural techniques that contribute to reducing carbon in the atmosphere are:
Direct planting: a technique that improves carbon retention in the soil, reducing erosion and increasing organic matter.
Agroforestry systems: a combination of agricultural crops with native trees that absorb carbon dioxide and promote biodiversity.
Crop rotation and green manure: practices that increase soil fertility without the intensive use of synthetic fertilizers, reducing emissions of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas.
Recovery of degraded pastures: transformation of unproductive areas into fertile soils capable of capturing more carbon.
Rural finance strengthened by the new legislation can enable smallholder farmers to access technologies and training to implement these practices. Furthermore, with adequate technical support, producers can certify their properties to generate carbon credits, which are tradable in regulated and voluntary markets.
Carbon Credits: How it works and how family farming can benefit
Carbon credits represent the certified reduction or removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. In the agricultural sector, this occurs mainly through carbon sequestration in soil and vegetation. Each tonne of CO₂ equivalent that is no longer emitted or removed can be converted into a tradable carbon credit.
Currently, companies from various sectors are acquiring carbon credits to offset their emissions, driven by environmental goals and regulatory requirements. This opens up a promising market for small producers, who can sell their credits to companies interested in reducing their carbon footprint.
Amazon Connection Carbon (ACC), which specializes in offsetting emissions and trading carbon credits, highlights that initiatives aimed at family farming have great potential for impact. According to the company, strengthening this sector can result in the expansion of certified projects, benefiting rural communities and promoting sustainable development.
The process for a rural producer to become a carbon credit supplier requires compliance with several steps, such as:
Quantification of emissions – assessment of the environmental impact of the property and identification of mitigation opportunities.
Implementation of sustainable practices – adoption of agricultural methods that reduce or capture carbon.
Certification – auditing and validation by specialized organizations that ensure compliance with international standards.
Sale of credits – trading on the voluntary or regulated market for interested companies and investors.
With the right structuring, carbon credits can become a stable source of income for small producers, allowing them to diversify their income without compromising their core business.
A model of sustainable development
The connection between family farming and carbon credits goes beyond financial benefits. Adopting sustainable agricultural practices improves soil quality, conserves biodiversity, and increases the climate resilience of crops. In addition, rural communities can become economically stronger by integrating their products and services into the global sustainable market.
For this transition to happen efficiently, the participation of environmental organizations, specialized consultancies, and companies in the sector is essential. Partnerships can help with the certification of agricultural projects, the training of producers, and access to carbon markets.
The demand for climate solutions is growing, and family farming has the potential to play a central role in this scenario. By combining innovation, investment and environmental commitment, small producers can not only ensure their economic sustainability, but also make a decisive contribution to mitigating climate change.
In a world where consumers and companies are increasingly aware of their environmental impact, low-carbon agriculture is consolidating itself as a viable path for the future. By joining forces, the agricultural sector, companies and institutions can transform the countryside into one of the main allies in the fight against climate change.
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