The CLA today played host to a Brazilian delegation of senior officials and scientists visiting the UK to discuss sustainable agriculture.
Senior advisers at the CLA compared notes with the Brazilian experts on how land management can contribute to climate stability by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from farming and storing carbon in forests.
CLA Director of Policy Professor Allan Buckwell said: "Brazil is a key player in helping to mitigate climate change. We are flattered that the delegation chose to learn about sustainable agriculture from a UK land manager’s perspective and about the CLA’s work in generating business opportunities by reducing GHG emissions.
"We can learn a lot from the Brazilians. Their Climate Change Plan is very ambitious, aiming to reduce emissions by 166 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The UK target is a mere three million tonnes!
"They put great importance on research, development and extension, ensuring that economic incentives are right for farmers. Their mitigation depends hugely on reducing deforestation and pasture degradation and moving to no-til farming. All of this makes Brazilian agriculture an even more ferocious competitor and why we in the UK take them so seriously."
CLA Head of Environment Derek Holliday said: "The difference in scale between British and Brazilian agriculture is huge but there is a big opportunity to learn from each other and share best practice and new technology. The delegation was enthusiastic and keen to learn more about how the CLA developed the Carbon Accounting for Land Managers (CALM) calculator, designed to measure GHG emissions and carbon sequestration from agriculture."
Professor Hilton Silveira Pinto, Head of the Institute for Responsible Agribusiness said: "Our plan for Brazilian agriculture must succeed if we are to rectify Brazil’s current reputation as a big emitter of greenhouse gases."
