{"id":398328,"date":"2025-10-30T10:13:54","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T13:13:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/?p=398328"},"modified":"2025-11-06T10:10:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T13:10:21","slug":"new-directions-in-cop30-host-paras-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/new-directions-in-cop30-host-paras-agriculture\/","title":{"rendered":"New directions in COP30 host Par\u00e1\u2019s agriculture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bel\u00e9m \u2013 Par\u00e1\u2019s agribusiness is known for its large-scale farms and extensive cattle ranching. The state, which will host the United Nations COP30 climate negotiations in November, has indeed vast estates and counts beef among its leading agricultural exports. However, Par\u00e1 has been moving toward diversifying rural production and investing in farming systems integrated with the Amazon rainforest, where the state is located.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Eliana
Eliana Zacca lists sectors in which Par\u00e1 is Brazil\u2019s top producer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Nearly all of Brazil\u2019s a\u00e7a\u00ed comes from Par\u00e1\u201492.5%, or 1.6 million metric tons per year\u2014along with almost half of the country\u2019s cocoa (137,400 tons, or 46% of the total) and virtually all of its palm oil (97%, or 3.1 million tons), according to data compiled by state agriculture federation FAEPA. These products can be found growing amid trees in Agroforestry Systems (AFs), which combine forest species with commercially grown crops on the same land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPar\u00e1 is Brazil\u2019s leading producer of a\u00e7a\u00ed, cocoa, palm oil, and cassava, and it has the largest buffalo herd, mostly concentrated in the Maraj\u00f3 Archipelago. It ranks second nationwide in cattle, horses, black pepper, and pineapple,\u201d said economist Eliana Zacca, technical advisor to the FAEPA presidency, to journalists who visited the state ahead of COP30. The group toured an area where cupua\u00e7u, cocoa, a\u00e7a\u00ed, and palm oil crops coexist, and where chocolate is produced from forest-grown cocoa, among other sustainable initiatives, including projects on land that once consisted of degraded pastures.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Beef
Beef ranks among Par\u00e1\u2019s top agricultural export products<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Despite the international success of Brazilian products like a\u00e7a\u00ed and cocoa, Par\u00e1\u2019s foreign agribusiness revenue is largely driven by other sectors. The soybean complex, meats, and live animals account for 77.3% of the state\u2019s agricultural exports, according to data presented by Zacca. Soy and its derivatives generate 42% of the sector\u2019s export revenue, meats 21%, and live animals (excluding fish) 14%. In 2024, Par\u00e1\u2019s agribusiness earned USD 3.5 billion in export revenue, out of a total state export value of USD 23 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agribusiness is one of the pillars of Par\u00e1\u2019s economy. Last year, the state\u2019s gross agricultural production value reached BRL 38.5 billion [USD 7.1 billion], with BRL 23.6 billion [USD 4.4 billion] coming from crops and BRL 14.9 billion [USD 2.8 billion] from livestock. Par\u00e1 has 25.5 million head of cattle\u201410.7% of Brazil\u2019s total\u2014and 775,000 buffaloes, accounting for 43% of the national herd. \u201cIn 14 years, we\u2019ve grown 15% in pasture area, while the (cattle) herd has increased about 45% in the same period. This means herd expansion is not coming from new land, but from productivity gains and greater production efficiency,\u201d said Zacca.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Par\u00e1:
Par\u00e1: Natural wealth, yet one of Brazil\u2019s lowest HDIs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The state\u2019s agribusiness producers are committed to showing that large-scale production can also coexist with conservation. Brazilian law requires that, in the Amazon biome, rural properties maintain 80% of their land as legal reserves\u2014native vegetation without production\u2014and refrain from altering permanent preservation areas, such as springs, hilltops, and similar sites. However, properties that were already in cultivation before July 22, 2008\u2014when Brazil mapped its native vegetation\u2014are subject to different percentage requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the major challenges is generating income for the population within a forested environment. Par\u00e1 is one of the Brazilian states with the lowest Human Development Index (HDI), ranking 24th<\/sup> in the country. HDI indicates quality of life, access to income, education, and healthcare. Despite the many projects emerging in Par\u00e1 to promote production in harmony with the biome, a large portion of the population still cannot benefit from the state\u2019s natural wealth. \u201cA standing forest also needs standing people\u2014people with a voice, with work, with income, with education, and above all, with hope,\u201d says Zacca.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As in other regions of Brazil, in Par\u00e1 the National Rural Learning Service (Senar), linked to Brazil\u2019s agribusiness lobby, CNA, provides producers with support to bring more development and technology to the countryside, especially to smallholders. In Par\u00e1, more than 5,000 farmers receive assistance in a\u00e7a\u00ed, cocoa, citrus, livestock, horticulture, dairy, honey, fish farming, beef cattle, and fruit cultivation. Senar works in partnership with state agricultural federations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the other features in the series:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
New directions in COP30 host Par\u00e1\u2019s agriculture<\/a><\/blockquote>