Page 61 - C:\Users\sandi\OneDrive\Documents\Flip PDF Professional\Ebook-AgriculturesSustainableFuture-Final\

determines the socio-environmental future of As part of its corporate climate commitments,
the world. As we already had this leadership, we Bunge Ltd. has pledged to “achieve deforesta-
need to recover it.” tion-free supply worldwide between 2020-2025,
considering both direct and indirect sourcing.”
While it is unclear how much acreage in Brazil-
ian rainforest has been converted into farm land, The issue of converting environmentally
Bunge, a participant in a voluntary moratorium sensitive land into production has become
on sourcing soybeans from the deforested Ama- increasingly important to European feed mak-
zon biome, calculates that 273 farms are blocked ers, according to Alexander Döring, secretary
from commerce. general of the European Feed Manufacturers’
Federation, or FEFAC.
Perhaps the biggest reason international buyers
keep purchasing soybeans and other commod- Focusing on Brazil’s highly environmentally
ities from Brazil is the Brazilian Soy Moratori- sensitive lands in the savannas, grain trading giant
um, a voluntary agreement by trading firms not Bunge announced in November that it has reached
to buy or sell soybeans produced in Amazon a 95% success rate in assuring that the crops it con-
land that was deforested after July 2008. tracts come from “deforestation-free value chains.”

While burned out and clear-
cut remnants of the Amazon
may get most of the public Our .commitment .to .non-
attention, the “conversion” of deforestation .is .among .
Brazil’s ecologically diverse the .highest .priorities .for .
grasslands – the Cerrado – is
also a major concern for en- our .company .and .our .
vironmentalists and there is a entire .industry .
move to add farms that destroy —Rob Coviello, .Bunge
the protected savanna land to
the Moratorium.

It’s a controversial topic because the vast grass- “Our commitment to non-deforestation is
lands are also home to nearly half of the coun- among the highest priorities for our company
try’s farms and pastures. and our entire industry,” said Rob Coviello, the
vice president for sustainability at Bunge.
Grain traders say they’re trying to “Our progress towards these goals is indicative
protect Amazon of our continued collaboration with local pro-

It’s a fact that companies like Bunge Ltd. and ducers, in the field, in South America, as well
Archer Daniels Midland Co., with operations as a greater focus on working with partners to
in South America. have been well aware of create innovative solutions and make our sector
long before the latest government release on reach supply chains free from deforestation.”
Amazon deforestation. Cerrado lands, besides being the home to
For nearly a decade Bunge has been weeding out jaguars, anteaters, armadillos and other exotic
farms in its South American supply chains that animals, also make up the largest farming region
grow their crops on land that has been deforested in Brazil, where more than 50% of the coun-
or converted to growing fields from wetlands. try’s soybeans, 80% of its cotton and 40% of its

www.Agri-Pulse.com 61