Brazil

Food and land use context in Brazil

Brazil has one of the largest economies in the world, along with a land area and population that rank, respectively, fifth and sixth globally. It has a diverse geography and topography and is home to some of the world’s greatest biodiversity in the Amazon basin, the Atlantic forest, and the Cerrado. Activities originating from the food production system, such as cattle ranching and overfishing, are important threats to this biodiversity, which is compounded by destructive activities such as logging and illegal mining. Although 28 percent of Brazil’s land is protected, deforestation is still a critical issue. Brazil’s transportation and energy infrastructure, e.g. roads, railways and hydroelectric reservoirs, can also lead to adverse effects for nature, which add up to other threats such as water pollution, fires, and invasive species, endangering 1,173 species in Brazil alone. These threats combined with climate change can affect the growth of Brazilian agriculture. To feed the growing world population, Brazil continues to increase its soybean production —it is the second largest soybean producer worldwide and one of the main exporters— at the expense of the environment.

Key Contacts

Ambassadors in Brazil