Brazil – MATOPIBA, Cerrado  

Touted as Brazil’s newest agriculture frontier, the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia which make up MATOPIBA lies in the heart of the Cerrado, the most biodiverse savannah on the planet. Spread across Matopiba and several other states, the Cerrado covers more than 20 per cent of Brazil, yet is not nearly as recognized as the Amazon despite being one of the largest and most important ecosystems in the country. These wooded grasslands once covered an area half the size of Europe, but its native habitats and rich biodiversity are being destroyed faster than the nearby Amazon rainforest. 

To reduce environmental threats in the agricultural frontier and to promote sustainable soy production, UNDP, through the Good Growth Partnership has been working concurrently at national and landscape level since 2017 to encourage soy cultivation in already converted or degraded lands, support the creation and implementation of conservation areas and encourage the implementation of Brazil’s Forest Code. 

The key results achieved are:  

• Supported 1 multi-stakeholder platform for sustainable soy production and facilitated collaboration between MATOPIBA States thanks to 1 public platform.  
• 1,158,000+ hectares of land under improved protection through Municipal Conservation Areas and a Private Reserve of Natural Heritage.  
• 60 producers representing 60,000 ha of land trained on low-carbon agriculture practices in Bahia and Tocantins States.  
• Supported Environmental regularization and access to rural credit for farmers by analysing 385 rural properties as part of the National Environment Registry, representing a total of 333,000+ hectares.  

Learn more about UNDP work through GGP webpage