Farming for Biodiversity

Native Organics - Usina São Francisco

Sertãozinho, Brésil

An Overview Of Our Solution

In a maximum of 875 characters, please give an overview of your entry including the problem, the solution and actions implemented.
Who is this solution impacting?
Additional Information
  • Population Impacted:
  • Continent:
General Information

Organization type

Société

Population impacted

133,000 people
Challenge

Size of agricultural area

21,800ha

Production quantity

1,800,000 metric tons of organic sugarcane

People employed

3,800 people
Solution

Describe your solution

How have you promoted changes in human activities (or changed your own agricultural practice) to ensure sustainable harvests/food security while also conserving, strengthening and/or restoring biodiversity on your agricultural lands and/or the surrounding environment? (1500 characters max.)
Implementation

Describe your implementation

In your response, please include the following: (2000 characters max) - Specific activities and/or specifically what your solution does to address the identified problems above in the Context Analysis section - How you ensured your solution was adopted and promoted change in human activities - Enabling conditions - Key success factors - Any obstacles and how you overcame them

External connections

List some of the key partners or stakeholders engaged in your solution development and implementation. Explain how your efforts connect with other sectors, such as fisheries and forestry, and other practices, such as policy and finance. (300 words max.)
Results

What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?

Sugarcane is a plant with powerful natural attributes towards sustainability: It completely cover the soil, it is highly efficient in energy production, and it produces a big volume of biomass. By the middle of the eighties, last century, there was a consolidated production method for sugarcane farming based on breeded cultivars, chemical fertilizers and pesticides and burning its straw in order to facilitate manual harvesting. Such method was not able to perform the ecological and conservative potential of sugarcane crop. Our challenge is to dynamically change the production system in order to achieve soil fertility building, a more environmentally friendly operation, while enhancing yield.

Describe the context in which you are operating

Sugarcane is a plant with powerful natural attributes towards sustainability: It completely cover the soil, it is highly efficient in energy production, and it produces a big volume of biomass.

By the middle of the eighties, last century, there was a consolidated production method for sugarcane farming based on breeded cultivars, chemical fertilizers and pesticides and burning its straw in order to facilitate manual harvesting.

Such method was not able to perform the ecological and conservative potential of sugarcane crop. Our challenge is to dynamically change the production system in order to achieve soil fertility building, a more environmentally friendly operation, while enhancing yield.

How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?

How did you improve biodiversity and/or positively impact the local environment? Please be specific and include methodology where relevant (1000 characters max.)

Social/Community

500 characters max.

Water

500 characters max.

Food Security/Nutrition

500 characters max.

Economic/Sustainable Development

500 characters max.

Climate

500 characters max.

Sustainability

Describe the economic sustainability of your solution. Does it rely on grant funding, government subsidies or market-based revenue? (750 characters max.)

Return on investment

How much did it cost to implement these activities? How do your results above compare to this investment? (750 characters max.)
Replication and Scale

How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?

Has it been done before and at what scale? Please include funding required, key stakeholders/partners, additional needs (training, materials, etc.) (1000 characters max.)
Overview