Network unites institutions to reposition tropical agriculture and accelerate regenerative practices

To position Brazil at the forefront of agroclimatic solutions, the country's leading research centers and think tanks dedicated to the transition to more sustainable agriculture announced the creation of the Agriculture and Climate Intelligence Network (RIAC). This independent, nonpartisan alliance is comprised of Insper Agro Global, Agroicone, FDC Agroambiental, FGV Agro, Instituto Equilíbrio, and the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM), with support from the Climate and Society Institute (iCS) and the Brazil Climate, Forests, and Agriculture Coalition.

RIAC's objective is to guide public policies and private strategies based on scientific and economic evidence, promoting Regenerative Tropical Agriculture (RTA)—a production model that combines profitability, environmental conservation, and social inclusion. The approach emphasizes the efficient use of inputs, soil restoration, and the integration of production systems, making tropical agriculture more resilient to climate change and economically competitive.

"With this network, we bring together institutions of technical and scientific excellence to build a viable and inclusive path that benefits everything from family farming to the country's trade balance and the global climate," says Ludmila Rattis, a researcher at FDC, IPAM, and the Woodwell Climate Research Center.

Brazil's role in tropical agriculture

RIAC's first initiative is the study "Diagnosis and Political-Strategic Repositioning of Tropical Agriculture," conducted by Insper Agro Global. The study offers a unique and comparative perspective on the role of tropical countries in global food security and sustainability challenges.

According to the study, the countries located between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn account for 40% of the planet's arable land and 52% of its freshwater, giving them a central role in the world's food and energy supply. However, their agricultural development trajectories have been uneven. While Latin America and Asia have transformed tropical potential into significant productivity and income gains, Sub-Saharan Africa remains trapped in a cycle of low productivity, poverty, and climate vulnerability, exacerbated by a lack of infrastructure, credit, and technological diffusion.

The Insper Agro Global study shows that the Green Revolution, which began in the mid-20th century, was a watershed moment in tropical agriculture. In Brazil and parts of Asia, the modernization process incorporated science, technology, and government policies, resulting in a leap in productivity. In Brazil, grain production increased from 24 million tons in 1974 to 317 million in 2024, and meat production increased tenfold, transforming the country into one of the world's largest food exporters.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, on the other hand, agricultural productivity has grown only 0,4% per year since 1960, compared to 1,2% in Latin America, highlighting a structural lag. This difference reflects not only technical barriers but also colonial legacies, unstable agricultural policies, and dependence on imported inputs, factors that keep millions of farmers vulnerable.

Food security and the role of international trade

The research reinforces that food security depends on the ability to connect surplus and deficit regions through international trade. Latin America, and especially Brazil, plays a vital role in this balance: the country accounts for almost half of the region's agrifood exports, helping to offset production deficits in African and Asian countries.

For Insper Agro Global, South-South integration—among tropical nations—should be the next step in international cooperation. This strategy includes reducing tariff barriers, expanding trade agreements, and creating sustainability standards specific to the tropics, leveraging best practices already developed in countries like Brazil.

"The diagnosis shows that Brazil has become a global agricultural powerhouse and a key player in ensuring the planet's food security," says Marcos Jank, coordinator of Insper Agro Global. "Now our challenge and our great opportunity is to lead the political and strategic repositioning of the planet's tropical region to seek recognition of the advances achieved as a solution for the competitiveness and sustainability of tropical agriculture."

Climate, water and forests: opportunities and risks

The Insper Agro Global study also highlights the climate risks threatening tropical agriculture. Between 1961 and 2024, countries in this region experienced an average temperature increase of 1,7°C, the same rate as global warming. Brazil is among the countries with the highest increase—an average of 2,1°C, according to FAO data.

The tropics contain more than half of the planet's freshwater (22,3 trillion cubic meters), but its distribution is uneven. Latin America holds 28% of global resources, with Brazil accounting for almost half of that total. Despite this, Sub-Saharan Africa irrigates only 6% of its arable land, compared to 37% in Asia, severely limiting its productive potential.

Another relevant fact is the cumulative deforestation of 241 million hectares in tropical regions between 2001 and 2024, 73 million of which were in Brazil alone. The study highlights, however, that the adoption of regenerative practices—such as agroforestry systems, integrated crop-livestock-forestry (ICLF), and adapted biotechnology—can transform land use into an environmental asset, combining productivity with conservation.

Brazil and tropical leadership

For Roberto Rodrigues, former Minister of Agriculture and FAO Special Ambassador, the creation of RIAC comes at a crucial moment: "For too long, the debate has been paralyzed between production and conservation. This network represents a third way, pragmatic and science-based. It is with this technical robustness that Brazil will be able to present to the world, especially at COP30, a future project for global food and climate security."

By leading the network's first study, Insper Agro Global reinforces its mission as a center of excellence in applied research and supports the formulation of public policies for sustainable agribusiness. The assessment serves as the starting point for a series of RIAC publications, which will address topics such as food and energy security, climate adaptation, financing, and green biofuels.

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