Carrefour Brasil and IDH to preserve the Amazon through calf production

By Ashley Williams

- Last updated on GMT

The program is set to protect more than 373,129 acres of tropical forest
The program is set to protect more than 373,129 acres of tropical forest
Carrefour’s Brazilian unit and IDH, the Sustainable Trade Initiative are to invest more than €3 million (m) by 2020 to protect the Amazon rainforest and the Mato Grosso state of Brazil by increasing sustainable calf production.

Named as the Sustainable Production of Calves Initiative, the partnership will see the Carrefour Foundation, the international institution responsible for Carrefour Group’s social programs, invest €1.9m to support 450 farmers across its beef production chain.

Meanwhile, IDH will co-invest €1.6m in the project.

Throughout the three-year project, some of the activities for improving the tropical forest will include intensifying cattle ranching, restoring degraded pastureland, and freeing up land for increasing sustainable production.

The program, which is set to protect and restore more than 373,129 acres of tropical forest, has been supported by Mato Grosso state government as part of its ‘Produce, Conserve and Include’ (PCI) strategy.

The Juruena and Araguaia regions, which are located in the Amazon rainforest, have been described as having an important role in the production of Brazilian beef, accounting for 40% of calves in the Mato Grosso state, according to IDH’s country director Daniela Mariuzzo.

This a groundbreaking approach to sustainable development, as it connects national and international markets to sustainably managed production areas​,” said Mariuzzo. “It is a new sustainable market mechanism, which rewards regions that address environmental, social and economic sustainability in one approach​.”

Paulo Pianez, director of sustainability for Carrefour Brasil, said the Sustainable Production of Calves Initiative intensified farm production, while preserving forest resources and promoting sustainability and economic viability.

The activities across the program are expected to drive around €25m in further investment.  

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