Laudes Foundation and IDH partner to develop a landscapes programme in Brazil’s Caatinga biome
IDH will use the Production, Protection & Inclusion (PPI) Compacts approach to enable, amongst other solutions, the implementation of the regenerative production landscapes collaborative (RPLC) program in semi-arid Brazil.
Laudes Foundation and IDH come together again to launch three PPI Compacts where the regenerative production landscape collaborative (RPLC) is the main strategy to confront the risk of desertification in Brazil´s Caatinga biome, one of the world’s most biodiverse semi-arid regions, as well as tackle issues of social inequality and food insecurity.
The private and public collaborative, set up with catalytic funding of EUR 3 million from Laudes Foundation, is aimed at building community and climate resilience in the region and enabling responsible sourcing models for businesses to invest and participate in.
“This initial investment will be key to building a strong governance system that includes community and producer organizations, along with businesses, as critical stakeholders in decision-making. Ultimately, a transition to an inclusive and climate positive economy requires all stakeholders to share a common agenda and incentive for change.” said Anita Chester, Managing Director and Head of Materials, Laudes India.
Working alongside IDH and the Laudes Foundation are Diaconia, the World Resources Institute in Brazil (WRI Brazil), and sustainable agriculture consultancy company Natcap Sustainable Solutions and climate specialists.
“IDH’s PPI model brings together a broad group of partners including local government, farmers, civil society, financial institutions, and local and international companies, to develop long-term alliances that address issues of sustainable production, environmental preservation and social inclusion. This is a territorial strategy that IDH already implements in 22 territories, across 13 countries, including the states of Mato Grosso and Maranhão in Brazil.”, explained Daniela Mariuzzo, Executive Director of IDH Brazil.
The collaboration focuses on the states of Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba and Pernambuco in the north-eastern part of Brazil, implementing a sustainable landscapes approach that is built on a four-step methodology, which includes studying the territory, building a territorial alliance and setting goals, before publicly formalizing the agreement. A governance system is then established to monitor progress, bringing important transparency and public scrutiny to the process, while progress indicators enable actions and investments to be planned in a strategic way.
In the Caatinga, the aim is to reduce the illegal conversion of land, while at the same time increasing farmers’ productivity and close the gap of living income.
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NOTES TO EDITOR
The Caatinga’s challenges
The Caatinga, in northern eastern Brazil, has a population of over 25 million people, and is a globally important semi-arid area that is home to over 2000 species of plants and animals, including the rare Spix’s macaw.
The Caatinga is a biosphere reserve, a designated area that combines environmental conservation, human development and sustainable productive practices. The biome falls entirely within Brazil’s borders, making up 11 percent of the national territory and covering a total of 750,000 km².
However, it is also one of the most degraded biomes in Brazil, representing about 60% of the area susceptible to desertification, a phenomenon in which factors such as climate change and unsustainable farming reduce the land to infertile dust, where little can live or grow. As a result, the cultivation of crops such as corn, cotton and beans are at high risk, while regional water shortages are now affecting over 12 million people.
According to the Brazilian geographical and statistics agency IBGE (2017 census), around four million people in the region work in agriculture, while over half of the region’s agricultural properties (54 percent) are small holdings covering five hectares or less.
About IDH
IDH puts people, planet, and progress at the heart of trade by leveraging the power of markets to create better jobs, better incomes, a better environment, and gender equity for all. To catalyze change at scale, IDH innovates, convenes, and invests in inclusive and sustainable solutions that enable businesses to create value for people and planet, while improving their own performance. To create the greatest impact in the shortest amount of time, IDH focuses on empowering people within corporations the global financial sector and governments that have the most influence over value chains.
Headquartered in the Netherlands, IDH has around 380 employees globally, operating in 20 landscapes and 12 commodities and sourcing regions with over 1000 public and private partners. In 14 years of operation, IDH has generated over 390 M in private sector investment and support for new business models that create better jobs, better incomes, a better environment, and gender equity for all.
IDH’s work is made possible because of the funding and trust of a variety of public and private donors, among which the Governments of Netherlands, Denmark, and Switzerland private foundations. For more information, go to www.idhsustainabletrade.com or follow @IDHTrade on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Laudes Foundation
Laudes Foundation is an independent foundation joining the growing movement to accelerate the transition to a climate-positive and inclusive global economy. Responding to the dual crises of climate breakdown and inequality, Laudes supports brave action that inspires and challenges industry to harness its power for good. Founded by the Brenninkmeijer family business owners, it builds on six generations of entrepreneurship and philanthropy and works collaboratively alongside a wider network of philanthropic organisations, to both influence finance and capital markets and transform industry with a focus on the built environment and fashion.
For more information visit LaudesFoundation.org.
About Diaconia
Diaconia is a non-profit, Christian-inspired social organization committed to promoting justice. Diaconia works for the implementation of public policies for the promotion and defense of rights, prioritizing low-income populations, for the transformation of society. For more information visit: https://bemvindo.diaconia.org.br/en/about-us
About WRI Brasil
WRI Brasil is a research institute that transforms big ideas into actions to protect the environment and foster Brazil’s prosperity in an inclusive and sustainable fashion. It is focused on research and applications of sustainable solutions oriented towards climate, forests, and cities. WRI Brasil combines technical excellence with political articulation and works in close collaboration with governments, private companies, universities and civil society. For more information visit: https://www.wribrasil.org.br/
