COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE - Brazil Flashcards
1
Q
How does Brazil minimise its beef industries’ impact on the rainforest?
A
- The biggest Brazilian domestic buyers (Walmart, Carrefour, etc) announced suspensions in contracts with those involved in deforestation.
- Shoemakers Adidas, Nike. Geox etc. have anti-deforestation leather sourcing policies.
- Berton, a large exporter, says it will register and map all ranches which supply them with cattle. By 2011, it states that it will implement a traceability system.
- Will carry out cattle rotation to avoid exhausting land, by allowing nutrients to regenerate.
2
Q
What is farming in Brazil as a system?
A
- Inputs
- Climate - four zones. The Southern Region is temperate. The South East and Central West composed 23.1% and 35% of the total herd in 2000.
- Land - Brazil’s herd 2nd largest in world to India but extensive, less than 1 cow / hectare
- Market - Brazil 5th most populous country on Earth (high pop. = high demand), plunge in currency in 1999 drove exports
- Processes
- Cross-breeding - cross native with European breeds
- Feedlots - JBS Friboi and others uses these to fatten cattle
- Deforestation
- Outputs
- 1 in every 5 pounds of commercial beef is from Brazil.
- In 2013 beef exports produced $6.5 billion
- Leather goes to sweatshops in China, Italy Vietnam and Hong Kong for shoes
3
Q
What are the problems with farming in Brazil?
A
- Deforestation
- 70% of cleared forest is cleared due to cattle ranching
- Develop
- Disease
- Foot and mouth disease
- Restricts exports as EU and Japan unwilling to import
- Land Conflict
- Between companies and tribes
- 1,100 to 1,300 conflicts from 2010 to 2011.
4
Q
Solutions to problems:
A
- Contracts: Big Brazilian buyers e.g. Walmart announced to suspend contracts with those involved in deforestation
- Mapping system: Berton says it will register and map all ranches that supply cattle; will implement traceability system by 2011
- Cattle rotation: to allow nutrients to regenerate
