RTRS Meeting Point 2022 report

Seeding Common Ground

RTRS Meeting Point 2022

November 22, 2022

Bayer Crop Science Campus, Monheim am Rhein, Germany

Partnerships & perspectives Opening addresses

Incoming regulation across major markets, the perspectives of the soy sector from farm to shelf and future generations, as well as regenerative agriculture were all on the agenda for the Round Table on Responsible Soy’s 2022 landmark ‘Meeting Point’ event, entitled Seeding Common Ground.

Representatives from every part of the soy value chain were in attendance to hear from keynote speakers and topic experts and, of course, to network, exchange ideas and establish new connections.

In total, 125 people from 80 organisations and 16 countries made their way to the Bayer site in Monheim am Rhein, just outside Cologne, to take part in a dynamic and diverse discussion set against the backdrop of a dramatic indoor biome (Tropicarium) that made nature an ever-present feature of the day.

Frank Terhorst, Executive Vice-President for Strategy and Sustainability at Bayer’s Crop Science Division, kicked off the day by welcoming delegates to the impressive 65 hectare site described by the company as their ‘think tank on the Rhine’. In his own words, the timing couldn’t be better for an event such as this. He referred to COP27, where participants strove for bold commitments that underscore the importance of the global food system in making this planet more sustainable. He also reminded participants that the world had recently (in November) seen its 8 billionth person born on Earth, a huge milestone.

He concluded by referring to the need for more collaboration, more innovation, and a novel approach to allow the sector to produce more while consuming fewer natural resources.

“That’s what we at Bayer are committed to; investing in new innovations, new seeds and crops, and new digital and holistic solutions that will allow us to deliver a more sustainable, resource efficient food system, and take a step forward towards regenerative agriculture”, said Frank.

Scale and impact

The scale, role and leveraging power of soy as one of the world’s most vital agricultural commodities was underlined by RTRS President Lieven Callewaert as he also welcomed delegates to the Meeting Point. He reminded those present that a world without trees and nature would be uninhabitable and that the health of the planet is closely tied to the health of its people. With a significant increase in soy production and consumption over the last 60 years, the impact on nature has increased dramatically. The sustainable and responsible production of soy has the potential to make an enormous difference to the future of our planet.

“When I started working with RTRS in 2014, we had 500,000 tons of certified soy; today we stand at 5 million, a ten-fold increase,” he said “Is this a niche product? I don’t think so. The percentage of certified production on a global scale is low. However, when looking at a few states in critical biomes – e.g., the state of Maranhão, in the Brazilian Cerrado - almost 30% of the area planted with soy today have been RTRS certified, and that’s where our transforming force for sustainability is most needed”.

In his opening address, Lieven also spoke of the major topic of the morning, the upcoming new regulation in the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) which would hold businesses liable for any deforestation in their supply chains and require a due diligence approach to ensure verified, deforestation-free soy is reaching the European market.

“Our role as a partnership for all stakeholders is just as important. We can seed common ground by working together,” said Lieven in closing.

“The European Commission is asking for credible assurance. Our standard is a holistic one. It is also a social standard, and strong on good agricultural practices.”

A new landscape Regulation on

deforestation-free products; new EU rules for commodities

At the heart of the Green Deal, “the Biodiversity and Farm-to-Fork strategies point to a new and better balance of nature, food systems and biodiversity as it aims to protect people’s health and wellbeing while making the EU more competitive and resilient. These strategies are a crucial part of the great transition we are embarking upon,” stated Frans Timmermans, Executive VicePresident of the European Commission, back in 2020. The journey has continued since then.

In October 2020, the European Parliament called for regulatory action to tackle the role of EU consumption in global deforestation, asking the European Commission to propose a legal framework based on mandatory requirements for due diligence for

companies placing forest and ecosystem-risk commodities and derived products on the EU market.

Eva Maria Bille, Account Director at Hill+Knowlton Strategies Brussels, explaining that the regulation is being framed in a constantly changing context. In her presentation, she recalled that in November 2021, the European Commission tabled a proposal to tackle deforestation and forest degradation linked to specific commodities and products placed on - or exported from - EU markets. The proposed regulation aims to curb deforestation and forest degradation driven by the expansion of agricultural land to produce certain commodities - namely cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soy, and wood.

“Deforestation is one of the main drivers of carbon emissions and biodiversity loss and that is what is prompting legislative action.”

“We understand that more and more attention is being paid to deforestation and degradation,” said Diego Torres, Policy Officer at the European Commission, at the RTRS Meeting Point in Germany.

“There is media coverage, academic researchers are looking at the causes and effects, and attention from NGOs is directed at legislators and policy makers.”

No going back

Diego Torres is a member of the team working on new EU regulations around deforestation and is now helping to steer those regulations through the EU’s legislative procedures. He spoke at the first morning session of RTRS’s 2022 Meeting Point, facilitated by Eva Bille of Hill+Knowlton Strategies and joined by Ali Siddiqui, from the UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), and David D’Hollander of the ISEAL Alliance.

Whether deforestation is legal or illegal in the country of origin, due diligence will still be required in the forthcoming regulations. Recognising and exercising due diligence can sometimes be cumbersome and time consuming for companies. Torres stressed that the European Union will work to support impacted companies, but diligence and strict traceability will be required.

Torres outlined for delegates what they could expect to see in the regulation when it emerges and how it would have a transformative effect on markets like soy. The proposed regulation will make it mandatory for companies to practise due diligence across their supply chains if they bring any soy into the European market.

The timeline matters for regulation such as this and with the first draft informed in November of last year, work is now in progress on the final text to incorporate suggested amendments from both the European Council and Parliament. The aim is to reach a political agreement by the end of 2022 or beginning of 2023 (a preliminary political agreement between the Council and the European Parliament was indeed reached on December 6) and the regulation is expected to come into full force by the end of 2024.

“There is no going back,” he went on to say. “The industry sectors and companies that have more advanced deforestation commitments and traceability systems will come out the winners of this new phase.”

“Companies will have to know where their crops come from,” he concluded.

For his part, Ali Siddiqui from Defra outlined how the UK has introduced regulation to help tackle illegal deforestation in the Environment Act that the UK passed just before hosting COP26.

According to Siddiqui, the UK Government will approach the regulation by supporting businesses and embracing the concept of partnerships.

“The Act makes it illegal for larger UK businesses to use key agricultural commodities if those commodities have been sourced from illegally deforested areas,” he said. “Transparency and building on existing standards and certification will be absolutely essential.”

Standards and certification

One partner that has been very close to the emerging regulation is ISEAL, the international membership-based NGO that supports actors in a wide range of sectors in developing credible standards systems for sustainability in supply chains and business practices.

David D’Hollander, ISEAL’s Policy and Innovations Manager, told Meeting Point delegates that ISEAL is supportive of the EU regulation, and that certification systems and standards in supply chains would play a vital role in ensuring supply chain actors can meet the new regulatory challenges.

According to David, global standards such as RTRS’ have the potential to “smoothen out” inconsistencies across different regulations from different countries, making compliance and due diligence much easier to implement. In addition, standards developed through collective, multistakeholder partnerships help drive change and increase awareness of the fact that the regulation is coming and what it will mean for all those involved in commodity supply chains.

“We believe standards and certification systems, if they’re credible, can have a role in ensuring and providing information about compliance. They also can help indicate that risks have been reduced for companies seeking such compliance.”

“Voluntary initiatives alone cannot provide the driver we need,” he said. “They do, however, go beyond the legal minimum and can focus on a wider set of issues, such as human rights, social issues and deforestation.”

According to the expert panel, the year ahead will afford greater clarity to the role of certification in terms of due diligence. In David’s view, certification schemes will be an indicator - rather than proof - of compliance, but there is “a strong case

For Diego Torres, the position of the EU is that companies will be able to use certification schemes if they meet certain criteria, particularly for traceability and including chain of custody models. Companies will be held liable if they fail any compliance test; there must be physical traceability of the soy brought into the market. “This means that mass

he concluded.

to be made for policymakers to issue clear guidance on which tools companies can use to achieve compliance.”

balance approaches will not be allowed as they stand right now,”

Global impact

According to ISEAL, the new rules in Europe will have a much broader impact. Some might think that soy buyers might simply choose not to buy soy from riskier areas, but this would prove ineffective in the global fight against deforestation, said David.

One pivotal question explored by the panellists in the first Meeting Point session was the alignment between the emerging EU and UK regulations. While there was no concrete commitment on full alignment, Ali Siddiqui mentioned that the UK developed the plan to work in partnership with European counterparts in a shared commitment to deforestation-free supply chains.

“In the end, it’s important to keep in mind that European and UK companies are also global companies,” he said. “As they rethink their supply chains, they must remain focused on global

deforestation, and that will have a genuinely global impact.”

Those were the words of Michel Santos, Senior Global Sustainability Director for Bunge, as he opened the second session, this time focused on how the global supply chain - from grower to processor to market - can adapt and evolve in response to EU and UK regulations.

Michel recalled Bunge’s journey with RTRS since the very beginning, in 2005/6, to become a mainstream force for change:

The supply chain had their say

“Today we have RTRS as the main platform for delivering responsible products to the market, supporting farmers and building a bridge to end consumers,” he said.

“We believe RTRS is the right flagship platform to provide incentives for compliance, offering a certification process in place that is accepted by the market and is the best way to help farmers evolve.”

Nathalie Lecocq, General Director of the European Vegetable Oil and Protein Meal Industry (FEDIOL), joined the industry panel to reflect on the incoming regulation.

“From our industry’s perspective, we support the EU regulation,” she said. “The key challenge will be complying with the traceability and chain of custody requirements. Achieving compliance will require change and investments - notably in logistics - and will prove complex in many producing regions. This will considerably reduce sourcing options and, at the bare minimum, will also increase costs.”

she

delegates.

The risk of rising costs driving down profits and impacting growers was alluded to by other panel speakers as well. Daniel Furlan Amaral, Chief Economist at Associação Brasileira das Indústrias de Óleos Vegetais (ABIOVE) in Brazil, noted this in his opening remarks.

“The EU has the stick but doesn’t have the carrot,”

told

“There is some language about partnerships and incentives, and we can only hope that accompanying measures will be available to support the necessary changes.”

“What drives deforestation most is poverty,” he warned. “If we wish to stop deforestation we need good and strong bilateral partnerships in place.”

This partnership approach had been proven to work in his experience with the soy moratorium in Brazil, where a partnershipbased system for transparency managed to deliver compliant soy at a reasonable cost.

Alejandro

O’Donnell, Deputy Director at the Argentinian Aapresid International Program, gave a farmer’s perspective which built on the twin themes of increased costs and a partnership approach that would see those costs shared along the supply chain, rather than just at the point of production.

“The challenge is to produce more food with fewer resources - or at least with the same amount of resources we use today,” he said.

“The only way we can do that is with more knowledge, research and collaboration.”

A call for collaboration and investment

The call -for collaboration- was strongly endorsed by Hermann-Josef Baaken, Managing Director of the German Feed Association. “It’s important that we understand the perspective of different partners across the value chain,” he told delegates. “We need a lot of collaboration. If there is an

Gustavo Idigoras, President at the Chamber of Oil Industry & Cereal Exporters Centre (CIARA-CEC) in Argentina, said that reporting, verification and certification would drive up costs to the European market, as well as to be critical that EU should recognized value chain systems and regulations in countries of origin. Whereas Daniel informed participants that in Brazil they still lack a significant amount of infrastructure to segregate all the soy meant for the European market:

Hermann also echoed comments from other panelists when he said that certification will play a role in delivering genuine traceability across a chain of custody model.

Experiences drawn out by the panel’s representatives from grower communities and traders continued to emphasise that rising costs will have to be considered.

increase in cost, it needs to be shared across the chain; we must work on that.”

“We might need new silos and processing facilities. If we need to create a whole new infrastructure just for supplying the European marketplace, that will be a hugely significant investment, one that needs to be shared,” he said.

New markets, new models

The Meeting Point sessions on new EU regulation were drawn to a close, on behalf of RTRS, by Evert Raymakers, European Outreach & Engagement Manager for RTRS, and by Natalie Sluggett of Peterson Projects, a consultant working with RTRS on the Association’s strategic adaptation to impending EU regulation.

For RTRS, the response to the EU regulation will hinge on a re-shaped Chain of Custody standard, which would, according to RTRS, “support everyone across the supply chain who needs to be compliant with future regulation.”

RTRS aims to consolidate its European position. Europe has been the leading global market for sustainability and responsibility vis-à-vis commodities. It has also been a major source of demand for RTRS certified material and, as such, has helped support

the development of the tools that are now being reshaped.

The RTRS plan in development would like to see a standard which can bring higher volumes of both RTRS certified soy and verified deforestation-free soy (potentially also conversion-free) to the market. RTRS will focus on and leverage partnerships and the systems and assurance structures that are unique to RTRS as a leading sustainable soy actor in the market for more than 15 years and based on its multistakeholder, global approach.

Recognising the new rules as a “game changer”, particularly in Europe but also globally, RTRS is working with producers, industry associations, civil society, and governments to reshape its offerings to Europe and ensure that robust certification schemes can be a useful tool in complying

with the due diligence requirements of the new regulation in Europe.

Natalie told delegates that the team at Peterson has spent the last 12 months supporting and working with RTRS on reshaping the Chain of Custody and, at the same time, also on a new RTRS model that would support the incoming regulation. She explained that the new model tends to keep and include (i) the existing value of RTRS certified soy (zero deforestation as of 2009 and zero conversion- as of 20161) that meets RTRS’ current high standards – i.e., 108 holistic indicators (legal, economic, social and environmental) and (ii) it will also include verified soy that is traceable and proven to

be deforestation-free2 (and, potentially, also conversion-free).

Other RTRS tools, such as the Soy & Corn Footprint Calculator, will have roles to play, and the vision is for an online platform to support traceability and market uptake, all of which will be announced in due course in 2023-2024, with pilot activities carried out as a market co-building initiative and test in advance of the European regulation going into effect, in around two years. It was noted that RTRS’ current development strategy involves a progressive standard and model that can continue to change based on supply chain dialogues and as the regulation goes into effect.

1. The RTRS cut-off dates are 2009 for deforestation and 2016 for conversion.

2. The estimated EU Regulation cut-off date would be 2020.

Future ReGenerations

RTRS shines a spotlight on young people and sustainable agriculture

As food systems continue to shift and change in response to environmental pressures, social concerns, new technologies, and consumer demand, a new generation of decision makers and thinkers will soon be at the forefront of ensuring that a more responsible, sustainable future for major commodities like soy can be delivered before major planetary boundaries are breached.

At the RTRS Meeting Point, an interactive ‘storytelling’ session was an opportunity for participants to listen to the voices of young people and learn about their perspectives for the future. The three young people take the centre stage hailed from production, business and civil society, and had a discussion with the delegates about their thoughts on the future of responsible soy and the roles everyone has to play in developing more responsible and thriving food systems.

The session was moderated by Bayer’s own Nele Hermann Valente, who leads Bayer Crop Science’s global NextGen Agricultural Leaders engagement and is part of the company’s Stakeholder Affairs & Strategic Partnerships (SASP) team. She was joined by Walter Fraanje, Research and Communications Officer at Table Debates in the UK; Ingrid Caron Graziano, Nuffield Farming Scholar & Sustainability Coordinator LATAM at Cargill in Brazil, and who also helps manage a family cattle farm; and Silke Remmits, Project Manager at I4NATURE, a Dutch cooperative that enables youth participation in the agrifood sector by means of research, events, and consultancy projects. Both Ingrid and Silke are also Ambassadors of the NextGen Ag Impact Network (NGIN), with Silke currently chairing this global group of young thinkers and innovators actively involved in transforming the sustainable agrifood sector.

These three young people worked across three themed groups which delegates were split up into, focusing on: change, responsibility, and systems. When reporting back about their conversations, the “change group” highlighted two main patterns emerging: a wish for openness and transparency from elder generations towards younger generations; and a need to recognise that younger generations wish for a more responsible future. On its part, the “responsibility group” found that younger generations want to take on responsibility and accountability, and that they want to be heard in this process. Taking young people seriously is key to making palpable impact and contributing to sustainability; the group conclude. Finally, the “systems group” talked about elder generations, particularly on farms, and the need to make enough room for change to happen , to enable young people to become successful leaders working towards more sustainability.

According to Ingrid, a take-home message was

Finally, Silke highlighted the fact that people really are taking on greater responsibility and contributing to both thinking globally and acting locally. In her opinion, it is evident that progressive change can happen if global corporations and governments choose to include young people in the decisionmaking processes when shaping the future of agriculture.

that “we must understand that change cannot be brought about by future generations, but that there must be an alignment of expectations across generations and from all parts of society and the economy, including communities, neighbours, business, consumers, and

other groups. Who are we all responding to in terms of change or proposed change? We must keep open lines of dialogue and deepen our understanding of each other across stakeholders.

For Walter, the summary points were that “there is no need for a split between nature conservation and farming and that there must be a way in the business model to compensate farmers and reward them for delivering ecosystem services.”

Coalition of the willing Different roads can lead to impact

Action on responsible soy is often a partnership-based activity; as such, a key afternoon session of the 2022 RTRS Meeting Point was devoted to showcasing the value added by sectors and actors working together in a wide range of tools and approaches across landscapes and also across the entire soy value chain.

The session was moderated by Heleen van den Hombergh - from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and also Coordinator of the Collaborative Soy Initiative (CSI) – and featured Michel Santos, Senior Director, Global Sustainability at Bunge; Benjamin Mohr, Team Leader at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit - GIZ; Ulises Martínez Ortíz, Professor at the Buenos Aires University UBA and Advisor at Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina - FVSA; and Susanne Fromwald, Senior advisor and project manager at Donau Soja.

Central to the session was the role played by RTRS as a focal point and facilitator in bringing all the actors from the soy sector together, driving demand, delivering production and enabling advances in technology, intelligence, and strategy for responsible soy. RTRS is also a co-founder of the CSI, a collaborative framework whose mission is to inform stakeholders about ongoing actions, facilitate alignment among stakeholder initiatives and actions, and carry out new and relevant actions to achieve genuine impact in a disparate and global sector.

Heleen opened the session by calling for continued work to “combine our strengths and our networks” to ensure that there are multiple routes to making a positive impact on conservation and responsible production.

Working towards the vision of 100 percent conversion-free sustainable soy production and uptake on a global scale, the CSI commented on the added value of voluntary approaches and the strength of combining i) robust certification schemes; ii) a biomewide moratorium; iii) the clean supplier approach; and iv) landscape/jurisdictional initiatives, to name just a few.

An important challenge highlighted by Heleen was the need to evolve the established approach of voluntary tool standards so that it can become part of the systemic solutions to new regulations in the EU and UK:

she asked delegates.

The session then discussed the value of several joint sectoral actions that mix approaches and tools to achieve impact at the value chain and landscape levels.

Ulises presented a major project involving FVSA), IUCN NL, Solidaridad Network, Cefetra and Dutch Dairy, entitled the Soy Chaco Project. It focuses on responsible soy production in the Argentine Gran Chaco ecoregion, where a system of incentives has been pulled together to bring growers into sustainable practices - including RTRS certification. The project seeks to make the region deliver what he described as “a visible impact” by guiding incentives through the credits system supporting responsible soy, increasing demand for responsible soy from the Chaco region and, more specifically, by establishing longer term agreements with the best local farmers, supporting and encouraging producers to adopt certified sustainable soy production practices. As a result, the project expects not only an increase in responsible production, but also to create a direct link between buyers of responsible soy products and conservation and restoration activities in this endangered region while working towards a physical supply chain.

“

How can the voluntary and mandatory worlds better join hands in practice?”

The conversation then focused on the work of Donau Soja, an independent European multistakeholder, non-profit organisation backed by the Austrian Development Agency with more than 300 members in 25 countries and supported by 24 governments, as well as other stakeholders across the supply chain. Their Senior Advisor Susanne informed delegates that the ‘bigger picture’ was to contribute to a more balanced global agri-food system, to support Protein Transition by implementing a Europe-wide protein strategy with five key pillars:

One – Ensure that soy/protein imports are from sustainable and responsible sources

Two – Increase sustainable soy/protein production in Europe for Europe

Three – Diversification of both existing and new protein sources

Four – Increase efficiency in protein use

Five – Shift to healthier diets/increase consumption of plant-based proteins

Clearly step one of the strategy is tightly aligned with robust certification schemes such as RTRS or ProTerra. She said that around 22 percent of European soy consumption is produced in Europe, but production has doubled within

the last 10 years. She mentioned that Ukraine is the country with the biggest potential, both in terms of increased volumes and sustainability parameters. Despite the war, the country is stable in its soy production, being #1 in Europe and # 8 globally. Donau Soja had more than 20 Protein Partnership projects in 2022 to increase sustainable soy production in Europe for Europe.

Michel expanded on the introduction he had given earlier in the day on Bunge’s approach to certification and becoming deforestation-free by 2025. Bunge has already exceeded its nondeforestation targets for the monitoring and traceability of soy crops from its indirect supply chain in the Cerrado and, by means of the Bunge Sustainable Partnership, is now able to monitor at least 64 percent of indirect volumes in priority regions, thus surpassing the target they would set for 2022.

he told delegates. The priority continues to be engaging farmers and their peers and working hard on RTRS certification, production and a chain of custody that covers over 200 different players. They are also working at a landscape level towards greater region-level impact and, through

“We know where we are,”

the Soft Commodities Forum, they are launching an initiative to support farmers directly and prevent them from engaging in deforestation.

Benjamin Mohr from GIZ said that his initiative “welcomes voluntary standards” and he reiterated that multistakeholder platforms and initiatives such as RTRS create a vital space for the value chain to build trust and create true ‘coalitions of the willing.’

Benjamin spoke of the global German programme focused on ‘Sustainability and Value Added in Agricultural Supply Chains’ that works across 20 countries on environmental sustainability, climate resilience, better working conditions and greater corporate responsibility. Spanning through 2027, the programme takes a dual approach in Brazil: across supply chains and

in specific territories like the Cerrado, in the state of Maranhão. He described shared and joint actions across the supply chain as a ‘green corridor’ stretching from field to shelf, many of which are conducted in partnership with RTRS.

Voluntary standards, he said, are important levers and part of the solution for supply chain alignment when regulations are strengthened to support global environmental efforts, particularly around the upcoming EU Due Diligence Act and the Regulation on deforestation-free supply chains. A ‘smart mix’ of measures –– i.e., regulations, certifications, and financial incentives - is essential for transformative actions to take place, he told Meeting Point attendees.

Respect the land and reap the rewards

Aligning the standards of RTRS with regenerative agriculture

There is a myriad of definitions for regenerative agriculture, but all of them centre around farming practices (including grazing) that improve soil health and biodiversity, pay due attention to a sustainable water cycle and can help sequester carbon in soils that are no longer degraded by endless tilling and an excessive use of fertilisers.

Standards and practice

For owners of important food standardssuch as RTRS and its standard for responsible soy (and corn) production - this surging trend clearly poses the question as to how closely standards are aligned with regenerative approaches, particularly if they work towards higher environmental measures and agricultural best practices.

RTRS deems such an alignment a high priority and has commissioned an assessment from Peterson Project Solutions to gain a better insight into the approaches of regenerative agriculture and to compare them with the principles and criteria of the current RTRS Standard for Responsible Soy Production, determining to what degree the standard already set by RTRS could be promoting and supporting regenerative practices. This work was the focus of the final panel discussion at the RTRS Meeting Point ‘Seeding Common Ground’ in Germany.

The panel was moderated by Kobus Piennar, Technical Manager at Woolworths South Africa, and featured Gisela Introvini, Superintendent at Fundação de Apoio a Pesquisa do Corredor de Exportação Norte (FAPCEN) in Brazil; Pramel Gupta,

Director of Regenerative Agriculture at GREEN Foundation in India; Enrique Molas, Sustainability Consultant & Representative of Paraguayan soy producers; Rodrigo Arrellaga Sosa, from the Paraguay Agricultural Corporation (PAYCO); and Robert Stam, Regional Director at Peterson Project Solutions.

“We’ve been testing regenerative agriculture in South Africa for 14 years and we still don’t have all the answers,” said Kobus when opening the session. “We will establish a way in which regenerative agriculture adds value to RTRS; this is part of the Association’s ‘Beyond 2020’ Strategy. Our objective is to achieve a greater understanding and explore the contributions of the RTRS certification

standard to Regenerative Agriculture to ultimately add value to RTRS soy.”

There was strong consensus from the growers in the panel that many of their practices could already be seen as fully aligned with regenerative agriculture. According to Rodrigo, a good case study is the Golondrina Farm in Paraguay’s Alto Paraná Atlantic forests, spanning 24.000 hectares. It is applying agricultural practices that would immediately be recognised as

regenerative agriculture. The farm is working on dramatically reducing chemical inputs and is also engaging with indigenous peoples in a dedicated forest reserve while supporting their communities in diverse ways. First, PAYCO hires members of the communities as permanent employees, serving as Reserve Resource Guards. Second, the farm offers technical support in production programmes that include items produced by the indigenous community and traded for income generation or self-consumption, such as yerba mate and honey.

“We’re talking about carbon capture, increased biodiversity, reduced use of chemicals, crop rotation, water retention, increased microbial activity, better biological control of plant pests and diseases, and, of course, the health and fertility of the soil,” said Rodrigo. “This farm uses reduced tilling and the soil is not left naked. Storm water does not wash the soil away.”

An initial assessment was presented by Peterson for the first time at the Meeting Point, providing delegates with an exclusive opportunity to see how much of the RTRS standard could be said to be delivering regenerative agriculture.

The analysis matched the 108 criteria found in the RTRS standard against around a dozen elements, concepts and practices that make up the essence of regenerative agriculture: biodiversity, avoiding deforestation, conservation of natural habitats, fertilizer and pesticide use, cover-cropping, tillage management, crop rotation, afforestation, manure/compost application, soil sampling, pollution prevention, renewable energy,

greenhouse gas emission checking, intercropping, and irrigation.

The analysis revealed that RTRS’ current standard includes a significant number of regenerative agricultural practices, which means close alignment in many areas, and that with more development, such alignment could be made even stronger. There was strong alignment on greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, and halting deforestation, while in other areas - like intercropping, rainwater harvesting and other methods of irrigation - there is still room for improvement.

How much of the RTRS standard could be said to be delivering regenerative agriculture?

Out into the field

Gisela Introvini, from FAPCEN, took the crowd “to the field,” showing how responsible soy production can and must be seen as the protagonist of any truly regenerative agricultural practice.

Gisela highlighted the challenges of implementing RTRS certification in rural properties and the need to constantly break paradigms to bring about changes in attitudes and habits, emphasising that this process takes time. To make producers understand the need for voluntary adherence, we must leverage other tools, such as organising large events and field trips, and having partners united in this global vision. Information and technology must be shared with everyone.

To drive this point home, the work conducted in several rural properties certified by FAPCEN demonstrates that the RTRS production standards are, indeed, promoting regenerative agriculture. A few examples include: the straw left on the soil because of no-till farming, with crop rotations and restructuring for carbon capture, and the decrease in the use of agrochemicals. In the 2021/2022 harvest, the farm average was 13 agrochemical applications, while in certified farms it was only 5.9. Another example was the fact that 100% of farms certified by FAPCEN increased their use of bio factories for biological products. We intend to reduce the use of agrochemicals and only use them when it is appropriate (such as glyphosate, always in accordance with the correct dosage and number of applications as determined by the manufacturer).

“Yes, we need to produce food because our focus is on food security and on facing the populational increase we and future expectations will be experiencing. We also need to preserve our biome and our planet,” she said. “We must look beyond the zero deforestation that we already have in place. We need to enhance the vertical productivity that happens in our certified farms, where we already harvest soy, corn, meat, pasture for animals, protect the forest and capture carbon.”

Regenerative Agriculture is about social aspects as well. Without knowledge, awareness, and involvement, regenerative or good agricultural practices cannot be implemented. “It is about

said Gisela. After the RTRS principles and criteria, Gisela talked about important partnerships, focusing on the Associação das Mulheres do Agro (AMAO, a Women’s Agribusiness Association), which interacts with other professionals and works together with women in communities to determine key needs in terms of food diversification, fire management, river preservation and products from the Cerrado. Another case is the Association of Professionals in the Area of Human Resources (RHSULMA), which was created to comply with the complex labour and environmental laws in Brazil. Gisela stressed the need to add further value to sustainable agricultural practices and RTRScertified soy in the field, and to add to the great value of the RTRS Credits Supporting Responsible Soy adopted by companies in Europe in terms of environmental and social impact.

“We use agrochemicals at the right doses and as recommended by experts,” Gisela said.

mentality and paradigms,”

“What the producers receive for certified production is reinvested on the ground to maintain our sustainable work. We hold large events and field trips with and amongst the communities because we need to generate awareness. Large and persisting social differences caused by lack of opportunity and knowledge are our greatest enemies,” Gisela concluded.

“We demonstrate what we are and what we do in the Brazilian Cerrado. We are indeed a great sustainable soy supplier and, at the same time, we preserve. We plant and harvest food, we promote social welfare by generating jobs and income and, especially, we are on the right track towards providing for future generations.”

Closing and until soon!

“This has proven to be an outstanding journey. There has been so much learning and joint work, cultural experiences and mutual understanding,” said Marcelo Visconti, Executive Director of RTRS. He concluded: “This is an expression of the multiple opportunities for increasing collaboration.”

Special thanks to our sponsors for supporting and joining us in the RTRS Meeting Point 2022 in Germany.

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