Meeting the players involved in the agro-ecological transition in Brazil

From 27 October to 11 November 2023, Thierry Brévault (CIRAD / UPR Aïda) and Pierre Silvie (IRD / UMR PHIM/Prism) went to meet players involved in the agroecological transition in the Centro-Oeste (Cerrado) and Nordeste (Caatinga) regions of Brazil.

They held discussions with researchers from EMBRAPA's Cenargen and Cerrados centres in Brasilia and Algodão in Campina Grande, and with lecturers and researchers from the Universities of Brasilia (UNB) and Recife (UFRPE, UFPE). Ecology of the natural regulation of pests or pollination, assessment of biodiversity on a territorial scale, development of biocontrol solutions (monitoring, parasitoids and predators, chemical and physical mediators, entomopathogenic fungi and bacteria, companion plants, plant extracts, resistant varieties) for the sustainable control of pests, The development of agriculture-livestock-forestry integration systems and biofertilisers to maintain soil fertility, and the co-design of agroecological systems with small farmers and indigenous communities to promote ecosystem conservation and local knowledge, are all fast-growing themes.

This mission to get to know each other opens up prospects for strengthening scientific collaboration with Embrapa, CIRAD's strategic partner, as well as with higher education and agricultural development players in Brazil, on the agro-ecological transition and synergies between agriculture and biodiversity at territorial level. Connections need to be established with research and training partners in Africa on the same issues. The project was funded by the I-site Muse (EXPLORE #4 Outgoing Collective Mobility) and by IRD.