CCAFS researchers and University of Michigan students are exploring Brazilian cattle ranchers’ participation in the Sustainable Agriculture Network’s Rainforest Alliance Certification.
Toninho pointed to a large tree as he approached the farm saying, “This tree was a sapling when I was a boy.” Every year, he takes a picture with this relic of his childhood – a symbol of his connection with the place where he has grown up and now makes a living.
Toninho is the farm manager at Fazenda São Marcelo, near Tangará da Serra in Mato Grosso—Brazil’s leading cattle ranching state. Fazenda São Marcelo is the first Sustainable Agriculture Network, Rainforest Alliance-certified cattle ranch in the world. CCAFS researchers and master’s students from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment visited Fazenda São Marcelo to investigate the sustainability of the cattle ranching industry in general and specific opportunities and barriers to producer participation in the new sustainable beef certification program.
Original post by Melisa Ongun, Ben Chen, Peter Newton and Helena Nery (University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment and CCAFS Low-Emissions Development Theme).
Note: Peter Newton is hosting the technical and networking session ‘Innovative Governance of Commodity Agriculture in Forest Landscapes’ at the Global Landscape Forum, and Helena Nery is a featured speaker for the session.
