Lays Ushirobira *
Safeguarding the Amazon is vital to ensuring food security for billions of people worldwide, says IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute) in the second episode of the “Living Library” series by Amazoniar. According to Olivia Zerbini, researcher at IPAM, one-third of the world’s food is produced in the tropics — and the Amazon rainforest is essential to that abundance, helping secure the food we eat and the future of life on Earth.
“The Amazon, as the world’s largest tropical forest, functions like a heart for the planet: it pumps water vapor across the continent, irrigating crops, regulating temperatures, and sustaining economies both within and beyond the Amazon region. If this heart slows down, the entire system could collapse,” Zerbini explains.
Deforestation puts global food security at risk
Brazil is one of the world’s leading food producers. The Cerrado alone accounts for 60% of Brazil’s agricultural production and 22% of global soybean exports.
Yet much of this expansion has come at the expense of native vegetation, particularly in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes. According to MapBiomas, 16% of the Amazon and 48% of the Cerrado have been converted into pasture or cropland.
Studies review that replacing native vegetation with pasture and monocultures in the Cerrado has already increased local temperatures by nearly 1°C and reduced rainfall by 10%. These changes directly affect yields: IPAM analyses indicate declines of 6% in soybeans and 8% in corn — increasing both climate and economic risks for producers.
“Projections indicate that by 2030, more than half of the farms along the Amazon–Cerrado frontier could become economically unviable. By 2060, nearly three out of four may cease production entirely,” Zerbini warns.
Pathways to protect the Amazon and global food security
Protecting the Amazon is a complex challenge — but it is possible. In the new episode, IPAM outlines five key measures to curb deforestation, strengthen food system resilience, and tackle climate change:
1. Strengthen scientific cooperation and increase investment in research
Science helps anticipate risks and identify solutions. Turning knowledge into action requires sustained investment and stronger international collaboration.
2. Designate public forests
In Brazil, public forests covering an area the size of Spain still await designation — allocating a land category for their conservation or sustainable use. This designation can strengthen the rights of Indigenous Peoples and traditional communities who have stewarded these lands for generations, while improving forest governance.
3. Provide technical assistance and support for family farming
With access to technical assistance, family farmers can increase productivity without deforesting, becoming key allies in conservation efforts.
4. Intensify agricultural and livestock production without deforestation
Through technology, improved management, and soil restoration, it is possible to increase food production on existing pasturelands without cutting down additional forest.
5. Compensate producers who conserve beyond legal requirements
Producers who maintain native vegetation beyond what the law requires provide a critical environmental service. Initiatives such as Conserv show that compensating farmers for voluntary conservation can help maintain forests intact while sustaining agricultural production.
About Amazoniar
Amazoniar is an initiative by IPAM that aims to expand the global dialogue about the Amazon. Since 2021, it has fostered discussions on complex issues — from the impacts of trade relations between Brazil and Europe on the rainforest to youth engagement in defending the Amazon and its peoples during elections — with the goal of democratizing information and broadening participation in the protection of the world’s largest tropical forest.
Amazoniar has carried out special projects such as a photography contest, whose selected works were exhibited on the streets of Glasgow, Scotland, during COP26; a series of short films featured in the exhibition “Fruturos – Amazônia do Amanhã” at Rio’s Museu do Amanhã; video interviews with representatives of traditional communities during the negotiations for the Mercosur and the European Union trade agreement; and the documentary “The Chief’s Call” about the legacy of Chief Raoni Metuktire.
* Communications Consultant at IPAM