This Tuesday, 15 Dec, at 9:30 a.m., a side event will be held to discuss the contribution of the soy moratorium for deforestation reduction in Brazil. The event is promoted by the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (Abiove). The panel will show how partnerships between civil society and government can make feasible the sustainable production of soybean.

The commitment agreed by soy processing and export companies for the non-commercialization of soy from deforested areas in the Amazon lasts until July 2010.

Since July 2009, the business sector has started to work for the creation and implementation of a program for the continued improvement of sustainability indicators in rural properties. This program seeks to improve the management of soy farming establishments and has the support and coordination of different links from the soybean production chain, the civil society, and research and rural extension institutes.

According to Abiove, the economical and technical incentives to direct planting, for example, is in line with the discussions on mitigation in developing countries under discussion at COP15. The expansion of planted areas using these techniques will contribute to improve the balance of emissions from soy farming and also from other cultures produced in rotation with soybean.

Speakers:
- Carlo Lovatelli, President of ABIOVE – Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries and of ABAG – Brazilian Agribusiness Association
- Paulo Adario, Greenpeace Amazon Campaign Director

Alternative date/time:
16 December (Wednesday) at 11:30 a.m.

Understand what Soy Moratorium is:

Soy Moratorium is a private sector initiative, led by companies associated to the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries, under the National Association of Cereal Exporters.

In 2006, this sector has implemented an innovative and audacious project with the objective of contributing to the reduction of deforestation rates in the Amazon biome associated with soybean production. Since its beginning, Soy Moratorium has had the support and participation of civil society organizations and, in July 2008, the Brazilian Government joined this initiative through the Ministry of the Environment.

Several institutions are gathered in the Soy Working Group, which is a discussion forum where private sector and civil society define together the strategies to be adopted by signatory companies.

Some of these strategies are the monitoring through geoprocessing of satellite images and the overflying of selected deforested areas, following the identification of proprieties with soy plantations. This process ensures that signatory companies will not purchase the production or either finance the subsequent crops from properties that fail to comply with the Moratorium requirements.

December 14, 2009