Gilberto Tomazoni, JBS Global CEO: It is crucial to offer innovative financing mechanisms for small producers
Tomazoni spoke about the dichotomy between the urgency of rationalizing natural resources, mitigating the effects of climate change, and the need to feed a population that continues to grow
JBS Global CEO Gilberto Tomazoni argues that food systems can help solve major human emergencies. "To do this, we must provide small producers with access to new technologies and offer innovative financing mechanisms to make this transition viable and safe for them", said the executive who leads the Sustainable Food Systems and Agriculture task force of B20 Brazil, the business arm of the G20. In his view, the food production chain can make a huge contribution to combating food insecurity, curbing climate change and generating economic development.
The comments were made during the Bloomberg New Economy at B20, held last week, the 23rd, in São Paulo. The event brought together business and government leaders to discuss complex but not insurmountable challenges: wars, climate change, deglobalization, artificial intelligence, energy transition and geostrategic rivalries, among others. The Global CEO of JBS participated in the panel “The prosperity dilemma”.
Tomazoni spoke about the dichotomy between the urgency of rationalizing natural resources, mitigating the effects of climate change, and the need to feed a population that continues to grow. "We have to produce more with less, and therefore, increasing efficiency is the way forward. And we do this through innovation and technology. This is already a reality in Brazil; it is possible to produce more food with a positive environmental impact", said the executive. In his view, the challenge is to ensure that these solutions reach small producers and that they have the necessary support to implement them.
For the Global CEO of JBS, payment for environmental services is essential to transform agriculture in small areas, making it economically viable. Currently, less than 4% of investments for climate change go to agriculture, according to IFAD (the acronym in English for the International Fund for Agricultural Development). And only 1.7% of climate finance is earmarked for agricultural projects in developing countries, according to the UN.
Tomazoni also highlighted that these and other recommendations have already been presented to the G20 Agriculture Ministers, who have accepted 75% of them. "Our expectation is that the leaders of the nations accept our proposals and, most importantly, work to put them into practice. Being more sustainable means being more efficient and, therefore, more productive. Everyone wins. Without a doubt, investing in food systems is part of the solution to the dilemmas of prosperity", he said.
Alongside Tomazoni, the panel was attended by Marcela Escobari, coordinator of the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection and special assistant to the President of the United States on the National Security Council, and Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever, business leader and activist. The panel was moderated by Julia Leite, who is responsible for Bloomberg's emerging markets coverage.
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