Al Gore and JBS Global CEO advocate regenerative agriculture to combat poverty
In the same session, former Vice President of the United States Al Gore said he agreed with Tomazoni on the need to invest in agriculture. Gore stated that new advances in measuring and testing carbon sequestration through regenerative agriculture allow for the use of many approaches to tackle climate change.
"If we compensate farmers on this basis, it would help them get through the two- to three-year transition period [needed for a new production model]. Farmers want this because extreme weather events are making their farms more vulnerable to water and wind erosion", he said.
Tomazoni mentioned data from the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), which shows that only 4% of investment in climate change goes to food systems, with small farmers receiving only 1%. In this scenario, 67% of people living in poverty live in rural areas. "If we support agriculture, we can lift millions of people out of poverty and, at the same time, boost economic development and make progress in tackling the climate challenge", he said.
At JBS, 60% of suppliers are small farmers. In this situation, Tomazoni reported the company’s focus on acting for financial and technological support for regenerative agriculture. "Small producers need support, not only financial, but also technical assistance on how to do this. We need to do this, because they are a great force for transformation", he said.
The session was moderated by Bloomberg anchor in Singapore Haslinda Amin and also featured Dani Rodrik, professor at Harvard Kennedy School, and Teresa Ribera, vice-president of the European Commission.
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