Location
Active across 42 municipalities in six states (Bahia, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, and Tocantins) within the Cerrado biome. Six municipalities in Western Mato Grosso serve as the proof of concept for the SLP.
Stakeholders involved
SCF companies ADM, Bunge, Cargill, COFCO International, LDC; CGF-FPC companies Danone, Jeronimo Martins, Mars, Metro, Neste, Nestle, Sainsburys; local implementing partners in the Cerrado biome, including Conservation International, Earthworm Foundation, IPAM, Parque Vida Cerrado, PCI, Proforest, Produzindo Certo, Rede ILPF, Solidaridad; Local agricultural producers; WBCSD and Proforest – the program secretariats; global and local partners and advisors, including Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Accountability Framework initiative (AFi) and others
Lead organization
consequat nulla
Ad cupidatat dolore ex cillum laborum est. Magna esse magna enim proident qui enim pariatur.
consequat nulla
Ad cupidatat dolore ex cillum laborum est. Magna esse magna enim proident qui enim pariatur.
Scale
The partners have co-invested USD $9.5 million for 2023-2026, and are currently fundraising to continue growing the program. The partnership has also leveraged USD $2.4 million (from Land Innovation Fund and other supply chain companies). The beneficiaries are soy producers in the program’s target municipalities.
million (USD) for 2023-2026
million (USD) (from Land Innovation Fund and other supply chain companies)
Co-investment model
Since 2020, the CGF-FPC and SCF have been in dialogue to identify and address sectoral barriers to eliminate commodity-driven deforestation and land conversion and build resilient Cerrado landscapes. Recognizing that vertically oriented deforestation- and conversion-free supply chains are not enough to achieve these collective goals, the CGF and WBCSD embarked on joint investments in production landscapes, providing a model for scaling resilient and sustainable production in the Cerrado. In 2024, the partners formally launched the Sustainable Landscape Partnership (SLP) to scale-up these efforts, aligning on a common vision with positive outcomes for people, nature, climate and business.
The co-investment model uses blended finance combining value chain contributions, leveraged finance and in-kind support. To date, this initiative has relied mainly on co-funded grants from SCF and CGF-FPC members, leveraging additional sustainable financing from donors. A key feature is payments for surplus legal reserves, which provide producers with direct payments in exchange for agreeing not to clear native vegetation, which they could otherwise legally do. It aims to leverage short-term funding for longer-term sustainable financing that can deliver returns (financial and environmental) to sustainable investors, lenders, philanthropy, development banks and others.
Impact
hectares of native ecosystems under DCF commitments
hectares of surplus legal reserves protected
hectares of degraded land under restoration
The programe has mobilized nearly/close to 700 farms and supports Brazilian government priorities for sustainable land-use, halting deforestation and conversion, and land restoration. The program has resulted in over 750,000 hectares of sustainable commodity (soy) production. Climate and nature outcomes are advanced through approximately 400,000 hectares of native ecosystems within farms under deforestation- and conversion-free (DCF) commitments, supporting their conservation, especially through maintenance of over 58,000 hectares of surplus legal reserves—areas preserved beyond legal requirements, and restoration of 415 hectares of degraded land. Its food production efficiency is implied through the adoption of best practices and input optimization in DCF and regenerative systems.
Levers and enablers
The program benefits from stakeholder engagement through its collaborative approach between the two private sector coalitions. It uses technology and public databases (e.g., PRODES) to map high-risk areas and monitor the impact on producers, native vegetation and greenhouse gas emissions. The program aligns with the country’s national priorities and land-use rights and the establishment of local governance frameworks with on-the-ground partners like the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM) and the Produce, Conserve and Include (PCI) program. It also aligns partners on a common monitoring framework and key performance indicators consistent with leading sustainability frameworks. The program takes a harmonized approach to risk prioritization across municipalities and is developing a common methodology for traceability through both direct and indirect sourcing for DCF soy from the Cerrado.
Barriers
While efforts to scale financial mechanisms are underway, progress is often constrained by a reliance on grant funding, the need for coordinated action across diverse stakeholders, and limited capacity to quantify key environmental metrics such as water use and emissions. Furthermore, systemic and political obstacles prevent producer uptake of solutions, especially those aimed at increasing surplus legal reserves.
Lessons for scaling
- Build reliance on multi-stakeholder collaboration, where diverse actors contribute expertise, resources and governance support;
- Engage farmers through local partners, whose trust and participation are foundational to long-term impact;
- Ensure accountability and progress through a robust monitoring, reporting and verification system;
- Develop a detailed study of farmer and economic benefits to build further demand for scaling;
- Make the investment case to diverse potential partners as to the benefits of a landscape approach for supply chain resilience (compared to a vertical approach by individual actors, which is limited in scale and system-level impacts);
- Create finance structures and a self-sufficient funding strategy to scale efforts and build long-term resilience, including through donor and public sector funding and by engineering legal and financial support in the financial mechanism for agreements.
