Brazil Creates Sugar-Cane Certification Program

After two years of debate, farmers, conservationists, workers, and researchers in Brazil reached agreement on a voluntary certification program for growing sugar cane. As the world's largest producer of sugar cane plantations have replaced rainforests along Brazil's Atlantic Coast, considered by biologists to be one of the most biologically diverse -- and most threatened -- habitats on Earth. Sugar cane fields cove 15 million acres, or about six percent of the nation's farmland.

The forum was coordinated by Imaflora, a leading conservation group in Sao Paulo, with support from key social groups, agricultural and scientific institutions, and government agencies. The Dutch government provided financial support.

The standards address a number of tricky issues. For example, sugar cane fields are customarily burned before each harvest. The fires clear the thick foliage and Ginzu-sharp leaves, allowing machete-wielding workers easier access to the cane stalks. When sugar fields are aflame, soot rains on sugar country. Prohibiting burning may be good for residents' lungs, but poses a threat to workers, since the only alternative is to harvest cane with large machines. Thousands of cane cutters depend on harvest-season wages. The new standards call for a gradual phase-out of burning, to allow farmers and workers time to adjust to the change.

Leontino Balbo Jr. participated in the negotiations and manages a 17,290-acre farm that may be the model for the future. The farm provides good housing for workers, a school, medical clinic, and other amenities. Balbo uses biological controls instead of chemicals to fight pests, saving millions of dollars a year. A pioneer in the use of mechanical harvesting, he has stopped burning cane fields. His machines convert foliage into a thick mulch that enriches the soils and increases yields by 25 percent.

Lilian Marques represented a workers' union during the forum. "We could not imagine the power and popularity of certification even three years ago," she says, adding, "This has been a good process, leaving no one out."

Source: El Planeta.com: http://www2.planeta.com/mader/planeta/1198/1198rabrazil.html