AL-INVEST Verde cooperates with the state of Espírito Santoin Brazil, for the implementation of the Selo Verde traceability platform. Within the framework of this collaboration, the production areas of coffee, cocoa and planted forests to obtain accurate information to develop the platform.
During the presentation of this partnership, the governor of Espírito Santo, Renato Casagrande, highlighted the importance of Selo Verde in promoting traceability and socio-environmental transparency of rural properties, "a requirement all over the world, especially in countries where society demands traceability of production to know if producers comply with environmental standards".
Espírito Santo is currently the second largest coffee producer in Brazil and the third largest cocoa producer. The platform will allow producers to demonstrate compliance with environmental requirements The new market will also facilitate access to credit and to new buyers, Casagrande said.
For his part, the director general of the Espírito Santo Institute for Agricultural and Forestry Defence (Idaf), Leonardo Monteiro, said: "The European Union Deforestation Free Regulation (EUDR) demands to produce without damaging the environment. Selo Verde will be a great incentive for farmers to make a socio-environmental commitment to exporting their products, thus moving faster towards the goal of eliminating illegal deforestation in the state.
Andrea Monaco, Senior programme manager of AL-INVEST Verde, underlined the importance of the partnership with the Government of Espírito Santo, which he defined as "strategic in the building deforestation-free production chains". In addition, he referred to the technical mission to Espírito Santo by authorities from Italy, Spain, Ireland and Belgium in 2024The EU has been "pleasantly surprised with the good practices adopted and with the state's commitment to sustainability and environmental protection".
Selo Verde in six Brazilian states
With this partnership, a total of six Brazilian states will have the Selo Verde platform: Pará, Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Tocantins, Acre and Espírito Santo. AL-INVEST Verde supports its implementation in the latter four states. Specifically, in Espírito Santo, it works together with the Secretariat of State for Agriculture, Supply, Aquaculture and Fisheries (SEAG), the Espírito Santo Foundation for Research and Innovation Support (FAPES), the Territorial Intelligence Centre of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (CIT/UFMG), the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES) and the Capixaba Institute for Research, Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (Incaper).
Through this action, it is planned to map agricultural production plots for coffee, cocoa and timber in order to monitor the evolution of land use, identify areas with deforestation or forest degradation, anticipate potential environmental and social impacts, ensure the rational use of natural resources, protect biodiversity and improve people's quality of life.
The SeloVerde-ES platform will make it possible to provide accurate and up-to-date data on agricultural production and compliance with the Forest Code for more than 100,000 rural properties registered in the State. This will provide a public tool for efficient management, decision-making and the development of public policies aimed at agriculture, the management of natural resources and the promotion of the conservation of natural ecosystems.
About AL-INVEST Verde
AL-INVEST Verde is a European Union (EU) programme whose main objective is to promote sustainable growth and job creation in Latin America by supporting the transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and more circular economy. Through Component 2, led by FIIAPP in consortium with IILA, the programme provides assistance for strengthening public policy and multi-stakeholder dialogues on sustainable agricultural and value chains, environmental and labour standards, as well as sustainable trade and economic policy and regulatory frameworks.