A delegation of competent and supervisory authorities from Spain, Italy, Belgium and Ireland visited Espírito Santo, Brazil, from 6 to 9 December to learn about the traceability initiatives supported by AL-INVEST Verde and other sustainable agricultural production actions developed by the state.

The visit, organised by AL-INVEST Verde and the Government of Espírito Santo, through the Secretariat of State for Agriculture, Supply, Aquaculture and Fisheries (SEAG), included field visits and meetings with authorities.

The governor of Espírito Santo, Renato Casagrande, stressed the importance of coordinated work with the European Union, especially in the context of the European regulation on deforestation free products (EUDR). Likewise, the Secretary of State for Agriculture, Enio Bergoli, pointed out that Espírito Santo "is at the forefront of sustainable agricultural production in Brazil", which is why he considered this visit to be "a unique opportunity to show the world our initiatives and attract investment".

Andrea Monaco, programme manager of AL-INVEST Verde, indicated that, based on the work carried out by the programme, "Espírito Santo has enormous potential to be a model for Latin America".

Actions submitted

During the meetings, the action carried out by the government of Espírito Santo, in collaboration with the Espírito Santo Research and Innovation Support Foundation (FAPES) and the Territorial Intelligence Centre of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (CIT/UFMG), to map the production areas of coffee, cocoa and planted forests and implement the socio-environmental traceability platform, was presented. Selo Verdewhich AL-INVEST Verde has supported in the state of Minas Gerais.

Also participating in the activities were the executive director of the International Coffee Organisation, Vanusia Nogueira, and representatives of CECAFÉ (Conselho dos Exportadores de Café do Brasil), who presented the platform that enables compliance with the environmental requirements of the EUDR in the coffee sector. The Forestry Monitoring Centre of the Espírito Santo Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Defence was also presented.

During the mission, they also met rural properties engaged in sustainable coffee and cocoa practices, cooperatives and companies in the sector.. In Linhares, they visited the "Women of Cacao" project, a small farm whose aim is to seek gender equality in cocoa production, and the cabruca system, a traditional way of cocoa cultivation whose trees are grown inside the Atlantic rainforest, while native trees provide the shade.

Next, we travelled to Vila Valério and São Gabriel da Palha. In the latter place, we visited COOABRIEL, the largest robusta/conilon coffee cooperative in Brazil, with more than 8,000 associated coffee growers, 80 %, small producers. The visit concluded with a tour of Tristao Trading, the first instant coffee industry in Espirito Santo.