Imbizo 2026 | ‘We know your challenges; here’s how Brazil overcame them’ – Brazilian agricultural attaché Rodrigo Lopes de Almeida

“We understand the challenges you face because we’ve been there ourselves” declared Brazilian agricultural attaché Rodrigo Lopes de Almeida at the Brazilian Embassy in Pretoria, addressing delegates at the African Farming Agri-Development Imbizo held at Time Square Hotel on 26 and 27 March.

By Maile Matsimela, digital editor at African Farming

De Almeida spoke about Brazil’s transformation from a food-insecure nation in the 1970s to achieving complete food self-sufficiency by the 2000s. “We faced exactly what many South African farmers face today – the challenge of feeding our people while working in tropical conditions that weren’t suited to traditional farming methods,” he explained.

The solution, he revealed, came through sustained investment in agricultural research and the development of technologies specifically adapted to tropical conditions. “We learnt to tropicalise plant varieties and animal breeds, creating productive systems designed for our climate rather than fighting against it.”

Conquering Animal Diseases Together

“Disease control was one of our biggest hurdles,” De Almeida acknowledged, focusing particularly on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). “We know this is a major concern for South African farmers too.” He outlined how Brazil achieved FMD-free status without vaccination through coordinated efforts involving surveillance, movement control and multi-stakeholder engagement.

Also read: Imbizo 2026 | ‘If we carry on doing what we’ve been doing, there is no future’ – why soil health, knowledge and policy must align

“We want to share our hard-won experience in controlling FMD, including our pathway to becoming disease-free,” he stated. The cooperation framework includes joint development of sanitary protocols and implementation strategies, emphasising public-private farmer engagement and regionally adapted approaches.

Making Agriculture Climate-smart and Profitable

Addressing concerns about balancing productivity with environmental responsibility, De Almeida presented Brazil’s National Policy for Low-Carbon Agriculture (ABC) Plan. “You don’t have to choose between feeding people and protecting the planet,” he assured delegates.

Brazil’s ambitious targets for 2021 to 2030 demonstrate this approach:

Expanding no-tillage systems by 12.5 million hectares;
Adding four million hectares of planted forests;
Recovering 30 million hectares of degraded pastures;
Increasing irrigated systems by three million hectares;
Treating 208 million cubic metres of manure;
Incorporating five million animals into intensive fattening systems;
Expanding biological inputs to 13 million hectares; and
Developing 10 million hectares of integrated systems.

“These initiatives help us mitigate one gigatonne of CO₂ equivalent while increasing agricultural productivity,” De Almeida explained. “This is how we prove that sustainable farming is also profitable farming.”

Sharing Practical Solutions

“We’ve learnt that more than 90% of our grain production now uses no-till practices,” De Almeida said, highlighting conservation agriculture success. “We want to transfer this knowledge to you.” The cooperation extends to biological inputs and biodiversity-based solutions, including biological pest control, soil fertility products, veterinary inputs and post-harvest technologies.

Also read: Imbizo 2026 | Farmer Sizo Tshabalala shares pain, perseverance and rising again

The attaché emphasised integrated crop-livestock-forest systems and agroforestry practices as game-changers. “These systems reduce pressure on native forests while enhancing biodiversity, water security and farm resilience.”

Getting the Money Right

Addressing financial challenges, De Almeida shared a crucial lesson: “We learnt that government financial incentives work better as rural credit rather than subsidies, coupled with technical assistance and monitoring systems.” He stressed that policy alignment and finance conditioning on sustainable practices are essential for scaling adoption.

“We engage public and private sectors, banks and civil society to align finance and projects with sustainable technologies so farmers can access the credit they need,” he explained, offering a tested model for South Africa.

Building Partnership, not Dependency

“We’re not here to impose solutions,” De Almeida clarified. “We want to share our experience so you can adapt what works for your local realities.” Brazil and South Africa have signed an umbrella agreement for cooperation covering sanitary measures, rural development and technical exchanges.

Also read: Imbizo 2026 | Building confidence and attracting investment in emerging farmers

The partnership focuses on joint projects in land restoration, integrated systems development and the creation of knowledge banks to support sustainable agricultural transformation. “We want to help you avoid the mistakes we made and accelerate your success using proven methods.”

A Personal Commitment

Concluding his presentation, De Almeida made a personal pledge: “Brazil is committed to sharing our decades of agricultural research and policy implementation experience with South Africa. We’ve walked this difficult path for 40 years – let’s help show you the way.”

The cooperation framework emphasises science-based solutions that address real farmer needs while meeting international climate and sustainability commitments, positioning Brazil as a tested partner in South Africa’s agricultural transformation journey.

African Farming Agri-Development Imbizo 2026

The African Farming Agri-Development Imbizo 2026 took place on 26 and 27 March at Time Square Hotel in Pretoria. This two-day event brought together more than 200 farmers, agribusiness entrepreneurs, policymakers, financiers and industry leaders. The goal was clear: To align resources, unlock opportunities and strengthen partnerships that will accelerate the growth of South Africa’s new generation of commercial farmers.

Hosted by African Farming, the Imbizo builds on a strong commitment to advancing black commercial agriculture through information-sharing, networking and development-driven platforms.