Washington, DC: On September 20, the Wilson Center’s Brazil Institute hosted the president of Embrapa, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, and Brazil’s secretary of commerce and international relations at the Agriculture Ministry, for a conversation about the future of agriculture and environmental conservation in Brazil, one of the world’s top food producers.

The dialogue, “Farming Forward: Strategic Approaches to Sustainable Agriculture,” featuring Embrapa President Silvia Maria Fonseca Silveira Massruhá and Secretary Roberto Perosa, explored Brazil’s innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture and climate resilience, including international collaborations such as partnerships with the United States. Speakers also addressed challenges posed by climate change, such as the devastating flooding in southern Brazil earlier this year, which disrupted the country’s soybean industry. Joined them in the dialogue, Jason Hafemeister, Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.

“Brazil is recognized as an agricultural powerhouse,” Brazil’s ambassador to the United States, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, said.  Massruhá underscored the importance of developing new technologies to adapt to climate change and Perosa highlighted the significance of international cooperation. Margaret Zeigler, of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), agreed. “Areas of cooperation between the Wilson Center and IICA include understanding the dynamics between food insecurity, climate change, and other root causes of insecurity in the hemisphere and mobilizing more partnerships to address them.”

The event also marked the launch of the Wilson Center’s Latin America Sustainable Agriculture Initiative, in partnership with IICA. The initiative aims to improve global food security while reducing environmental impacts such as deforestation and carbon and methane emissions.

Media Contact:
Facundo Robles, Program Coordinator
(202) 691 4198
Facundo.Robles@wilsoncenter.org