The Flora Project
Investing in the future of pasture-based farming by looking at the farms in their integrality and promoting more regenerative agriculture practices
Last updated on March 24th, 2023
Why does it matter?
Milk farmers are vulnerable to climatic variations that affect the availability and cost of feeding the herd. Combined with climate change, the degradation of 96 % of pastures in Minas Gerais’ territory makes pasture-based dairy farmers particularly vulnerable.
For some of them, poor milk quality and productivity also contribute to lower profitability and more and more farmers (especially the small ones) are abandoning the activity. In turn, due to the low efficiency of current production systems and the lack of technical assistance on pasture farms, pasture-based farms can end up having a higher carbon footprint than more conventional farming.
Danone has been working for many years with farmers on increasing the milk quality and quantity, but even with milk quality support and incentive programmes, soil health remains a problem that needs solving on a different level. That is where the Flora project comes in.
How did we solve this?
Together with the Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas in Brazil, we decided to invest in the future of pasture-based farming by looking at the farms in their integrality and promoting more regenerative agriculture practices. We designed a milk sourcing project aiming to increase supply security and reduce carbon footprint through a model that improves climate resilience, soil health and milk quality, preparing future generations to develop sustainable milk activity and transforming the culture of milk production in the region of Poços de Caldas.
In 2019, we started with a demo unit to show the positive impact regenerative agriculture can bring to farmland, farmers and their animals, through the implementation of Voisin style rational grazing with silvopastoral system. This demonstrative unit is now a ‘school’ for other producers, so that they can experience the techniques of regenerative agriculture methods and their benefits. On the demo farm we explore how to recover degraded pasture land and implementing agroforestry systems, combining forests, trees or shrubs with pastureland and livestock integration, in order to rebuild soil health and reduce soil erosion, improve soil nitrogen fixation and carbon sequestration, restore biodiversity and reduce needs for mineral fertilisers and crop protection products, while improving farms’ feed self-sufficiency, economics and animal welfare along the way.
Farmers engaged in the program are receiving specialised regenerative agriculture technical assistance and training for 3 years. Since the beginning of the program, we could observe in partnering farms: +1,5k ton carbon sequestration, +49% in soil quality, +222% biodiversity, +32% in animal welfare.
Opportunities for other farms?
Danone plans to expand the project with 38 farmers from 3 hectares to 200 hectares over the next five years, diversifying the farmers’ portfolio, increasing their income and the quality of milk, while making them more resilient against a changing climate.
Furthermore, the Flora project learnings could be shared with other players and regions in the country, where 80% of the 200 million hectares of pasture lands are considered to be degraded.
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