The Sorriso PCI (Produce, Conserve and Include) Compact has provided the municipality with a favorable environment to demonstrate it is possible to balance large-scale sustainable commodities production, natural resources conservation and inclusion of small-scale farmers, which attracts the interest of investors.
A regionalisation of the PCI Strategy of the State of Mato Grosso, a voluntary commitment which involves the public and private sectors, farmers and civil society to achieve sustainable development goals, is pointed out as the necessary support for this.
A practical opportunity to demonstrate this commitment was the participation of several signatories of the PCI de Sorriso in the Field Visit, held in February, by the International Responsible Soy Association (RTRS), in which shared information concerned: soy production process, implementation of the RTRS certification, its social, environmental and economic impacts, and also agricultural production, the potential of Sorriso, the integration with logistics and partnerships with local governments.
The Clube Amigos da Terra (CAT) hosted the event that brought together 30 participants from 9 countries involved in the soy production chain.
For the external consultant of RTRS in Brazil, Cid Sanches, the engagement of multiple actors in Sorriso is a factor that generates security for investors interested in choosing the municipality as their supply area. “Our goal is to expand certification in all links of the chain in the municipality, creating a region with certified origin products – this is our challenge. Based on a sustainable and constructive dialogue, the voluntary work carried out by all the actors involved will allow Brazil, the state of Mato Grosso and its producers to continue implementing sustainable practices for the benefit of all community”, he said.
IDH has supported this process of collective consensus building between production, conservation and inclusion in the state of Mato Grosso since 2015 and, directly, projects in the soybean chain in the region of Sorriso since 2011, with a commitment to make the necessary connections for this objective to come true. For this reason, in addition to Sorriso, it supports the PCI Compacts of the Juruena Valley and Barra do Garças, established under the same lines.
“I was particularly impressed with the work carried out by CAT, how they are organized and how sustainability has been incorporated into their agricultural practices for a long time. The hospitality shown by the municipality reflects its strong support for this collaboration of various stakeholders. I am proud to see that IDH acts as an important partner in this region and I hope that, in the near future, we can also organize a field trip with final buyers from the European market, as we have a lot to show”, reinforced Chih-Ching Lan, IDH soybean specialist, who travelled from the Netherlands to participate in the event.
The market also appreciates the initiative in a positive way. Lucio Vicente, from Carrefour’s Corporate Affairs and Sustainability area, who participated in the Field Trip, said that this is an important path: having retailers reflect on the involvement of each link in the production chain, change their suppliers, follow up on actions and also support the visibility of production, which brings a sustainability differential within itself. “It makes all the difference and has fostered involvement with the field, by really raising awareness on the complexity of the production chain until it reaches the end. Carrefour has this challenge, of working as an interlocutor, creating and disseminating added value to the final products”, he said.
The Sorriso PCI Compact has about 25 signatories, including CAT, RTRS and Carrefour.