Brazil's REVERTE: Syngenta Restores 277,700 Hectares

Syngenta's REVERTE project has restored 277,700 hectares of degraded pastureland in Brazil's agricultural heartland over four years, equivalent to over three times the size of New York City, transforming it into productive farmland with improved soil health and environmental sustainability. The initiative targets one million hectares by 2030 through a long-term recovery process that proves economically viable. Rigorous environmental criteria have preserved an additional 30,000 hectares of vegetation from potential destruction. Methods involve integrated systems of crop-livestock management, no-till practices, crop rotation, cover crops, and integrated pest management, particularly suited to the drier, less fertile Cerrado soils. Agronomic planning coordinates inputs, equipment, and processes with Embrapa expertise, selecting soybean and corn seeds optimized for soil restoration and biofuels. Financing from Itaú BBA offers low-interest loans with commitments to conserve native vegetation and restore per Brazilian policy. No-till agriculture prevents carbon re-release, aiding climate mitigation. The turnkey approach addresses farmer buy-in by mitigating transition costs, promoting profitability through higher productivity on restored lands. Lessons from early implementation are shared to influence partners, fostering scalable strategies that balance food production with conservation. Concrete outcomes include vastly improved productivity and sustainability at scale, with 92% of monitored farms seeing yield increases (average 9%) between first and second years. This provides practitioners with a blueprint for large-scale restoration, including satellite monitoring to prevent deforestation post-2018 and integration of forestry for diversified Cerrado management.