Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock has initiated a climate mitigation project combining cocoa farming with forest restoration across the Amazon and Atlantic Forest biomes, targeting emissions reductions of 5.18 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent through sustainable agroforestry systems.
The project, approved by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in late October 2025, will mobilize $30.9 million in total investment over four years, with $23.1 million from GCF and $7.8 million co-financed by Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock through the Executive Commission of the Cocoa Farming Plan (CEPLAC) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). The initiative will directly benefit more than 69,000 family farmers and indirectly impact nearly 400,000 people across 26 municipalities in the states of Bahia and Pará.
The climate change mitigation and adaptation strategy focuses on restoring 12,500 hectares of degraded areas while promoting cocoa agroforestry systems that combine native trees with species of economic value. These integrated systems, known locally as SAF-cocoa, are designed to increase climate resilience, restore degraded soils, preserve biodiversity and improve income for farming families in regions vulnerable to deforestation pressures.
Deforestation represents the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions in Brazil and has increased in recent years, particularly in the Amazon region. The project addresses this challenge by recovering already deforested areas and strengthening cocoa production systems as an alternative to land clearing for agriculture. Climate projections indicate that by 2050, there could be significant loss of suitability for cocoa production in the Brazilian Amazon due to decreased precipitation and increased temperatures resulting from climate change.
The strategic partnership between IICA and CEPLAC forms the foundation of the project implementation, combining CEPLAC’s technical expertise in genetic improvement, research and rural extension with IICA’s capacity to manage international cooperation and promote innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture. Together, the institutions will advance a development model based on scientific knowledge, technological innovation and social inclusion.
Key activities include modernizing laboratories and nurseries, implementing digital technical assistance technologies, training farmers and technical specialists, and facilitating access to green credit opportunities through Brazil’s National Program for the Strengthening of Family Farming (PRONAF). The project will also promote applied research and create an intelligent monitoring system integrating productive, environmental and social information to guide public policies and future investments.
Gabriel Delgado, IICA Representative in Brazil, stated the partnership with CEPLAC and Green Climate Fund support will enable Brazilian cocoa to become a model for innovation and sustainability while strengthening family farming and protecting the country’s most biodiverse ecosystems. The announcement coincides with Brazil hosting COP30, the United Nations climate conference taking place in Belem from November 10 to 21, where tropical forest protection features prominently in discussions.
The project aligns with Brazil’s nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement, which include restoring 30 million hectares of degraded land and reducing emissions by 59 percent by 2035. Agroforestry systems offer a proven approach to achieving multiple objectives simultaneously, providing economic returns for farmers while delivering climate and biodiversity benefits.
The Green Climate Fund approved a record $1.332 billion for 22 projects at its 43rd Board meeting in late October 2025, bringing the year’s total to $3.26 billion and surpassing the previous record of $2.9 billion set in 2021. The Brazil cocoa project represents one of several Amazon-focused initiatives approved, with GCF financing more than $220 million for Amazon projects and unlocking over $700 million with partner contributions.
Brazil aims to position sustainable cocoa production as an inclusive and innovative model contributing to a low-carbon and climate-resilient rural economy. The agroforestry approach demonstrates how agricultural production can support rather than undermine forest conservation objectives, potentially offering a blueprint for similar initiatives across tropical regions worldwide.
IICA serves as the specialized agency for agriculture in the Inter-American system, with a mission to support its 34 member states in achieving agricultural development and rural well-being through international technical cooperation. The organization has extensive experience implementing climate finance projects across Latin America and the Caribbean.
