CCA presents regeneration and sustainability initiatives at COP30.

The Cerrado das Águas Consortium (CCA) will present strategies for regeneration, water resilience, and sustainable agriculture in the Cerrado Mineiro region at COP30.

In partnership with SEBRAE, CCA presents the Regenerative Landscapes of the Cerrado Mineiro project.

The Cerrado das Águas Consortium (CCA) is taking its projects and results of actions for regenerative agriculture and water resilience, which have been developed in the Cerrado Mineiro Region, to COP30 in Belém (PA). At the invitation of Sebrae, the CCA will officially participate in Panel 36 – Restore and Regenerate , on November 18th.

The panel will be moderated by the regional manager of Sebrae Minas, Marcos Geraldo Alves, and will include the participation of the rural producer and president of Cerrado das Águas, Marcelo Urtado, who will present the actions that seek to guarantee water security and promote the transition to more sustainable production systems in the Cerrado Mineiro region.

Panel 36 will also feature the participation of André Aquino, special advisor to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA) responsible for negotiating the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF); Humberto de Mello, Executive Secretary of Family Farming, Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Communities (Government of Mato Grosso do Sul); and Cláudia Stehling, Coordinator of the Competitiveness Unit at Sebrae Nacional. CCA's participation is also supported by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) and the International Institute of Education of Brazil (IEB).

At COP30, the CCA will present a model of governance and collaborative action that has been transforming the relationship between conservation and production in the Cerrado Mineiro region, an area recognized for having the largest area certified in good agricultural practices in Brazil and the largest area certified in Regenerative Agriculture in the world for coffee cultivation.

SEBRAE's invitation to participate in COP30 reinforces the institution's partnership with the initiatives of the CCA and the Cerrado Mineiro Region. Since its foundation, Sebrae MG has supported the CCA in several initiatives, including the creation of an exclusive credit line for regenerative agriculture, together with the Rabofoundation, and is also one of the implementing partners in the project approved by the CCA in the Floresta Viva call for proposals, worth R$ 4 million, to restore 202 hectares in the Cerrado.

Regenerative Landscapes of the Cerrado in Minas Gerais: Restoration and Regeneration Transforming the Region

The central focus of CCA's participation will be the presentation of strategies developed to mitigate climate risks in the Cerrado Mineiro region, ensure water security, and promote the large-scale regeneration of environmental ecosystem services. The corridor, named "Regenerative Landscape of the Cerrado Mineiro," is an initiative that integrates conservation and agricultural production to improve the landscape, either by restoring native vegetation areas or regenerating cropland soil. It was mapped based on scientific studies conducted by CCA through the company Ecossystemas, with the support of data provided by the Green Seal project of the Minas Gerais government.

“Our initial goal is to transition 20,000 hectares to regenerative agriculture by 2030. The challenge is significant, but we already have the right tools to work with the 2,000 rural properties, in an area totaling 180,000 hectares, which will form a biodiversity corridor that will strengthen essential ecosystem functions, such as water infiltration and soil conservation.”

This information comes from Fabiane Sebaio, Executive Secretary of the CCA.

According to Urtado, the project directly addresses a problem shared by CCA members and reinforces the importance of uniting efforts.

“The project is a response to the challenge of mitigating climate risks, shared by all those involved in the Cerrado das Águas. Reducing these risks at a regional level can bring direct benefits, such as water provision, pollination, and soil formation, positively impacting the participating communities and municipalities.”

Urtado explains.

The president of the CCA highlights the importance of the collaborative platform's participation in the event with its partners.

"Cerrado das Águas' participation in COP30 has several important aspects. One of them is the recognition of Cerrado das Águas' own work, and the verifiable results we are achieving in the field. This is very important, considering all the indicators, such as planning, implementation, and monitoring. So, literally, we are reaping the rewards in the field, in the indicators, the market, and society, showing that we are on the right track. Another very relevant point is that nobody does anything alone. This is a collaborative effort, carried out by all members: companies, institutions, and cooperatives, some of whom are competitors, united with a common goal. Therefore, it demonstrates a level of maturity that allows us to achieve much better results. This way of working has been an evolution, and we are expanding it, thanks to all the stakeholders. Our special thanks to all the members of Cerrado das Águas and, in this case of COP30, a special thanks to SEBRAE and CEPF/IEB, which are great partners who believe in and support building a region with climate resilience. Another very relevant point for CCA is..." COP30 is an opportunity to inspire other stakeholders and scale up this way of positively impacting everyone there, with the possibility for each person to take our way of working back to their country, breaking down borders ,” concludes Urtado.

CCA works to ensure that smart, regenerative, and science-based production practices are incorporated into the daily routines of rural properties. This transition is fundamental for a biome like the Cerrado, the cradle of waters, whose sensitivity to climate change demands urgent, structural, and verifiable actions.

About the Cerrado of Waters

Cerrado das Águas is a collaborative platform that includes various sectors, such as companies, government, and civil society. CCA is an initiative of the coffee production chain that seeks to build water resilience in the Cerrado Mineiro region through strategies that promote better land use, ensuring the continuity of coffee production in the region and mitigating the impact of climate change.

Through the Conscious Producer Investment Program (PIPC), the CCA team guides, supports, and encourages producers in implementing strategies for providing ecosystem services, focusing on improving the supply of water resources to all producers whose properties are adjacent to a given watershed, making the region resilient to climate change. As a result, the CCA has 202 hectares of conserved native vegetation, 4,000 hectares of agricultural land in transition to regenerative agriculture, and 150,000 people benefiting from this initiative.

The initiative has the following companies as associate members: Nescafé, Expocaccer, Nespresso, Lavazza, Cooxupé, Cofco International, Volcafe, NKG Stockler, Daterra, Federação dos Cafeicultores do Cerrado, CerVivo, Starbucks Farmer Support Center, JDE Peet's, EISA, and X-Farm. In addition, the platform has key partners such as the Municipal Governments of Serra do Salitre and Coromandel.