Experts discuss transition from fossil-based economy to bioeconomy

Agropolo Campinas-Brazil begins study to map opportunities for development of an economy that uses biological resources sustainably.

By Diego Freire  |  Agência FAPESP – Already the world’s second-largest exporter of agricultural commodities, Brazil has the potential to expand its croplands by at least 70 million hectares and increase production of grains and fibers by 136% from today’s 210 million metric tons, according to the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

With the aim of discussing strategies to ensure Brazil fulfills its potential in this and other areas without endangering sustainability, Agropolo Campinas-Brazil has begun mapping research and investment projects of strategic importance for the regional and national development of the bioeconomy, which combines industries that use biological resources sustainably. The initiative was presented at the First Workshop on the Bioeconomy, an Opportunity for Brazil, held at the Campinas Agronomy Institute (IAC) in São Paulo State, Brazil, on June 28-29.

“Brazil is a major player in agricultural commodities but has plenty of room to develop in terms of adding value to its products,” said Sérgio Augusto Morais Carbonell, managing director of IAC and chairman of Agropolo Campinas-Brazil’s executive secretariat. “With a population of more than 200 million, our country needs a new economy – a new economic model for the sustainable development of its huge potential in terms of plentiful arable land, unrivaled biodiversity, and an abundant supply of increasingly qualified human resources. This is what the bioeconomy proposes to do.”

Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, FAPESP’s scientific director, took part in the discussions and highlighted successful experiences in research and development relating to the bioeconomy.

“Thanks to its natural characteristics and other conditions, Brazil is perhaps the country with the most potential for development in areas of the bioeconomy,” Brito Cruz said. “Unlike other areas we’re so often accused of neglecting, the bioeconomy is an example of what we do best. There are plenty of successful experiences in research, science and technology, as well as measures to reduce food prices and raise crop yields, joining up science and practical results. The initiative in Campinas and our efforts to be even more efficient in this regard are all the more important because this connection already exists.”

According to Brito Cruz, FAPESP will support the Bioeconomy Roadmap initiative and has an ongoing dialogue with the São Paulo State Department of Agriculture & Food Supply to periodically bring to the research institutions linked to the department a flow of foreign scientists selected under the aegis of FAPESP’s Young Investigators Grants.

“Creating opportunities for these researchers to work at institutions in São Paulo State would enable us to benefit from the efforts of good young scientists,” Brito Cruz said. “In this way, we would breathe oxygen into our system and drive research in the strategic areas defined by the department.”

São Paulo State Agriculture Secretary Arnaldo Jardim spoke at the workshop on the urgency of transitioning from an economy dependent on fossil fuels to the bioeconomy.

“In light of global climate change and the commitments announced by Brazil at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP21, alongside our state’s strict legislation imposing ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets, there’s an urgent need to develop the bioeconomy in São Paulo and throughout Brazil,” Jardim said. “We won’t meet the sustainable development targets to which we’re committed unless we promote changes in production and consumption patterns. The bioeconomy is an indispensable part of that effort.”

International partnerships

For Luuk van der Wielen, director of BE-BASIC, “Brazil has every opportunity to develop a bio-based economy in a beneficial manner.”

BE-BASIC, short for the Biotechnology based Ecologically Balanced Sustainable Industrial Consortium, is an international public-private partnership that develops industrial bio-based solutions to build a sustainable society. FAPESP has maintained cooperation agreements with the consortium since 2010.

“Agropolo Campinas-Brazil is a very interesting initiative not only for Brazilians but also for our industrial partners,” van der Wielen said. “It will drive bio-based business development and underpin long-run resource sustainability.”

Several companies based in the Netherlands have declared an interest in joining the initiative, he added. BE-BASIC’s Campinas office will provide support for international partners.

Roadmap

The workshop was the first of a planned series to identify opportunities to develop a roadmap for investment in the bioeconomy.

“Just as important as the guidelines that will be part of the roadmap once it’s complete is the mapping exercise itself. The process of developing the initiative will itself determine the research interests of private enterprise, the means of access to new sources of funding for technology and innovation in the various areas of the bioeconomy, the partnerships required to strengthen these activities, the strategies to attract investment, and how companies can prospect new markets, among other aspects,” said Rodrigo Leal, a researcher at the University of Campinas’s Interdisciplinary Energy Planning Center (NIPE-UNICAMP) and responsible for the methodology of the roadmap.

The Campinas initiative is inspired by Agropolis International, a French association established in 1986 and considered one of the leading concentrations of competencies in agriculture, food supply, biodiversity and environmental management.

“The Brazilian roadmap has the potential to drive the local bioeconomy along similar lines to what has been done in other parts of the world,” said Eric Fargeas, director of Agropolis International.

“The initiative is based on the concept of collaborative innovation and is designed to develop technical cooperation projects in a range of sectors. Brazil has important conditions for this, including areas with major potential for agriculture and strong prospects for the production of agricultural raw materials, but more investment is still needed in the development of a sufficiently favorable environment for innovation in the bioeconomy. The Campinas region is recognized worldwide as an agribusiness hub, but much remains to be done to valorize Brazilian products in global markets. The roadmap that starts now will help integrate the expertise held by Brazilian research institutions with the interests of private enterprise. This is the first step in a national economic revolution.”

Jonas Donizette, mayor of Campinas and chairman of Agropolo Campinas-Brazil’s board, spoke at the workshop about the April mission to Agropolis International’s Montpellier headquarters in France.

“While there, we were able to confirm how important the organization is to the city and the dynamism of its economy,” he said. “We also saw that Montpellier, like Campinas, already had many networks that are now being interconnected by the initiative. We’re making something new out of what already existed, and few cities have this potential. Our efforts will focus on adding value, creating jobs, and reducing emissions of CO2.”

Agropolis International is one of the members of Agropolo Campinas-Brazil. The others are the São Paulo State Department of Agriculture & Food Supply through IAC, the Food Technology Institute (ITAL) and the Biological Institute (IB); the state’s Department of Economic Development, Science, Technology & Innovation; the City of Campinas; UNICAMP; and the Campinas Techno Park Association of Proprietors (ASSOCITECH). Its partner institutions are the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) and the French Consulate General in São Paulo.

Agropolo Campinas-Brazil plans to complete the roadmap in 2018. Meanwhile, it will hold more workshops, three of which are scheduled for second-half 2016, on agriculture, food, and health, green chemicals and bioenergy.

“In the coming months, we’ll be working together on guidelines for our plan of activities. This is a historic milestone based on the strengths of the agricultural sector and will produce new models for innovative business development,” said Luís Augusto Barbosa Cortez, UNICAMP’s Executive Vice Rector for International Relations and a member of FAPESP’s Adjunct Panel for Special Programs.

For more information, visit iac.sp.gov.br/agropolocampinasbrasil.