Research transforms the Cerrado into a benchmark for productivity

Agriculture Day, celebrated on October 17th, takes on special significance in 2025, the year Embrapa Cerrados celebrates 50 years of contributions to science and the country's development. During this period, the institution was a protagonist in one of the greatest transformations in the Brazilian countryside: the transformation of the Cerrado into a global benchmark for productivity, sustainability, and agricultural innovation.

In the 1970s, Brazil made a decision that would forever change the course of its agriculture. The federal government defined the Cerrado, until then considered a region of poor and unproductive soils, as the country's new agricultural frontier. This strategy was consolidated by the Second National Development Plan (1975–1979), which established agriculture as a strategic axis of economic growth, with the mission of feeding the population, supplying raw materials for industries, and generating foreign exchange through increased exports.

Within this plan, the Cerrados Development Program (Polocentro) was created with the goal of modernizing agricultural activities in the Central-West and western regions of Minas Gerais. This initiative led to the creation, in 1975, of the Cerrados Agricultural Research Center (CPAC)—now Embrapa Cerrados—which was responsible for developing the technologies that enabled the rational and productive occupation of this vast region.

At 207 million hectares, the Cerrado is Brazil's second-largest biome and boasts the second-greatest biodiversity on the planet. It's known as the "Cradle of Brazil's Waters" because it houses the springs that feed eight of the country's twelve major river basins, including the Amazon, São Francisco, and Paraná-Paraguay rivers. Producing food while preserving the environment in this monumental biome was, therefore, both a challenge and a great responsibility.

From poor soil to thriving production

Until the 1970s, the Cerrado was considered an inhospitable region, with little potential for cultivation. Its acidic, nutrient-poor soils, combined with a harsh climate, imposed serious limitations on agriculture. Its regional economy was based on extensive livestock farming, upland rice, and the extraction of timber and charcoal.

It was in this context that Embrapa Cerrados was born, uniting the efforts of scientists, extension workers, and producers. The result was a true revolution: science began to play a decisive role in adapting soils, plants, and production systems to tropical conditions. Today, the biome accounts for more than half of the country's grain, meat, milk, fiber, and bioenergy production, consolidating its position as one of the largest agricultural hubs on the planet.

Between 1975 and 1995, Embrapa Cerrados structured a solid scientific basis for the rational use of natural resources, with research focused on evaluating the biome's resources, rebuilding soils, and developing production systems adapted to soil and climate conditions.

The development of soil correction technologies (such as the use of limestone and agricultural gypsum), efficient fertilization, nutrient management, and the valorization of organic matter have revolutionized the balance between production and conservation. Biological Nitrogen Fixation, with adapted rhizobia strains, is another milestone: by replacing nitrogen fertilizers, it generates billions in savings—reducing agricultural costs by approximately seventeen billion dollars per year.

These innovations, combined with plant and animal genetic improvement, were decisive in “tropicalizing” crops such as soybeans, corn, cotton, coffee, fruits, and wheat, allowing them to thrive in previously unproductive areas and consolidating the dominance of Tropical Agriculture.

In the 1990s, Embrapa Cerrados further diversified the regional production base, introducing alternative crops such as barley, sunflowers, peanuts, passion fruit, quinoa, amaranth, etc. It also developed adapted cultivars, optimized irrigation systems, and enabled the rational use of water in crops such as coffee, wheat, and fruits, among others.

Another milestone for agriculture in Brazil, led by Embrapa Cerrados, was the creation of the Agricultural Climate Risk Zoning (ZARC) in 1995: it guides the best planting period for each crop, reduces losses, and increases productivity. The result? The country saved millions of reais in agricultural insurance.

Biodiversity: wealth and food

The Cerrado's more than 6.700 native plant species have been studied for decades by Embrapa Cerrados, in research that revives traditional knowledge and transforms this natural wealth into economic and environmental opportunities. Species such as pequi, baru, cagaita, and araticum have become symbols of this new biodiversity-based economy.

Studies on the conservation and management of biodiversity in the biome and gallery forests have combined science and community participation, helping to preserve springs, restore degraded areas, and enhance local knowledge, demonstrating that development and conservation can go hand in hand.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Embrapa Cerrados and its partners played a decisive role in adapting and expanding no-till farming systems. Using adapted cover crops, researchers enabled the maintenance of mulch and increased soil carbon stocks.

These advances paved the way for a more systemic approach, with the development of technologies focused on integrated production systems, particularly Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forestry (ILPF), which promotes intensive and sustainable land use by combining grains, forage, meat, and trees in the same space. The results are impressive: up to 12 tons of grain per hectare and 12 arrobas of meat produced sustainably.

The result is modern, productive, and environmentally responsible tropical agriculture that generates income, conserves natural resources, and contributes to mitigating climate change.

Successful family farming

Embrapa Cerrados also plays a key role in family farming and sustainable rural development. Projects developed in Silvânia, Goiás, and Unaí, Minas Gerais, have demonstrated that technical knowledge combined with community organization can transform realities. In Silvânia, for example, more than 600 families organized into associations, increasing rice productivity by more than 200% and milk production by 40%.

Agroecology and organic production are no longer just niche markets, becoming consolidated sustainable development strategies for the Cerrado, integrating science, technological innovation, the appreciation of family farmers, and respect for biodiversity.

Another innovative project is the recovery of traditional seeds in indigenous communities, which restores food and cultural autonomy to people who have almost lost their original varieties of corn, cassava, and sweet potato.

Model for the world

The biome that was once considered "unsuitable for agriculture" is now one of the planet's main sources of food, bioenergy, and biodiversity. The current challenge is to continue growing in a balanced way: producing more, conserving better, and ensuring that the Cerrado remains the productive and ecological heart of Brazil.

Over the course of 50 years, Embrapa Cerrados has demonstrated that scientific knowledge is the foundation for a sustainable future. Thanks to the work of hundreds of researchers and cooperation with universities, producers, and international institutions, the Cerrado has become a living laboratory of agricultural innovation and a model for the world.

*Per José Roberto Rodrigues Peres, researcher at Embrapa Cerrados