Firefighting actions in Bahia are highlighted at meeting

The Bahia Farmers and Irrigators Association (Aiba) had its initiatives in combating forest fires highlighted during the first meeting of the National Council for Integrated Fire Management in 2025. The meeting, held in Brasília, was attended by Aiba's Sustainability Manager, Eneas Porto, who represented the entity.

On the occasion, the extraordinary secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA), André Lima, praised Aiba's actions aimed at preventing and controlling fires in Western Bahia. Among the initiatives mentioned, the association's collaboration with rural producers in mitigating risks and the launch of the hot spot monitoring platform, considered a model to be expanded to other regions of the country, were highlighted.

The president of Aiba, Moisés Schmidt, highlighted the importance of joint work between the productive sector and environmental institutions for the preservation of biomes. “The reduction in fire outbreaks in the region is the result of rural producers’ commitment to sustainable practices. Aiba has worked to strengthen this commitment, investing in technology, training and integration between different actors in the fight against fire,” he said.

In this partnership, the Bahia State Department of the Environment (Sema) plays a strategic role. Through the Bahia Sem Fogo Program, Aiba and Sema carry out actions, training and integrated fire-fighting fronts, with good results. “This alignment between rural agricultural entities and Sema has generated significant results, such as the reduction in fires in 2024 in a year in which the number of fires increased in other parts of Brazil. In addition, deforestation in the Bahian Cerrado fell by an impressive 63,3%, a clear indication that the agricultural practices adopted are contributing to environmental conservation,” highlights state secretary Eduardo Sodré.

According to data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), in 2024, 4.428 hotspots were recorded in the Cerrado region of Bahia, representing a 9% reduction compared to the previous year. The data contrasts with the 79% increase in hotspots recorded nationwide in the same period.

“The integrated actions to combat forest fires, carried out by Aiba, have been achieving significant results and are directly reflected in the reduction of burned areas. This demonstrates the rural producer’s commitment to increasingly sustainable agriculture,” highlighted Eneas Porto.

While still in Brasília, the AIBA representative participated in meetings at the Brazilian Agriculture and Livestock Confederation (CNA). Among the meetings were the National Irrigation Commission, which presented a study on the demand for clean energy for irrigated agriculture, and the Environment Commission, where essential issues for the sustainable development of agricultural production were discussed.