Productivity of family livestock farming in the Amazon skyrockets by 64 percent
The project promoted improved management through the implementation of good agricultural practices across 21,000 hectares, benefiting 1,408 farming families in the Transamazon region (PA).
Family livestock farming productivity in the Amazon jumped 64% after adopting regenerative practices in the field. This progress is the result of the RestaurAmazônia project, developed by the Solidaridad Foundation with support from the JBS Fund for the Amazon, which invested over R$ 21 million in the initiative between 2021 and 2025. The project promoted improved management, with the implementation of good agricultural practices, across 21,000 hectares and benefited 1,408 farming families in the Transamazon region (PA).
The model combines sustainable management and productive diversification, converting degraded pastures into high-quality cocoa plantations, capable of generating up to four times more revenue per hectare. At the same time, it reduces the pressure for new areas and consolidates a scalable economic model of efficient land use, with a direct impact on family income.
The leap in productivity considers the stocking rate of the properties, expressed in animal units per hectare (AU/ha), which indicates how many animals a pasture area can sustain in a balanced way, without compromising the soil, vegetation, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
"The numbers reinforce for Brazil and the world that production in the Amazon can be profitable and, at the same time, regenerative ," says Lucas Scarascia , executive project manager of the JBS Fund for the Amazon . "It's not just about increasing productivity, but about considering the family farmer as a protagonist in the global climate agenda, generating wealth with the forest standing and recovering degraded areas," he adds.
Among the areas under good management practices by the project are: 1,218 hectares restored with Agroforestry Systems (SAFs) with cocoa, 17,308 ha of pastures, and 2,154 ha of cocoa. The strategy also includes ongoing technical assistance and access to differentiated markets, especially the bean- to-bar segment of artisanal chocolates, which requires a careful drying and fermentation process but can yield up to four times more for cocoa.
"The key to this transformation lies in the quality of our Technical Assistance and Rural Extension ," explains Rodrigo Castro , Country Director of the Solidaridad Foundation . " By having technicians with roots in the region and a personalized model, we can ensure that families not only adopt low-carbon practices but also reach a new level of quality, such as bean-to-bar cocoa, maximizing their income and economic stability ," he points out.
The results of RestaurAmazônia strengthen a growing movement towards intensified livestock farming and good practices in the region. The model also aligns with recommendations delivered by global business leaders at COP30, which advocate for greater support for low-carbon agriculture, incentives for green credit, and the dissemination of technologies accessible to small producers.
The JBS Fund for the Amazon invests in projects that reconcile economic return, social inclusion, and environmental conservation, focusing on production chains, bioeconomy, and science and technology. Among the supported initiatives are the sustainable production of extractive açaí by the Amazonbai cooperative, the Geoflora Project (Embrapa), and the Juntos: People, Forest and Amazon program (Rio Capim).
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