United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Europe

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BRAZIL THE SOYBEAN SECTOR IN THE BR-163 ROAD
INFLUENCE AREA
Integrated Assessment and Planning for
Sustainable Development

Second Review Meeting Geneva, September 21-22,
2005
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Background (1)
Original focus

• Soybean sector in the context of Amazon
  Sustainable Development Plan (PAS).
• New investment policy for the Amazon region, by
  the new federal government
• Soybean export investment interests, major
  economic changes in the region.

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Background (2) Original Focus - Objectives

• Objectives
• Addressing sustainable agriculture, environmental
  management, poverty alleviation, and sustainable
  trade promotion.
• Assessing the planning procedural and substantive
  aspects of the plan that take into account
  social, economic and environmental linkages and
  causalities.
• Introducing legitimate participatory methods in
  the planning process and decision-making that
  involve all relevant stakeholders.

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Background (3) New Focus

• Soybean sector in the BR-163 influence area
• Creation of GTI-BR163 -Interministerial Group to
  formulate sustainable development plan
• Clear political interest (government and private
  sector -PPP)
• Urgency

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Background (4) New Focus - Objectives

• Objectives
• Assess the economic, social and environmental
  impacts of the pavement of the BR163 highway in
  its influence area
• Assess the soybean sector as the driving force of
  the economy in the region
• Draw relevant policy recommendations
• Why?
• More Focused
• Feasible

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Background (5) Key policy scenarios

• Competitive globalisation scenario
• Foster competitive integration in the globalised
  market
• Strong governance
• Distributivist scenario
• Regulatory and incentive policies addressing
  social inequalities
• Strong governance
• Critical scenario
• No policies to address reduction of negative
  impacts
• Weak governance

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Background (6) Productive sector

• Soybean sector for the scenario 1 - competitive
  globalisation
• Main beneficiary of the pavement and other
  infrastructure investments in the region
• High international commodity demand
• Increasing competitiveness - technical
  capability of occupying degraded pastureland.

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Background (7) Key Methods

• Review of existing aproaches and methods to
  address social, economic and environmental
  impacts - substantive aspects
• New geography theoretical approach to examine
  territorial dynamics in the Amazon region
  (Becker)
• Linkages of land grabbing, BR163 and agribusiness
  (Oliveira, Castro)
• Linkages between deforestation and the BR3
  highway (Nepstad, Fearnside)
• Stakeholders mapping - planning process aspects.

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Background (8) Implementation Process

• First National Workshop to launch the project and
  discuss key issues with stakeholders
• Install the Steering Committee - MoE, MoNI, CDS,
  UNEP/Brazil
• Februarys Mid Term Review inputs
• Methodological discussion - review priority
  areas, tools.
• Terms of Reference and Consultant selection
• Implementation

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Assessment framework
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Economic , Social, and Environmental effects
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Recommendations (1) - Policy making process

• Gain IAP Project recognition as a valid exercise
  to help the improvement of the Sustainable BR163
  planning process
• Call attention to the institutional reforms
  needed for the success of the plan
• Practical measures from the Sustainable BR163
  planners to adopt the IAP Project recommendations
  
• Establish transparent decision-making process

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Recommendations (2) - Policy making process

• Improve indigenous peoples and local communities
  participation in public consultations
• Improve coordination of the implementation and
  monitoring process, introducing IA as a regular
  method of assessment and monitoring tool

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Enabling conditions

• 2nd National Workshop - call all key stakeholders
  to discuss and validate the recommendations
  (general guidelines) - National Project
• High level talks to include the recommendation in
  the actual process of GTI members planning.
• Initiate complementary study to select key
  social, economic and environmental indicators and
  elaborate a monitoring system, using the
  assessment framework proposed - Project
• When - this year

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Lessons learned (1)

• A. Selection of the planning process - not too
  many and complex issues, with too many
  interministerial partnerships. Problem of focus
• B. Good understanding of the IAP methodology,
  especially by the implementing institution, is
  crucial previous exercise in the choice of
  tools, detailed procedures and approaches are key
  aspect to be observed before the implementation.
  
• C. Selection of implementing institutions - clear
  compromise

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Lessons learned (2)

• D. Academic excelency of the consultants can be
  innovative in tools and approaches, and produce
  good results
• E.
• F