NEWS

～Supporting the introduction of Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems in the Brazilian Cerrado with digital technology to help realize the "New Miracle of the Cerrado"～

Greein Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Takashi Togami; hereinafter "Greein"), which provides the AI-powered agricultural solution "e-kakashi" in Japan and overseas, announced that its proposal entitled  "Demonstration of Digital Support for Degraded Pasture Restoration and Sustainable Land Conversion through Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems (ILP) in the Cerrado Region" has been selected for the "Data Collection and Confirmation Survey for Promoting the Project for Restoration of Degraded Pastures and Sustainable Land Conversion in the Cerrado Region" by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (hereinafter "JICA").

<Background of the Proposal and Project Overview>
The Cerrado region in central Brazil, once considered unsuitable for agriculture, transformed into one of the leading agricultural production regions  through soil improvement and agricultural development under national projects such as the Japanese-Brazilian Cooperation Program for Cerrados Development (PRODECER) from the 1970s onwards, earning worldwide recognition as the "Miracle of the Cerrado."

However, the degradation of vast pastures, a consequence of this historical development, has now become the starting point of a vicious cycle leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions and new deforestation. In response, the Brazilian government is promoting the National Program for the Conversion of Degraded Pastures into Sustainable Agricultural and Forestry Production Systems (PNCPD), which positions Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems (hereinafter "ILP"*1)—combining agriculture and livestock—as its core component.

When local farmers attempt to restore degraded pastures utilizing this ILP, land suitability assessment, known as zoning, to determine what crops and operations the land is suitable for is essential but currently very difficult. This is due to the lack of detailed environmental data for each field in such a vast region, coupled with the high technical hurdles in determining optimal planting and grazing timing under recent climate change. Furthermore, the strict requirement for data-based evidence of expected environmental improvements and productivity gains in screening for low-carbon agriculture financing to fund the conversion to ILP poses a significant barrier for farmers.

The purpose of this demonstration project is to solve these issues using digital technology and help create a "New Miracle of the Cerrado" that balances environmental conservation and agricultural productivity. By building a hybrid digital support platform integrating satellite imagery, weather mesh data, growth simulations, and on-site operation records with the agricultural IoT solution "e-kakashi" at its core, we will provide producers with decision-support functions that enable optimal planting decisions and growth monitoring for each field, achieving stable yields and profitability. Furthermore, for financial institutions, we will provide scoring functions that visualize the productivity and risks of each field, establishing an MRV*2 (Measurement, Reporting, and Verification) platform to support the screening and reporting of low-carbon agriculture financing.

Figure: Overview of the Project

<Future Outlook>
  Greein has built a foundation for commercialization through smart agriculture demonstrations in Brazil, starting with technology demonstrations funded by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and has also been selected for the "TSUBASA2025"*3 open innovation program co-organized by JICA and IDB Lab and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's " the Global South Future-oriented Co-creation Project"*4. In this demonstration project, we aim to contribute to the restoration of degraded pastures and sustainable land conversion in the Cerrado region by leveraging our strong partner network, including international research institutions, local agricultural research and extension organizations, and the local agritech company Crops Team.

Greein will build an ecosystem where sustainable agricultural land expansion without new deforestation and greenhouse gas emission reductions can scale organically in the Cerrado region by simultaneously eliminating technical risks and barriers to financial access through this project, contributing to sustainable degraded pasture restoration and land conversion through digital technology.

< What is JICA's "Data Collection and Confirmation Survey for Promoting the Project for Restoration of Degraded Pastures and Sustainable Land Conversion in the Cerrado Region"?>
This is a JICA project that demonstrates and evaluates soil improvement materials, biostimulants, and digital agricultural technologies of Japanese companies, including startups, in local fields to visualize their effectiveness in restoring degraded pastures in Brazil into sustainable farmland. The project aims to support the overseas expansion of Japanese companies and contribute to the realization of sustainable agriculture in the country.

*1 ILP: Abbreviation for Integração Lavoura-Pecuária. A sustainable agricultural system that combines crop cultivation (Lavoura) and livestock grazing (Pecuária) on the same land. For example, by skillfully combining timing and space, such as planting soybeans in the rainy season and then intercropping maize and pasture grasses for cattle grazing in the dry season, it enables agricultural production with reduced environmental impact while restoring degraded soil.
*2 MRV: Abbreviation for Measurement, Reporting and Verification. A system to accurately measure greenhouse gas emissions and reductions, report them according to established rules, and have a third party verify the accuracy of the data. In this project, it serves as an important foundation for objectively proving whether environmentally friendly initiatives by farmers are actually achieving effects such as greenhouse gas reduction, and for enabling access to funds such as low-carbon agriculture financing.
*3 Greein Inc. Awarded for "TSUBASA2025," an Open Innovation Program Co-organized by JICA and IDB Lab
*4 Double adoption by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) for the Global South Future-oriented Co-creation Project