Earth Equity News

Amazon Deforestation Closely Tracks Food Prices. By Stuart Grudgings, Reuters, April 30, 2008. "Experts say deforestation in the Amazon closely tracks moves on global food markets... 'At the very edge of the agricultural frontier, it's very dynamic and that's why you get statistics for deforestation that swing wildly from one year to the next,' said Roberto Cavalcanti of Conservation International. 'A small shift in food prices can have a big impact on whether it's economical or not to move into the forest.' The governor of Mato Grosso, one of Brazil's biggest farming states, last week advocated more deforestation as a solution to the sharp rises in staples... 'There is no way to produce more food without occupying more land and taking down more trees,' [said] Blairo Maggi... Brazil's largest soybean producer... [But] Cavalcanti said the fact that fuel prices were also rising meant the food crisis was an opportunity for governments in Brazil and elsewhere to encourage farming in areas away from forests, where productivity is often low and costs high. 'By providing incentives for the use of these degraded areas, you could redirect the pressure,' he said."