Brazil´s Green Cup: Challenges and Opportunities

Brazil will host the Soccer World Cup 2014 and the government has decided to make it a green and sustainable event. Brazil´s organic industry has already begun the preparations, with projects in ecotourism and catering being proposed. In Nuremberg, Organic-Market.Info talked to Mrs. Maria Beatriz Costa from Planeta Organico and Mr. Ming Liu from Organics Brazil during a seminar that addressed the challenges and opportunities and was organised by the Brazilian Ministry of Agrarian Development. For more information, take a look at our video interviews.

There are only three years left until the mega-event takes place in 12 cities all over Brazil. “In some regions we are already offering a wide range of organic and sustainable products, ranging from food and beverages to cosmetics and handicrafts,” explained Mr. Arnoldo Campos from the Ministry of Agrarian Development in Nuremberg. As well as Arnoldo Campos, Mr. Julio Pinho from the Ministry of Environment, Mr. Cláudio Langone from the Ministry of Sports and a large number of of stakeholders and organisations are involved in the preparations.



Mr. Cláudio Langone, the coordinator of the Environmental and Sustainability Council at the Ministry of Sports indicated that the initial contacts with the international governing body of football FIFA had been encouraging. “FiFA is very interested in the issue of sustainability,”he said. He is certain that “ensuring organic food and beverages are a part of the athletes’ diets will be a symbolic action that will boost the sector.” He added: “Our goal will not only be to show sustainability to our guests during the event and to support the organic sector but also to transform our society for a sustainable future for all Brazilians and the whole world.” Angela Thompson from the organic pioneer farm Sitio do Moinho reinforced his message: “We need a strong network and intense collaboration to meet the demands of the consumers. We regard the World Cup as a real chance to expand the domestic organic market.”

Mrs. Beatriz Costa, the director of the online platform Planeta Organico, underlined the capability of ecotourism and handicraft projects. She is confident that the things they are planning will be in harmony with Brazil’s special biodiversity and “sociobiodiversity” and will be a real opportunity for the smallholder farming sector and the organic industry in terms of recognition and development. Mr. Ming Liu, the project manager of Organics Brazil, is delighted with the success of the Brazilian organic sector in the last few years. Organics Brazil is the umbrella organisation for more than 70 companies whose combined exports grew by 130 % from 2009 to 2010. According to Liu, the World Cup will also increase the demand for imported organic goods.



Definitions:

SEBRAE: The Brazilian Service of Support for Micro and Small Enterprises encourage Brazil's entrepreneurship and development. Sebrae came into being in 1972 as result of a pioneer initiative of many institutions that encourage entrepreneurship in the country.

Talentos do Brazil: The programme encourages small family farms, artisans and women cooparatives and is supported by the Ministry for Rural Development.

The announcement of the Federal Brazilian Government for a Green Worldcup: World Cup and Olympics will follow environmental sustainability criteria 03/05/2010 03:55 - Portal Brasil Brazil intends to transform the two largest sports competitions in the world - the World Cup and the Olympics - examples of green events. In projects and enterprises strategic management that will be built for the games achievement, environmental criteria will be placed in the foreground. For this, it was signed an agreement cooperation that will create and plan sustainable agenda in the coming years. The initiative has support from environmental groups to facilitate environmental licensing of projects priority of sporting events; preventing deadlocks could delay the work on Brazilian designed schedule. Joint solutions will be sought among those responsible for enterprise and environment licensing. "The goal is to make the greenest of all World Cups. We have program for that as well as political capacity, expertise, governments interest, entrepreneurs sensitivity, in addition to support and confidence from FIFA", said the Minister of Sports Orlando Silva. In addition, the project takes the passion of the Brazilians in football to encourage fans to adopt environmental protection measures. Among the actions planned in term of cooperation there is the environmental certification requirement for stadium improvement projects, the concern with a cleaner means of transport and the use of organic products. Shall be defined ways to ensure the least environmental impact as well as the neutralization of greenhouse gases emissions, in so far as energy efficiency, construction of sustainable stadium and promoting consumption of organic products during the course of events. A working group will be responsible for developing a sustainable agenda, with proposals for the World Cup and the Olympics in Brazil The group will also seek partners to cooperate with the successful experiences of previous competitions.

Read more about the 2014 World Cup:
300 000 will receive training to work in the World Cup
2014 World Cup should add $105 bi in Brazilian economy