The world has changed. And perhaps the greatest evidence of this is that global sustainability, as we knew it, is no longer enough on its own to explain the world’s priorities.

For decades, the debate was built around the well-known three-pillar framework, focused on balancing the economy, environment and social responsibility. Later, this concept evolved (in the view of some) and regressed (in the view of others) into ESG, which came to dominate corporate and international political discourse. But recent events seem to have ushered into a new era.

Global Sustainability in Transition

Economist Marcos Troyjo has called this new phase “ESG 2.0”. And the term makes sense when we look at today’s world: wars, trade disputes, fragmented supply chains, global inflation, energy insecurity and a growing geopolitical realignment.

The “E”, once associated with environmental concerns, now incorporates Economy and Energy as well. The environment remains important, but it now shares the spotlight with another pressing concern: ensuring access to affordable, reliable and sufficient energy to sustain economic growth and industrial competitiveness. It is no coincidence that many developed countries have once again expanded their use of fossil fuels to protect their economies. That is not the case for Brazil, which continues to produce ethanol, biodiesel, biomethane, and investing in SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel).

The “S” now stands for Security, whether food, energy, physical or strategic security. In agribusiness, the world has come to realize that there can be no social stability without food production, resilient supply chains and the capacity to protect plant health and ensure food supplies during times of crisis.

“G” is no longer just traditional corporate governance, but Geopolitics. Companies and countries now need to operate in an environment marked by trade tensions, tech disputes, industrial regionalization, the end of trade multilateralism and global power realignments.

And it is precisely in this new context that Brazil emerges as one of the most strategic nations of 21st century. Few countries possess, at the same time, food production capacity, water availability, renewable energy mix, biodiversity, competitive agricultural land, labor and advanced tropical agricultural science. Even fewer are able to combine all of this with a real possibility of sustainable production growth.

New Lens on Agribusiness

Perhaps the greatest mistake made by many international analysts is viewing Brazilian agribusiness through an outdated lens.

Brazil has built, over the last few decades, one of the world’s most sophisticated tropical agricultural sectors. And this did not happen by chance. It was the direct result of science, technology, rural entrepreneurship and continuous investment in tropical innovation.

When observing some of the world’s main sustainable agricultural technologies, many were either originated or brought to scale in Brazil. No-Till Farming System revolutionized soil and water conservation, providing greater production stability while significantly reducing soil erosion. Biological Nitrogen Fixation has made Brazil a global reference by substantially reducing its dependence on imported nitrogen fertilizers.

Crop-Livestock-Forestry Integration has demonstrated that it is possible to restore degraded land, increase productivity, and catch carbon by combining different production systems in the same area. Biological inputs have opened a new technological frontier, bringing productivity and sustainability closer together through biological solutions adapted to tropical conditions, whether for pest control or nutrient supply.

Global Sustainability and Territorial Intelligence

While many countries have virtually exhausted their opportunities for expanding production, Brazil still has great potential for growth supported by science and territorial planning.

And perhaps this is one of the key aspects of the future of agriculture: strategic territorial intelligence, a concept developed throughout Embrapa Territorial’s 37 years of existence, celebrated in May.

Modern agriculture is no longer just about operations. It is increasingly driven by data, connectivity and spatial analysis. Satellites, remote sensing, artificial intelligence, geospatial analysis and territorial modeling have become integral to decision-making in agriculture.

The work at Embrapa Territorial, for instance, is driven at the intersection of territory, science and strategy. The goal is to reduce subjectivity and improve the accuracy of decision-making. In other words, it generates information that supports smarter, safer and more sustainable decisions.

Space to Grow

Brazil can increase its production in three ways. The first is the sustainable expansion of suitable land, guided by zoning, land suitability assessments and territorial intelligence. Tools such as ZARC and ZEE help guide this growth through technical, evidence-based planning. However, true sustainability depends on advances in the following two areas.

The second is to increase productivity by reducing so-called yield gaps. In many regions of the country there is still considerable potential to increase production in the same land through improved management practices, better genetics, technology and operational efficiency.

The third is sustainable intensification, particularly by the restoration of degraded pastureland, the integration of productive systems, irrigation and new agronomic strategies that increase efficiency without the need to convert additional land.

More than simply producing more, the challenge now is to produce better. It’s not about quantity, but competitiveness. And that means traceability, predictability, efficiency, transparency and economic viability.

Necessary Recognition

Sustainability is no longer an advantage. In many markets, it has become a minimum requirement for access.

At the same time, everything that goes beyond legal requirements must be recognized and compensated. Brazilian farmers can’t be treated only as commodities providers. They also provide environmental services that are important to the planet.

Sustainability that does not generate income, competitiveness and economic security is unlikely to be sustainable in the long term.

Of course, we still face significant challenges. Infrastructure and logistics continue to reduce competitiveness in many regions of the country. Legal certainty and land title regularization remain essential to expand investments and predictability. Rural connectivity still needs to improve significantly for digital agriculture to reach its full potential.,

But perhaps there is a much more strategic challenge in the communication. Brazil does a poor job communicating its strengths, which opens way to baseless attacks, from organizations and entities that use their environmental virtue as trade barriers.

Few countries have managed to transform low-productivity tropical agriculture into a highly technological, large-scale agri-environmental powerhouse in such a short time. This demonstrates our capacity for adaptation, innovation and resilience.

If we can remove historical bottlenecks and continue to improve infrastructure, logistics, connectivity and legal certainty, Brazilian agriculture will be able to reach a new level of global competitiveness. The future of agriculture will be digital, automated, traceable, connected, decarbonized and bioeconomy-based.

Even so, I remain deeply optimistic. Brazil is the only country in the world to have moved from the hoe to the drone in just one generation, leading this transformation. Not only as an agricultural powerhouse, but also environmental, food, energy, technological and strategic force of the 21st century.