U.S. agribusiness trader Bunge Limited, Harvard University, and the retirement fund manager TIAA are fueling land grabbing and ecocide in the state of Piauí in the Brazilian Cerrado through their operations and business relationships with the Brazilian soy industry. Despite these companies’ rhetorical sustainability commitments and attempts to portray themselves as climate-conscious, their business operations and investments are contributing to widespread deforestation, violent land grabbing, environmental pollution, violations of communities’ rights, and the destruction of the Cerrado’s unique and irreplaceable ecosystems.
The Brazilian and U.S. governments have a responsibility to hold companies accountable for deforestation (and increased greenhouse gas emissions), land grabbing, and violations of Indigenous peoples and other traditional communities’ rights. Companies responsible for the destruction of native vegetation should be monitored and fined. Companies and investors active in the Cerrado should ensure their operations and investments respect the land rights and self-determination of communities on the ground and comply with the internationally recognized right to Free, Prior, Informed Consent. Importantly, as Indigenous peoples are often the best protectors of land, forests, and biodiversity, collective titling processes should be prioritized and streamlined in order to protect and ensure the rights of Indigenous, quilombola, and other traditional communities.
Authors: Fábio Pitta, Teresa Paris, Maria Luisa Mendonça, Gaurav Madan
Research: Teresa Paris, Fábio Pitta, Altamiran Ribeiro, Daniela Stefano, Profundo
Editing and additional contributions: Gaurav Madan, Jeff Conant
Research support: Pastoral Land Commission – Piauí, Association of Lawyers in Defense of Rural Workers, Collective of Traditional Peoples and Communities of Southern Piauí, AidEnvironment
Photos: Mariella Paulino and Teresa Paris
Translation: Karen Lang
Date published: September 2023