“Agriculture is like being in a relationship with nature. You need to give if you want to receive.”
Carl Bielke
Carl Bielke, 54, is a partner at TRACTUR SACI., a large farm in Eastern Paraguay that supplies soy to Cargill. In 2022, the farm received recognition for their performance in Cargill’s Sustainably Sourced and Supplied programme, also known as 3S.
Solidaridad has been implementing the programme in Paraguay since 2019 by promoting good practices among soy suppliers, assessing adoption of sustainable practices at the farm level, developing individualized action plans, and monitoring improvement. Additionally, there is a specific focus on environmental regulations, safe agrochemical storage and disposal of empty containers.
The programme takes a progressive approach that prioritizes required actions followed by recommended practices. At the fundamental level, farms need to have a clear land title and comply with all local laws, apply responsible practices for handling agrochemicals, avoid child labor, among others.
This is followed by recommendations for social and environmental practices that further improve performance, including better practices to better care for waterways and groundwater, implementation of regenerative practices, comprehensive employee training, restrictions on access to agrochemicals, and provision of protective equipment for employees.
TRACTUR SACI was among the first group of 41 farms to begin implementing the 3S criteria five years ago and finished its second cycle of assessments and improvements in July 2023. Of those in the initial group, 97 percent have complied with fundamental practices to avoid risks to the health and safety of people and the environment, and 24 percent have reached the highest level of sustainability under 3S.
In 2023, an additional 24 farms joined the programme, and after the first round of improvements, 96 percent had achieved the fundamental practices. Farmers that do not actively engage in continuous improvement are given two opportunities to take action with support from Solidaridad. Otherwise, they are excluded from the programme.
For Carl, the 3S programme has been helpful because it formalizes many of the concepts that he believes contribute to sustainable production. It provides him with a framework that he uses to guide new employees so that everyone cares for the environment in the same way and includes opportunities for employee training with Cargill and Solidaridad.
“The programme really matched our philosophy: no polluting, no destroying and trying to leave the place in a better shape than when we arrived. Nature is not a single person’s property, having a land title doesn’t give you the right to cut trees, because forests are a common good that provide air for everyone.”
Carl Bielke
One of the key criteria for 3S farms in Paraguay is to maintain 25% of their native forests (Law 422/73) as a legal requirement, and to ensure there are protective barriers around streams and springs. Other requirements include having aboveground fuel storage tanks to better detect spills, and to perform regular water quality analyses.
HE WHO CARES, WINS
TRACTUR SACI. owns 5,000 hectares, of which 3,100 are in agriculture, 1,000 are reserved as native forests, 400 are for commercial forestry, and 200 are reserved for livestock production. The company strictly complies with sustainability recommendations from Cargill and national regulations regarding buffers to protect water streams.
Though Solidaridad typically focuses on small-scale producers, in certain areas it is necessary to work with both small- and large farms to scale up environmental impact. In the case of soybeans in South America, the average producer’s landholdings can be significantly larger than the size of a soybean farmer’s in India, for example. In these cases, environmental and social impact depends on helping larger farms incorporate better practices.
On average, most farms in 3S need one year to implement the fundamental practices, but for TRACTUR SACI, it was a smooth transition as they were already in compliance with most practices. This includes contour farming practices that reduce water erosion and floods, and using GPS and satellite tools for monitoring the farm. They also have their own tree nursery to support reforestation efforts and an owl conservation initiative.
“Sometimes, we as producers believe it is hard to change, but it’s not the case. It is important to understand that it is perfectly possible to work this way. And that there are only benefits that result. We didn’t see any drawbacks. ”
“At the beginning it feels different, but in no time, you get used to not just tossing out empty containers on your farm or collecting other’s trash, because someone has to do it and that ‘someone’ can be you. In the long run it saves you from having to do a costly cleaning of toxic materials. It keeps workers and everybody else around healthy, and that is important.”
“For a long time, our aim has been that everything we undertake is sustainable in the long run, so that its impact goes well beyond our lifetime and reaches our children and grandchildren. After all, we’re only in the world for a short time.”
Carl, who has two teenage daughters studying in Asunción, believes programmes like this are positive for the country. According to him, they allow the world to see that Paraguay invests in sustainability.
GIVING TO RECEIVE
The 3S programme promotes regenerative agriculture practices to protect soils utilizing natural processes to recover soil nutrients, capture carbon and hold moisture. Regular soil analyses help farm managers to identify changes in soil condition and nutrients, and apply precision farming and no-till practices, crop rotation, cover crops, and more.
“It is important that we protect the soil because it is what feeds us; without healthy soils we have nothing. If it is in bad shape, we can’t expect good harvests. In good years we remove many nutrients, so it is key to replenish organic matter and prevent compaction,” Carl says.
Regenerative practices, like crop rotation and planting winter cover crops, like canola, rapeseed or barley, improve and replenish soil nutrients.
“When you have a rather unhealthy soil, cover crops allow the soil to rest and recover its nutrients without the need of fertilizers. They also help keep nematodes (plant parasites) in check,” Carl says. “There’s a solution for everything, it all depends on what you grow.”
Carl is used to receiving visitors and students on the farm. He demonstrates how an efficient farm operates, and how the work is balanced with care for the environment. These educational visits play an important role because Carl sees a huge disconnect between urban and rural areas.
“People from the city come without any idea about how food is produced, and many misconceptions are cleared by simply watching how things are done. That is a consequence of not learning about agriculture at school when they should, at least the basics, because it is a very interesting sector, and very important.”
When asked about what message he would convey to his neighbors, Carl goes straight-to-the point:
“Nature is very simple. If you take care of it, it gives back abundantly, but if you neglect it, it won’t have anything to return. And there is no way to deceive it, you can see too well when a farm is unkempt. Just like any other relationship, you need to give if you want to receive.”
CARGILL GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP
Implementation of the 3S programme is just one part of the global partnership Solidaridad and Cargill signed in 2023 to improve farmer livelihoods, increase use of climate-friendly farming practices, and improve conservation and responsible land use. Over the following three years, Solidaridad will continue to monitor farms from the initial group in Paraguay and all subsequent farms incorporated in the programme.