This article elaborates on the great potential of Enhanced Rock Weathering in Brazil, a country that pioneered research and application of rock powder for agriculture.
A History of the Use of Rock Powder in Agriculture in Brazil
The earliest proposals for using rock powder in agriculture date back to the 19th century. The benefits of the practice were backed by the scientific research of the French Missoux (1853) and the German Dr. Julius Hensel (1894).
In Brazil, research in this field started as early as the 1950s, when researchers Djalma Guimarães, Wladimir Ilchenko, and Othon Henry Leonardos, started the ‘Rochagem’ movement in the country. The term Rochagem comes from the word ‘rocha’, which means rock in Portuguese. In English, it roughly translates to ‘rockage’. Simply put, ‘Rochagem’ means the application of finely ground rock powder to agricultural soils as a way to improve soil fertility and boost crop yields.
Beyond describing the process of application of rock powder, Rochagem became a movement of researchers who promoted scientific evidence of the benefits of rock powder for the soils, with the intention of raising awareness and promoting this sustainable agricultural practice.
Through their revolutionary research and orientation, these Brazilian researchers created a whole generation of scientists (as well as emerging groups of innovative farmers) who started to pick up the ideas and carried them to the major schools and institutions of Brazil. Notable successors in this field include Suzi Theodoro Huff, from the University of Brasilia and Eder Martins, from EMBRAPA (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), who are world-leading researchers in this domain and have been supporting InPlanet as Advisors since the beginning.
Thereby, it is important to mention that there are movements of innovative farmers in other countries as well, for example the US or Germany. A well established example are the Demeter farmers in Germany, who are using so-called “Urgesteinsmehl” for a long time already. The rochagem movement in Brazil was born to give tropical farmers a tool to restore and fertilize their soils, reducing reliance on expensive, important fertilizers. Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) was not part of this initiative.
Rock powder production and accreditation in Brazil
In general, not all rocks are good for the soil, and some can even be harmful if they contain trace materials that are toxic to humans. Without proper certification, there is a risk that some mines could inadvertently sell a product that farmers would expect to enhance soil health, only to have the opposite effect.
To safeguard food security, the Brazilian government implemented a unique legislation that defines which kinds of rock dust are approved for agricultural use. The Remineralizers’ Law from 2013, in combination with a technical norm defined by the Ministry of Agriculture in 2016, set parameters for rock powder in terms of elemental composition and granulometry.
Moreover, since 2022 ABREFEN (The Brazilian Association of Producers of Remineralizers and Natural Fertilizers) has been promoting the benefits of high quality rock powders and is driving legislative processes to incentivize the transition from conventional to sustainable agricultural inputs.
At the time of writing this article, about 30 mines have certified remineralizer products on the market. InPlanet has already identified more than 1000 potential mines that could become remineralizer producers, and Brazil has policies in place that incentivize this transition, like the National Fertilizers Plan 2050 (NFP 2050).*
Though some mines have already been certified and the remineralizers law has been established more than 10 years ago, the use of remineralizers is not mandatory, and currently, less than 1% of farms throughout the country apply rock powder on their land. While the national law focuses on safety and standards for the use of rock powder in general, it does not take any potential carbon removal activities into account. In addition, there are no substantial financial incentives for farmers to use rock powders, and the use of traditional fertilizers is still more profitable for them, which disincentivizes the adoption of the practice. To enable the transition, carbon finance through Carbon Removal Credits is crucial.
We need Carbon Removal Credits to make this happen
The academic and legislative progress indicates that Brazil is at the forefront of sustainable agricultural practices, positioning itself as a promising country with significant potential for scaling ERW. However, the country’s research and policy advancements have primarily centered on food security and national sovereignty; carbon removal was not taken into consideration.
The focus being solely on agricultural use means that the CDR potential of ERW is currently underexplored in Brazil. In fact, some rocks that are certified as remineralizers could even emit carbon when applied. InPlanet’s work is essential to changing this perspective and optimizing the use of rock powder for carbon removal in Brazil. We are connecting the Brazilian agriculture sector with the carbon market and investing in research to identify which rock powders maximize yield increases as well as carbon removal potentials. Based on a very rigorous MRV (Measurement, Reporting, and Verification), carbon credits can be issued and enable projects that use carbon removal rock powders on farmland.
If you are interested in learning about the great potential of Brazil Enhanced Rock Weathering for Carbon Removal, check this article to understand Why InPlanet is getting the most of ERW through farms in Brazil.
Reach out to our team to get personalized support on how InPlanet can help you to achieve your climate strategy and how we can maximize the impact to reverse climate change together.
References for further reading:
THEODORO, S. H.; LEONARDOS, O. H. (2006): The use of rocks to improve Family agriculture in Brazil. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 78(4), pp. 721 – 730. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0001-37652006000400007
THEODORO, S. H.; LEONARDOS, O. H.; ROCHA, E.; MACEDO, I.; REGO, K. G.; KLEYSSON G. (2013): Stonemeal of Amazon soils with sediments from reservoirs: a case study of remineralization of the Tucuruí degraded land for agroforest reclamation. An. Acad. Bras de Cienc., 85(1), pp. 23-34. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0001-37652013000100003
LEONARDOS, O. H.; THEODORO, S. H.; ASSAD, M. L. (2000): Remineralization for sustainable agriculture: A tropical perspective from a Brazilian viewpoint. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 56(1), pp. 3-9. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009855409700
LEONARDOS, O. H. & THEODORO, S. C. H: Fertilizing tropical soils for sustainable development. Proceedings. International workshop on Science for Sustainable Development in Latin America and Caribe. Rio de Janeiro. Acad. Bras. Cienc. pp.: 143 – 153. 1999
THEODORO, S. H.; LEONARDOS, O. H. (2021) The Unsustainable SustainabilityAn Acad Bras Cienc (2021) 93(1): e20181226 DOI 10.1590/0001-3765202120181226
LEONARDOS, O. H.; FYFE, W. S.; KRONBERG, B. I. (1976) Rochagem: o método de aumento da fertilidade em solos lixiviados e arenosos. Anais 29th Congresso Brasileiro de Geologia, Brasil, p. 137– 145.
ILCHENKO, W. Os tufos da Mata da Corda e seu emprego na Agricultura. Dep. Prod. Vegetal. Belo Horizonte, Boletim Agricultura, 9-10, pp.: 39- 71, 1955.
GUIMARÃES, D. Contribuição ao estudo dos Tufos da Mata da Corda. Inst. Tecnol. Industrial, Minas Gerais. 3lp, 1955.
Revision
This article was reviewed in August 2024.
*The previous article, published in 2022, inaccurately stated that the Brazilian government, with the National Fertilizer Plan, aimed to certify 1000 mines for the production of rock powder by 2050. However, it is important to clarify that there are currently no specific plans for the number of mines to be certified.
