After Gutenberg

Sabotage in Iraq? “No.” Mexico? “No, agriculture in Brazil”

The Brazilian government has invited sugar plant operators to agree to implementation of their “Environmental Protocol for the Sugar-Ethanol Sector”. So far, 125 plants in São Paulo state, the country’s main sugarcane region, have agreed to abide by a protocol that eventually eliminates the practice of burning sugarcane leaves before harvest cycles.

For non-mechanized areas, the government aims are a 30% reduction by 2010 and the end of the practice by 2017. Such a transition is good news for manufacturers of sugar cane harvesting equipment. It may represent some social challenges for the country as sugar cane cutters finds themselves without employment.

Harvesting machines can gather, separate, and provide for collection of the entire above ground portion of the plant. Even so, some growers now discard and burn the agricultural waste. “The first goal of the protocol foresees a reduction of the practice of burning in the mechanized areas by 70% by 2010, and a total phase out by 2014.”

Bagasse 1850 kcal PCI per Kg

In addition to reducing carbon emissions, there are energy gains from a change in the agricultural practice. As previously noted, Brazilian sugar cane farmers are recognizing the economic benefit of waste to energy. In addition to operating biomass-fueled, steam-generated electric power plants to provide electricity for sugar production, heat that is generated from combustion of the biomass can be be utilized in the fermentation process.

The Biopact post omits mention of using the char from pyrolysis as a soil enhancer, so that the growers avoid loss of advantage to burn the waste in the fields. Soil scientists continue to debate the pros and cons of returning crop residues as a means of maintaining soil ecology.

Such policy incurs tradeoffs. One example learned in Cuba was reduction of agricultural dependency upon petroleum, which include the use of fertilizers.

Meanwhile, environmentalists are heralding such a “low-tech” means of carbon capture. Nonetheless, there definitely is some doubt as to whether such policy truly qualifies as “sustainable agriculture”, if we use the “Three E’s“: Equity — Economy — Ecology.