This paper builds on the insights generated during the Roundtable “Deforestation & Conversion-Free Agriculture: Balancing Agricultural Expansion with Conservation,” held virtually on October 6, 2025, as part of a year-long initiative on sustainable agriculture in the lead-up to COP30 and a partnership between the Brazil Program at the Inter-American Dialogue, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), Arcos Dorados, Marfrig, and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The session, moderated by Bruna Santos, director of the Brazil Program, brought together leading voices from science, industry, government, and civil society to examine the challenges and opportunities of advancing deforestation- and conversion-free agriculture in Brazil.
The discussion featured Laurimar Gonçalves Vendrusculo, head of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) Agrossilvipastoril; Julio Esquerdo, deputy head of research and development at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) Digital Agriculture; Edegar Oliveira, director for conservation and restoration of ecosystems at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Brazil; Jane Lino, deputy director at Proforest; and Beth Hart, chief sustainability and social impact officer at McDonald’s Corporation.
These contributions form the foundation for this paper, which synthesizes the main takeaways and actionable recommendations to be presented during COP30 as part of a broader policy agenda for advancing sustainable agriculture in Latin America.
