Renato Rodrigues, from the state of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, receives a 2021 Nuffield International Scholarship sponsored by TIAA-CREF Global Agriculture and will study sustainable agricultural practices.
Renato is researcher at Embrapa which, under the aegis of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply, works to develop a Brazilian model of tropical agriculture and livestock. Embrapa is headquartered in Braslia, with over 43 research centres and more than 9,000 employees across Brazil.
Renato's research is focused on climate change in agriculture, specifically greenhouse gases and how production systems like Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forestry (ICLF) can contribute positively. He is also President of a public-private association (ICLF Network) composed of Embrapa and others in the agricultural sector. He believes that Brazil is capable of becoming the first agro-environmental power on the planet, demonstrating how it is possible to simultaneously produce and preserve.
"For my Nuffield Scholarship I will be surveying sustainable agricultural practices in main global players, analysing market demands for sustainable products, promoting sustainable intensification of agriculture and connecting production with the SDGs, based on a Nexus approach to food, water and energy security," says Renato.
"As a result, I hope to set guidelines focused on production practices, public policies, financial mechanisms and market practices, to guarantee food and nutritional security for the global population in a changing world".
Renato would like to visit the main grain and meat production regions and consumption centres in the United States, study value-added products and consumption trends in the United Kingdom, France, Ireland and the Netherlands, as well as explore adoption and potential for ICLF systems in Africa, South America, Australia and New Zealand.
"I believe in economic development with social responsibility, environmental preservation, cultural respect and institutional commitment, and I believe that conscious companies are the way to that future," he says.
Renato has a Bachelor in Biological Sciences, MBA in Environmental Sciences, Executive MBA (management) Masters, and PhD in Environmental Geochemistry.
ABOUT TIAA CREF GLOBAL AGRICULTURE
TIAA CREF Global Agriculture invests in high-quality farmland assets across five geographies spanning North America, South America, Australia and New Zealand. The company is managed by Westchester, whose 120 agriculture investment professionals manage the company's assets in each country.
Website: https://www.nuveen.com/global/people/our-people/investment-specialists/westchester-group-investment-management
