Farmers in Gaucho region are grappling with debt and intense anxiety a year after experiencing destructive floods

In the southernmost state of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, the past few years have been marked by extreme weather events that have taken a toll on the region's agriculture and communities.

The state has suffered significantly from drought between 2020 and 2024, with Gaucho agriculture losing over R$ 106 billion. This was followed by the opposite scenario in 2023, as the El Niño phenomenon and climate changes caused four major floods, the worst of which occurred in May 2024.

This disaster was the worst climatic tragedy in the state's history, causing significant damage and drastically reducing production for many farmers. For instance, farmer Gustavo Lorenzon's barn, which housed 500 pigs, collapsed due to the flood, resulting in a 30% reduction in his annual revenue. Similarly, farmer Mauro Vieira Marques and his wife spent a year facing the fallen trees and the earth turned over by the flood on their property.

The floods also affected the regions of the Taquari and Cai valleys and the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre, causing ten bridges to collapse, over 8,000 kilometers of roads to be damaged, and losses to the hydrological network. Farmer Roselei dos Santos Porto's house and vegetable plantation remained underwater for 15 days.

The state government has taken steps to address these issues. Most of the resources have been invested in emergency aid, new houses, and infrastructure works. They have also deposited R$ 6.5 billion for works to adapt to climate changes, such as the construction of dikes against floods. However, the first project in Eldorado does not reach the neighbourhood where seven MST settlements are located.

Experts agree that the debate on making local agriculture resilient to extreme weather conditions has not been taken seriously enough by the state government. Techniques like crop rotation, planting different species in the same space, covering the soil with plant residues, and no-till farming can help preserve nutrients and reduce carbon loss. Soils cultivated with a single species for more than a decade lose 38% of their carbon stocks.

Agriculture accounts for nearly 74% of the country's emissions, mainly due to land conversion to monocultures. The state government suggested using the Social Fund of Pré-Sal to support states affected by extreme events, but negotiations have not yet advanced.

The state government has raised billions for reconstruction after the 2024 flood. To supplement their income, many farmers have taken on additional jobs. For example, Justina started working as a caregiver for the elderly.

The federal government has also provided aid, suspending the collection of R$ 11.7 billion in debt from the state to the Union for three years. A committee renegotiated 140,000 credit contracts from the Pronaf and Pronamp programs with discounts that reached almost R$1 billion in 2024.

Despite the challenges, farmers are not giving up. Marques and his wife plan to replant the orchard with Valencia oranges, limes, mangoes, and persimmons. Lorenzon invested R$ 1.3 million in 2022 to modernize his sheds and started paying the government's rural credit in 2024.

The climate phenomenon La Niña, which causes abnormal cooling of the Pacific Ocean waters, intensifies winds and alters the rainfall regime in the country. As the state continues to face these extreme weather events, the focus remains on finding sustainable solutions to make agriculture resilient and protect communities from future disasters.