Grains, Cattle & Aquaculture – Brazil

Key Facts

• Client: Grupo Van den Broeck / Fazenda Tropical
• Term: 10-year term loan 
• Guarantee instrument: Maturity Subordination
• Guarantee exposure: USD 1.4 Mln (40% of loan value)
• Effective date: October 2024

Deal Summary

AGRI3 is supporting the mobilisation of USD 3.5 Mln from Rabobank Brazil for Mario Maria, a family-owned farm in Montividiu, Goiás, operating 2,316 ha of soy, corn, cattle under crop-livestock integration, with a growing aquaculture segment.

The loan covers a broad range of activities: the roll-out of regenerative farming practices, infrastructure investments in clean energy and improved worker facilities, renovation of damaged riparian areas (APP), and the expansion of aquaculture. The AGRI3 maturity subordination guarantee enables Rabobank to extend the loan tenor to 10 years, unlocking the long-term funding this family farm needs to transition further to regenerative agriculture.

Impact Rationale

Mario Maria has already implemented a range of regenerative practices – biological pest control, organic compost, and crop-livestock-forest integration, and is eligible for RTRS certification and SAI FSA Gold equivalent. The investment will formalise and extend these practices across the entire 2,033 ha of cropped area, with targets to achieve 1,621 ha under the Produzindo Certo Regenerative (REG I.A.) standard by 2030. GHG emissions reduction targets will be linked to the certified regenerative area and tracked through the REG I.A. and AGRI3 methodologies.

The farm hosts 531 ha of native forest (legal reserve and excess native vegetation) and will restore a further 40 ha of fire-damaged forest reserve and 3.38 ha of riparian APP areas over the loan term. Rural livelihoods commitments include annual training for all workers in sustainable agriculture, health & safety, first aid, and firefighting, as well as farmer field days to share regenerative knowledge with neighbouring producers.

Impact Targets

Protection of natural ecosystem (direct and indirect)

Sustainable agriculture

Improved rural livelihoods