JBS launches service hub to increase small producers’ productivity

JBS, one of the world’s largest food companies, has begun operating Green Offices 2.0, its latest socio-environmental service hub for small rural producers. The program, which offers assistance in three distinct areas, is an evolution of the successful JBS Green Offices initiative, created by JBS in 2021. Initially, it aimed to regularize socio-environmental liabilities of rural properties. Today, 1,500 farms are served, with nearly 800,000 hectares under management.

In Green Offices 2.0, after the initial screening, producers are directed to one of the three areas:

• Environmental Green Office, for environmental regularization and free reintegration of farms into the production chain.
• Technical Assistance Green Office, for support in improving soil productivity, aiming at pasture recovery, improving the availability and quality of water with actions to protect and recover springs, as well as promoting sustainable production practices that enable greater profitability and improve the quality of life for family farmers.
• Managerial Assistance Green Office, which provides training and tools aimed at improving management and productivity for producers to enhance the administration of their production and properties. This area is an evolution of the “Fazenda Nota 10” program, implemented by Friboi with a focus on improving the productivity and management of livestock farms.

The Environmental Green Office already has 20 units, distributed across 7 Brazilian states (Acre, Rondônia, Pará, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Goiás). Green Offices 2.0 starts with five units, four in Rondônia and one in Mato Grosso, with two more offices being implemented. Currently, a team of over 30 specialists is dedicated to the project. The expectation is that another 1,300 properties will be served by the end of 2024.

“The launch of Green Offices 2.0 represents another important step for the Brazilian beef production sector, benefiting both cattle ranchers and industries with this program, contributing to increased productivity and profitability for small producers. The program’s evolution brings a greater focus on improving the productive indices of properties and the quality of life for the producer’s family,” says Liège Correia, Sustainability Director at JBS Brazil.

The program’s activities include visits from specialists to properties for soil analysis and technical recommendations for pasture recovery, as well as the recovery and protection of springs to ensure water availability and quality. It also generates knowledge and promotes technologies that enable increased productivity and profitability, providing a better quality of life for small cattle producers. A highlight is the managerial assistance, focusing on improving management and productivity.

The expansion to the Green Offices 2.0 concept aims to add more types of services to producers, with sustainability pillars as a strategic axis. Since the creation of the Green Offices program in 2021, it has regularized about 11,500 farms and directed 4,400 hectares for forest restoration, with 20 units across Brazil.

With the launch, the company advances its strategy for a sustainable supply chain by expanding support platforms for producers. The Environmental Green Office targets various levels and sizes of producers, the Technical Assistance Green Office targets small properties and family farmers, and the Managerial Assistance Green Office supports producers with a higher level of operational management but needing help to transform their farms into businesses, Correia emphasizes. “More productivity naturally connects to sustainability. With this concept, the best results will come to our partners and suppliers,” she says.

• Cattle ranchers
• Environment
• ESG
• Green Office