The age-old practice of bio-inputs is considered by the MST as a strategic pillar for the massification of agroecology, in soil recovery, democratization of knowledge, and healthy production.
With the need to advance the agroecological transition and massify a model of agriculture anchored in agroecological practices and techniques, in balance with nature and the preservation of the life of all living beings, in the last five years the Landless Workers' Movement (MST) has deepened its appropriation and articulation of traditional knowledge and ancient and new technologies to advance the project of People’s Agrarian Reform throughout the country.
One of the main practices that the Movement has been working on, aimed at the massification of the agriculture model based on agroecology, focuses on the consolidation of a set of knowledge, skills, and experiences focused on the practice of bio-inputs in settlements, camps, territories, and communities of the Agrarian Reform. These are traditional practices that have been experimented with for millennia in family and peasant agriculture, but which, at the same time, do not deny the new technologies available in this area.
“We consider bio-inputs as an age-old, traditional practice of peasant agriculture, which is part of the historical knowledge of peasant agriculture, but also today, with new technologies and biological products, it contributes to the balance of the system. It is also important to conceptually consider the relationship of bio-inputs with our biodiversity, what we have in terms of raw materials, such as organic matter,” emphasizes Andreia Matheus, an agronomist from the coordination of the National Bio-inputs Collective and the Production, Cooperation and Environment sector of the MST.
What are bio-inputs?
The practice of bio-inputs is based on a biological matrix that takes into account the plant and animal diversity in nature, starting from microbial diversity and also the soil, as living organisms. Bio-inputs are the result of the interaction between scientific knowledge and popular peasant knowledge, which express in practice the revaluation of soil biology and the natural processes that sustain the fertility of the agroecosystem, explains agricultural engineer Iara Maria Lopes Rangel, from the MST Bio-inputs Collective and a member of the technical team at the Egídio Brunetto School in Prado (BA).
“Bio-inputs are based on the understanding that plant health depends on soil health, and that this, in turn, is linked to the diversity and vitality of the microbiome – the immense community of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, algae, and protozoa) that make up the underground food web,” Iara points out.
From a technical perspective, bio-inputs can be found in various products and different forms of action and application in the agricultural production system. The agronomist explains that they can act in several ways to improve the soil, strengthen plants, and reduce pests, “such as biofertilizers and microbial inoculants; organic compounds and fermented products, such as bokashi, which increase organic matter and enzymatic activity in the soil; bio-slurries and plant bioextracts, which perform natural phytosanitary protection functions, reducing the incidence of pests and diseases without the use of pesticides; and isolated microorganisms, such as Trichoderma, Bacillus, Azospirillum, Rhizobium, and Pseudomonas, which act in the biological control of pathogens, in the biological fixation of nitrogen, and in stimulating plant growth.”
Allied with the bio-inputs strategy, the MST is also developing the "National Plan to Plant Trees and Produce Healthy Food," which since 2020 has intensified tree planting, with the goal of planting 100 million trees in ten years in agrarian reform territories and urban areas. The intention is to strengthen the production of healthy food and denounce the destructive impacts of agribusiness on the environment.
The progress in tree planting, with 45 million trees planted to date, combined with food production, has also become an important factor in fostering biodiverse food systems, which are gradually reducing dependence on external inputs, "as foreseen in the transition process to an agroecological production model and the redefinition of the landscape, enabling the construction of pesticide-free and autonomous territories, aligning social, political, economic and environmental issues," emphasizes Iara.
Given this, it is evident that the greatest potential in relation to bio-inputs lies in the implementation of biodiverse food systems, in conjunction with environmental recovery.
"By incorporating crop diversification, including tree and shrub species, especially those native to the biome in question, into food systems, this biodiversity of plants above ground naturally stimulates and provides a broad and diverse food web, resulting in integrated ecosystem health," explains agronomist Iara.
A Pillar in the Massification of Agroecology
In this context, the MST, through the work of its Production sector, together with peasant families, cooperatives and associations, has been incorporating the age-old peasant practice of bio-inputs as a strategic pillar for the massification of agroecology. This process is articulated and aligned with new technologies in family and peasant agriculture, starting from the perspective of agricultural engineer Ana Maria Primavesi, a reference in research on ecological soil management, who understands soil as a living organism, where fertility depends on a balanced biological activity.
“The abundant and diverse life of the soil promotes continuous reactions and interactions between the soil-plant-environment system, improving the health of the soil as a whole and, consequently, of the plants, resulting in food of high biological and vital value, capable of nourishing not only the human body, but also the ecosystems that sustain it,” highlights Iara.
“Living Soil” Method
The MST's proposal is based on the integration of food production and the use of bio-inputs with the “living soil” method, conceived by Ana Maria Primavesi, which has been guiding agroecological practices in agrarian reform areas.
The “living soil” method is based on the principle of recomposing nutrients, life, and soil quality, valuing traditional and popular knowledge and new ecologically based technologies. From this, a continuous process of training and practice is developed, focused on recognizing popular and peasant knowledge, experimentation in productive units, and the scientific systematization of this entire process.
“From the perspective of the MST and Ana Primavesi's ecological soil management, the production and use of bio-inputs have two inseparable dimensions: 1) Technical: aimed at regenerating the fertility and biological balance of degraded soils; 2) Political and pedagogical: in the construction of peasant autonomy, social control of technology, and the training of technicians and peasants who can multiply this knowledge,” emphasizes Iara.
In the MST's agroecological practice, the “living soil” method, therefore, is based on political and technical debate, around the project of People’s Agrarian Reform, which encompasses caring for the soil, for the recreation of life and sovereignty in the territories. In this process, bio-inputs become central allies in the massification of agroecology, by recovering the soil and democratizing knowledge, guaranteeing healthy production rooted in the principles of biodiversity.
Regarding the method, Iara explains that the "living soil" approach focuses on valuing soil biology as the engine of natural fertility and plant health. “One of the technologies of the "living soil" method uses a highly controlled form of composting, with monitoring of temperature, humidity, and identification of the types of life present in the compost. These diverse organic compounds have a carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio that favors and stimulates the broad and diverse multiplication of the soil food web in a given territory,” she explains.
Model dispute
The practice of bio-inputs is also part of the dispute between two production models. In a process very similar to other techniques, knowledge, and practices of the agroecological production system, this practice is being appropriated by the destructive agribusiness model, as a 'new technological package'. In the logic of the market, once again, agribusiness seeks to replace the chemical inputs by other inputs considered “green,” but in practice, this maintains dependence on transnational corporations and companies that produce seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides.
“The appropriation of bio-inputs by large transnational corporations, which are the same corporations that sold the technological package of the ‘Green Revolution’ in Brazil, constitutes an appropriation of knowledge, a traditional practice, and transforms this practice, this technology, into a new commodity. These corporations transform the common goods of nature and traditional practices into commodities and only see profit,” denounces Andreia Matheus.
Through the massification of agroecology and the adoption of bio-input practices, the MST seeks to break with the commercial and financial logic of land and the environment imposed by agribusiness. Currently, Brazil is known as one of the countries with the highest use of pesticides and genetically modified seeds, in addition to the advance of deforestation, which goes against the agroecological production system. “Bio-inputs are important in this context to have a concrete alternative, based on traditional practices of peasant agriculture, to break the technological dependence on the ‘Green Revolution’ package, which is currently dominated by transnational companies that sell pesticides, but also sell seeds and fertilizers,” Andreia projects.
In this scenario, the same transnational corporations that sell the technological package of the “Green Revolution,” such as Syngenta, Cargill, ADM, Bunge, among others, control the global market for grains, seeds, fertilizers, and other inputs, and dominate the entire agricultural production chain, from the field to the industry. However, it is evident that with the advancement of bio-inputs in agroecology, these transnationals are seeking to appropriate this ancient practice, combined with new technologies, to create new processes of privatization of bio-inputs, through the patenting of microorganisms and the transformation of these common goods into market products.
An alternative to technological dependence
This new attempt at technological and biological control by agribusiness transnationals reinforces the dependence of farmers and peasants and threatens the popular and autonomous character of agroecology. Given this, the MST members understand that the production of bio-inputs must be understood within the context of the dispute between two models of agriculture: “that of agroecology, guided by life and the sovereignty of peoples, and that of the corporate logic, centered on the commodification of nature,” emphasizes Andreia.
Therefore, based on the massification of agroecology, the coordinator of the National Bio-inputs Collective and the Production sector of the MST points out that the MST has sought to enhance the use of bio-inputs in agroecological production models by landless peasants, creating alternatives to break with the logic of dependence on transnational agricultural companies and build productive autonomy, starting from the Agrarian Reform territories, where peasants have the conditions to control the production chains focused on the production of healthy food.
“With bio-inputs, then we break with this dependence on the large companies that dominate the input sector. And we build the perspective of territorial autonomy as well,” argues Andreia. In addition to the threat of transnational corporations and agribusiness appropriating bio-inputs, the peasants of the MST also face challenges in accessing inputs and technologies in the area of agroecology, infrastructure, credit for development, among others. In this sense, even with difficulties, mainly in the construction of infrastructure and adaptation of technologies to the different biomes and local and regional realities, the Movement invests in the construction of bio-input production units in the territories of the Agrarian Reform, focusing on different production processes and the use of technologies.
Among the various experiences across the country, the Ana Maria Primavesi Unit in Rio Grande do Sul stands out, a reference in its physical structure and methodological conception in the use of the "living soil" method. Other experiences are underway at the Egídio Brunetto National School of Agroecological Training in Prado (BA), focusing on formative and traditional practices of production and use of bio-inputs, articulated with political and technical training, as well as experiences in the Contestado settlement in Paraná and in Itapeva (SP).
“We have some experiences that we are developing in the states and regions: the Ana Maria Primavera bio-input production unit experience, in the context of agroecological rice in Rio Grande do Sul. For us, it is a great advance, and the impacts are visible and perceptible from the point of view of the adoption and use of bio-inputs in this unit, but we need to move forward, have public policies, and funding conditions to implement these units in greater quantity, on a larger scale, also in the territories of the Agrarian Reform,” concludes Andreia.
In this sense, the experience being built within the MST (Landless Workers' Movement), regarding the use of the age-old practice of bio-inputs, becomes strategic for the consolidation of agroecology in agrarian reform areas and the expansion of healthy food production, by promoting advances in food sovereignty, peasant autonomy, and the reconstruction of soil life.
*This text is part of a series of content about the massification of agroecology. In the next text, we will discuss the importance of the bio-input production unit in agrarian reform and food production. Stay tuned to the MST website and social media. Read a prior article on the massification of agroecology.
