The Ministry of Agriculture launches the next phase of Zarc, which links climate risk and soybean management.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) will begin, in October, the next phase of the pilot project for Agricultural Zoning of Climatic Risk in Management Levels (ZarcNM), which will focus on soybean cultivation in the State of Paraná.

ZarcNM, developed by Embrapa, innovates by considering the level of agricultural management of each area to calculate climate risk, differentiating properties based on the adoption of sustainable and efficient practices. The technical protocol classifies areas into four levels (NM1 to NM4) according to six indicators, which include soil calcium content, time without tillage, mulch cover, and crop diversity.

Classification and Differentiated Subsidy

To have their area classified, producers must register a set of data in the Management Levels Information System (SINM), including the area's registration with geolocation, remote sensing information, and physical and chemical soil analyses. The operation and registration of this data were initially carried out by accredited users, such as cooperatives, insurance companies, and geotechnology companies.

The pilot project is a direct incentive for sustainability and will allocate R$ 8 million in subsidies to rural insurance premiums, exclusively for soybeans in Paraná in the 2025/2026 crop season.

Producers with areas classified at higher management levels will be able to access differentiated subsidy percentages, which can reach up to 35%, rewarding the quality and management history of the property.

The next step, scheduled for October 13, will consist of insurance companies submitting their proposals to the Ministry of Agriculture, validating the areas that met Embrapa's technical criteria and were registered in the National System of Mineral Production (SINM) by October 10.