Scheffer is Candiani Denim’s partner for regenerative agriculture. The farm is based in Brazil and has adopted regenerative agricultural practices since 2015. Scheffer produces soybeans, cotton, and corn and aims to become 100% regenerative by 2030. It has been the first Brazilian farm certified by regenagri®.
Scheffer is the first farm in Brazil certified by regenagri®
Scheffer is a farm located in Brazil and was founded in 1986 by Elizeu and Carolina Scheffer, who moved from Paraná to Mato Grosso in 1980. Their initial farmed area was 400 hectares of soybeans. In 1996 Scheffer pioneered cotton growing in Sapezal in a 145-hectare field. Cotton was a new crop in that region.
Elizeu and Carolina’s children, Gilliard, Gislayne, and Guilherme, are now running the family business with their parents’ same innovative spirit. Scheffer has become one of the main farms in Brazil and has pioneered large-scale regenerative agriculture since 2015. It is also the first Brazilian farm certified by regenagri® for adopting regenerative practices.
Regenerative agriculture focuses on outcomes and aims to maximize the overall positive impact by restoring natural ecosystems. Its priority is soil health, which has many benefits for the environment and allows the storage of a higher amount of CO2 below ground, hence a potential solution to mitigate climate change.
The regenagri® initiative measures and monitors how regenerative practices are implemented and the ecological outcomes they bring. Its certification method is designed to promote continuous improvement in farms and organizations.
How is Scheffer regenerative?
Scheffer aims to become 100% regenerative by 2030. Its activities are run on approximately 200 thousand hectares through double cropping to produce cotton, soybeans, and corn. Scheffer’s operations also include raising livestock, mining, and storing grain.
The farm has nine production units in Brazil, across Mato Grosso and Maranhão, one in Colombia, and a mining company in Pará. Scheffer combines productivity and environmental responsibility: 150 thousand hectares are left to native vegetation. Healthy soils are the reason for its products’ high quality and capacity for ongoing production, harvest after harvest.
Scheffer has also created a bio-factory to produce specific microorganisms. They can act as a bio-based control for pests and diseases, make soils healthier, and reduce the need for chemicals. Moreover, bio-factory wastes are used as sustainable fertilizers and soil additives.
Scheffer’s regenerative agricultural practices include:
- reduction of chemical usage
- use of biological products to control pests and diseases
- no till usage
- soil coverage with straw
- composting
- cover crops
- soil decompaction
- crops rotation
This approach has many advantages:
- chemical use is reduced by 48% in cotton and 45% in soybean farming
- fertilizer efficiency is increased
- drainage and water retention, carbon fixation, biological activity, and biodiversity are enhanced
- the efficiency of land use and water is improved, with two crops grown annually (soybean and cotton or corn) and zero irrigation, which cause higher yields
- renewable energy is produced
COREVA™ collection uses Scheffer’s regenerative cotton
Candiani Denim’s COREVA™ collection is made with Scheffer’s regenerative cotton certified by regenagri®. It is grown using no irrigation and 48% fewer chemicals than conventional cotton.
Regenerative cotton is grown with regenerative agricultural practices on certified farms. Regenerative cotton has the same benefits as overall regenerative agriculture: it improves soil health and biodiversity, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, helps CO2 storage, and increases farmers’ profitability.
