Rio Grande do Sul floods: recovering from disaster and building resilience

The 2024 floods in Rio Grande do Sul resulted in loss of life, the displacement of thousands, and significant destruction, with 2.3 million people affected. More than 19,000 farmers suffered structural damage to houses, warehouses and equipment.

Food production and food prices were also impacted because the southern state is an important agricultural region. It produces around 90 percent of Brazil’s rice, is a major producer of maize, soybeans, barley and oats, and is also important for livestock production, particularly beef and pork.

Yara Brazil felt the effects firsthand. Operations at the Rio Grande production plant, Yara’s largest fertilizer plant in Brazil, were temporarily halted during the excessive rains and the mixing plant was under water for several days. The office in Porto Alegre remained open to support employees in need but its activities were impacted as some employees lost their houses and property.

“The events in Rio Grande do Sul are a reminder that climate change is no longer a prediction – it is a reality that brings risks. Mitigation and adaptation are essential for companies that want to remain in business,” says Marcelo Gobitta, Sustainability Expert in Yara Brazil.

To help the recovery efforts, Yara partnered with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) in 2025 and again in 2026 to support Recupera Rural RS. 

This is a collaborative initiative led by Embrapa that brings together several institutions in a joint effort to promote the socio-productive recovery of Rio Grande do Sul.

“The initiative aims to restore degraded areas, recover soil fertility and strengthen the resilience of agricultural systems. Yara is contributing to the sustainable recovery of the state,” says Rosane Martinazzo, deputy head of Research and Development at Embrapa Temperate Climate.

Yara Brazil has contributed more than R$1.5 million (Brazilian reais) to the initiative (the equivalent of USD 300,000), including financial support and donations. It is also contributing with crop nutrition knowledge, technology and solutions to support farmers in restoring soils.

“Rio Grande do Sul is an important state for Yara and where we have our roots in Brazil, so we wanted to lend our support,” says Marcelo, who leads the Recupera Rural RS initiative for Yara.

Many farmers were forced to abandon or sell their farms after the floods completely washed away top soils or left them covered in debris. Some have now returned, although they have had to change what they are producing and are producing at a much lower capacity than before. “It can take more than 10 years before soils are completely recovered,” says Marcelo.

Farmer Fernando Mallmann lost all his cows and equipment to the floods. He has adapted by switching from milk production to growing corn and other grains and is now managing to support his family. He still recalls when the floods hit, taking everything in its path with it. “It felt like a state of war. We thought we were going to die,” he says.

Yara continues to support the productivity and profitability of farmers in the state with knowledge and solutions through the Recupera Rural initiative. This includes YaraBasa FULL, an NPK fertilizer coated with micronutrients and bioinputs. Bioinputs, known as biostimulants outside of Brazil, enhance nutrient use efficiency, crop quality and tolerance to abiotic stresses, which can be caused by extreme weather events such as floods that are often linked to climate change.

The impact of the 2024 floods is still being felt. The floods are a stark reminder of the effects of climate change and the importance of building resilience to extreme weather events. Marcelo explains how Embrapa and Yara Brazil are learning from the disaster to assess, mitigate and adapt to climate risks.

“Embrapa wants to create a protocol and a coalition of institutions, companies and farmers that can be replicated not only in Brazil but also in other countries to quickly set up support for the speedy recovery of soils and food production. This will help ensure food security and strengthen Brazil’s role as a global food supplier,” he says.

“Yara can use these learnings to better asses climate change risks. We’re looking into how we can be better prepared to quickly support emergency actions,” Marcelo adds.