Farmers in Brazil are struggling with massive debts and anxiety a year after catastrophic floods struck their lands.

In the heart of Brazil, the state of Rio Grande do Sul has been grappling with the devastating consequences of the 2024 climate tragedy. The worst in the state's history, the disaster was driven by the El Niño weather phenomenon and exacerbated by climate change.

The disaster left a lasting impact on the state's agricultural sector, which accounts for almost 74% of Brazil's emissions, mainly due to the conversion of soil into monocultures. One of the hardest hit was Gustavo Lorenzon, a pig farmer whose farm production was drastically reduced by the floods. His barn's roof, once sheltering 500 pigs, is still collapsed due to the floods, and he cannot afford to fix it.

Lorenzon began paying back the rural credit scheme in 2024 and has had to take from his own salary to honor the annual instalment of 210,000 reais (USD 38,000). The disaster has made an enormous task of making local agriculture resilient to the next climatic extreme a challenge.

In rural areas, the landscape is beginning to change. Corn and vegetable crops are being set back from the banks of rivers and tributaries. The region's dairy industry, which was hit hard by the flood, has not recovered. Properties that lost all or part of their facilities have reportedly stopped breeding dairy cows.

However, the state government has been proactive in implementing measures to mitigate the effects of climate change. Since 2024, they have promoted sustainable farming practices, invested in research for climate-resilient crops, enhanced water management systems, and provided support and education to farmers to adapt to climate change.

Emater and Embrapa plan to set up "technological reference units" (URTs) in the most affected regions to promote sustainable agricultural practices adapted to the climate. The federal government has also committed 6.5 billion reais (USD 1.1 billion) for works to adapt to climate change, such as the construction of flood dykes.

The state government has suggested to the Ministry of Finance the use of the Pre-Salt Social Fund to support its recovery. The national congress has also suspended the repayment of 11.7 billion reais (USD 2.1 billion) of Rio Grande do Sul's debt to the federal government for three years.

Approximately 206,000 properties lost crops, animals, and facilities due to the disaster. The deforestation of hillsides directly contributed to worsening the tragedy, according to an analysis by Eduardo Vélez from the Mapbiomas platform.

The disaster has taken a toll on the mental health of the affected farmers. Most of the producers interviewed by the organization said they had needed psychiatric medication for anxiety and depression after the 2024 tragedy.

Rio Grande do Sul is among the country's largest producers of rice, soya, and pork. Lorenzon invested 1.3 million reais (USD 233,000) in 2022 to modernize his pig farm sheds. The recovery of the state's agriculture sector is not just an economic issue, but a matter of mental and emotional wellbeing for many farmers.

As the state works towards building a more resilient agricultural sector, the memory of the 2024 disaster serves as a stark reminder of the need for climate action. The challenge is immense, but with the right strategies and support, Rio Grande do Sul's agriculture can not only recover but thrive in the face of future climatic extremes.