Dubai: Brazilian agrotech companies offer the benefits of innovation in the field

Drones, artificial intelligence and robotics help small farmers in the most remote scenarios in Brazil. Technological innovation in agriculture can integrate the daily life of not only large producers, but also family farming, resulting in productivity gains and waste reduction.

The topic was the topic of the Agritalks event, which was promoted on Wednesday (23) by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Innovations in the agricultural sector include robotic scavenger machines that remove weeds, sow and harvest seeds; UAVs that perform aerial mapping; You software Accuracy, responsible for managing the production chain and production data; In addition to independent machines that receive orders from A smart phone or computer.

Agritechs

SP Ventures CEO Francisco Jardim in Dubai – Tomaz Silva / Agência Brasil

Francisco Jardim, founder of SP Ventures, says he has set up the largest investment fund to capitalize agritechs (agritech companies) in Latin America, and the third largest in emerging markets, with more than 40 of these companies.

in Brazil , Startups The agribusiness grew 40% over the past year, compared to 2019, to a total of 1,574. Currently, the average is one agricultural technology opening per day in the country.

Among the Brazilian agricultural technology companies supported by the fund, there are examples of development and commercialization of biological agents that fight pathogens, such as fungi and viruses. “You can replace agrochemicals with other biological solutions that are more sustainable and economical for the agricultural product,” explains Jardim.

To serve small and medium producers, a software Management in the cloud. “This producer who used to run his farm in the notebook, now has software So sophisticated, cheap and easy to use that he can treat the farm like an outdoorsy manufacturer.”

Embrapa President, Celso Moretti, speaks during AgriTalks – Tomaz Silva / Agência Brasil

President of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Emrapa), Celso Moretti, also present at the event in Dubai, highlights the importance of investing in science and innovation, particularly in partnerships between Embrapa and agritechs.

Moretti cites some of the most impressive technologies under development in the country, such as biological control using drones to release insects, and the platform Online that monitors water quality in fish ponds, as well as a vertical farm in São Paulo.

Championship

For Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply Fernando Camargo (featured image), the pandemic has brought digital advances in the field, as well as an interest in food safety. “The world’s population is growing a lot. By 2050, we will be more than 3.2 billion people.” For him, the Brazilian agribusiness is the hero in this context.

Over the past 30 years, innovation has led to a 159% increase in meat productivity in Brazil, and a 122% increase in meat production. If Brazil did not adopt an interest in innovation, an additional 280.2 million hectares of pasture would be required to obtain the same result.

“We produce more in the same area, we can diversify production and save land,” he said.

Thus, productivity can be translated into reducing the area used and increasing the volume produced, ensuring food security.

The first edition of Agritalks was held in India, in September 2021. In the same year, the event was held in the United States in December. On February 9, the UK edition was released. The Discussions on Agriculture series seeks to broaden the international dialogue on this topic and boost Brazilian agribusiness.

* Journalist Fernanda Cruz and photographer Tomaz Silva traveled at the invitation of Apex-Brasil