Agriculture 4.0: technological revolution in the countryside

Productivity, efficiency, reduction of waste and, consequently, costs. These are some of the main gains that technology brings to agribusiness. To this end, farmers are adhering to the concept of Agriculture 4.0, which allows the interference and connection of software and digital systems to machines. By applying it, it is possible to optimize business management and reduce working time, whether in the field, cooperatives or agro-industries.

In Mato Grosso, as in other regions of Brazil, tractors, harvesters and other machinery used by large producers now have specific digital platforms. With the closest technological resources, farmers find immediate solutions – from soil preparation and planting, with observation of rainfall levels, to harvesting and processing the crop.

An example of this revolution is the case of a family farming condominium in Mato Grosso that plants grains in an area of ​​31 thousand hectares. This harvest, the group made a comparison between machines from 2002 with the new ones from 2017, in order to test the efficiency of the machinery. To this end, 15 machines (2002) and six (2017) were placed in the field. The experiment demonstrated that grain development and productivity were maintained, on the other hand, the number of equipment in the field and the cost of labor decreased, while the level of professional qualification increased.

Furthermore, with modern machinery, rural producers have the possibility of working line by line, a factor that reduces waste. This is because software connected via satellite indicates to the responsible professional when the machine has passed through a certain area, and if it passes again, it automatically turns off, which prevents replanting and loss of seeds. Not to mention that if there is an overpopulation of soybeans in the same area, the plants compete with each other and, in this competition, they all end up dying.

If we consider that, during the planting period in our example above, 300 professionals are mobilized in the field, with new machinery in hand, farmers can achieve considerable savings just by anticipating problems and optimizing planting, since the harvesters warn of possible mechanical failures throughout the work.

In addition to state-of-the-art tractors and planters, another essential technology for large properties are sprayers, which have boom height control with automatic adjustment. The software installed on this equipment also warns where the pesticide was applied, which reflects on the product's distribution efficiency.

At the time of harvest, the presence of software guarantees the generation of harvest maps that indicate what each plot produced, making it possible to identify soil quality and grain breakage. The tool also reveals productivity at points in the plot, which allows the evaluation of the soil and the identification of areas with nutrient deficiencies that will require a fertilization plan.

The new reality – Agriculture 4.0 – also causes the need for farmers to seek appropriate qualifications to handle new machines and systems. After all, this is a path of no return, which has come to facilitate the redesign of agro-industrial companies and which impacts both small producers and large agricultural groups.