Knowledge that makes a difference

The Covid-19 pandemic brought a reality that was quite different from what we were used to until then. Despite creating numerous challenges, in various aspects, on the other hand it also opened opportunities, especially for Brazilian agriculture by highlighting the importance of food security and sustainability in food production in the world. 

In this sense, Brazil has consolidated itself as an essential global power in agriculture, as we are not only large food producers, but we are also able to technically dominate the entire production cycle by carrying out large-scale, sustainable, mechanized agriculture with a lot of applied technology, whether in soil preparation, sowing, cultural treatments and harvesting, or in digital agriculture embedded in agricultural machines.

But conducting this process efficiently would not be possible without the presence of a professional with the ability to interpret the countless variables that make up the agricultural ecosystem. Someone who is always close to the farmer and is capable of providing support at all stages of the production cycle, from planting planning to harvesting, and also, later, in the marketing of crops. This professional is the agronomist, whose date is celebrated on October 12th.

Currently, according to the Confea/Crea system, there are more than 100 thousand professionals linked to Agronomy working in the country. The profession of Agronomist, or Agricultural Engineer, was created exactly 86 years ago, through Decree No. 23.196, of October 12, 1933. Over the last few decades, the activity has undergone many transformations, but has always been at the side of the producer to make Brazil one of the protagonists of global agribusiness. And one of this professional's main challenges is to make rural properties increasingly sustainable, both from an economic and environmental preservation point of view. 

In recent years, Brazil has managed to increase the productivity of its agricultural commodities exponentially, without needing to expand the cultivated area in the same proportion. This is due to the adoption of numerous management techniques, genetic improvement, irrigation and, above all, the growth of mechanization in the field, supported by the evolution of technology embedded in tractors, harvesters, sprayers, seeders and other various agricultural implements. 

Today it is these machines and implements that deliver the ideal solution for the most different farmer profiles and production scales, with an increasingly greater capacity to accurately measure data on the performance of the machines themselves in the field in real time, as well as obtain georeferenced information. over the entire production system, allowing more assertive decisions to be made in favor of agricultural productivity combined with the optimization of production costs. 

Expanding agriculture

To get an idea of ​​this expansion provided by Brazilian agriculture, the GDP of our agribusiness, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, was responsible for 26,6% of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2020, and one of the items that has had the most positive impact on our trade balance. Even with the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, agriculture was responsible for almost half (48%) of Brazil's total exports in 2020, according to data from the Secretariat of Commerce and International Relations.

Furthermore, a report from the World Trade Organization showed that Brazil has consolidated itself over the last 25 years as the largest net exporter (difference between exports and imports) of agricultural products on the planet, mainly due to the weight of commodities such as sugar, coffee, orange and soy juice (items in which we are currently leaders), in addition to products such as corn, cotton and meat, of which we are among the world's main exporters. Therefore, we are facing a sector that generates many opportunities, not only for the country, but for professionals who work in the area.

And the expectation is that Brazilian participation in the global food production market will continue to grow in the coming years. According to a study released by Embrapa, Brazilian agriculture provided food for 772,6 million people on the planet in 2020 (10% of the world's population), with 212 million of these people in Brazil. According to the same study, in the last decade Brazilian participation in the world food market increased from US$20,6 billion to US$100 billion. 

But this growth process involves a constant search for new technologies and innovation, something equally present in agricultural machines and implements, such as connectivity and digital agriculture, which allow machines to communicate with each other, as well as allowing the producer to connect to them without leaving the farm office or providing remote access to a dealer for technical assistance, optimizing time and costs for traveling long distances. 

These technologies will integrate the entire field, allowing access to the main technological resources of precision agriculture and automation, as well as integrated management of the entire production chain through data monitoring that can be done in real time in the palm of your hand. Many of these technologies are already present on agricultural properties, such as the use of drones, for aerial mapping of properties, meteorological stations on machines, to define the ideal time for operations, sensors and cameras, to facilitate the work of operators in ideally driving machines. , online systems for marketing crops and many other solutions.

Furthermore, there is research by machine manufacturers into disruptive technologies, such as the use of alternative fuels, including tractors powered by hydrogen, biomethane and electricity, allowing agricultural properties to have more economic and environmental sustainability.

Age of knowledge

But regardless of the area of ​​activity, the future of agribusiness, in general, will increasingly depend on people with knowledge and who are willing to continue learning from the new technologies and techniques that will naturally emerge within this evolutionary process of Brazilian agribusiness and worldwide.

And as much as it is a challenge, this technological avalanche, on the other hand, has helped to keep new generations in the countryside, who go to the city in search of training, qualification, but who return to the countryside to apply everything they learned and help to further improve production processes. Today's young people, many with degrees in Agronomy, master issues that their ancestors never even dreamed of, like connectivity in the field, the internet of things, the digitalization and servitization of processes. Therefore, they can proudly beat their chests and say that they are from agriculture, one of the most valued activities today and the foundation of the Brazilian economy, in addition to being an expanding sector for qualified professionals.

Just like young people, women have also been seeking their space within agriculture. Many of them seek courses linked to Agronomy as a form of qualification and begin to assume the role of technical and administrative leadership on farms. With a look and sensitivity that are peculiar to them, agricultural engineers have expanded the horizons of the profession. Furthermore, one in every three rural properties in the country today has women occupying management roles, a large proportion of whom are agronomists.  

Challenges of the profession

This force of professionals, whether men or women, is helping Brazil to further increase its productive diversity throughout the territory, combined with the preservation of natural resources, allowing the environmental sustainability of agricultural properties and raising the socioeconomic standard of these regions.

The great challenge of the profession is to assimilate the enormous amount of information that we encounter at all times, due to technology that continually evolves. In this sense, the agronomist needs to be in a continuous learning process. After all, he is not only the professional responsible only for the production cycle of a crop, but also for the management and administration of the entire agricultural property, from the purchase of inputs to the marketing of production. Therefore, he needs to have a global, strategic vision, with medium and long-term perspectives and know how to communicate in this globalized environment.

Ever since I graduated in Agronomy, 20 years ago, I heard that agricultural engineering would be the profession of the future. Today this “future” is there, and it has become reality. I am very proud of my profession and of being part of the history of agribusiness in our country, which has increasingly achieved global relevance and recognition, in addition to being one of the main driving factors of our economy. Happy Agronomist's Day!

Flávio Rielli Mazetto, agricultural engineer with a doctorate from Unesp in Agricultural Machines and commercial manager Southeast of New Holland Agriculture