The decade of digital education in the countryside

We begin a new decade and CropLife Brasil was born with the commitment to join forces to accelerate the professional qualification of farmers and rural workers, helping the sector to take advantage of the growth opportunities that Brazil will have until 2030.

According to the study carried out by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in conjunction with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), it is projected that by 2030 it will be necessary to increase global food production by 20% to guarantee food security and Brazil is expected to increase its production by 40%, being the country where there will be the greatest growth.

The use of modern technologies is essential to increase productivity and competitiveness in the field. And it is not enough to have access to innovative technologies, such as pesticides, biopesticides, genetically advanced seeds, new machines and digital solutions, if farmers and rural workers do not know how to use them correctly.

The 2017 Agricultural Census revealed some worrying numbers that indicate the size of the challenge for the area of ​​education in this decade, as it is necessary to invest in professional training to maximize the benefits of new technologies, which are arriving faster and faster. According to IBGE data, more than 80% of rural producers responded that they do not receive technical assistance, a fact that limits access to new technologies. Furthermore, more than 60% of rural producers are over 45 years of age and almost 80% have not gone beyond elementary school. The survey also showed that 1,681 million properties used pesticides, registering a growth of more than 20,4% in relation to 2006. The number of tractors grew 49,7% in the period and reached 1,22 million units, confirming the trend towards increased mechanization and automation on farms. Although more than 70% of the 5.071.332 rural properties still do not have access to the internet, between 2006 and 2017, access grew by 1.900%, indicating that demand is growing.

With the prospects of holding the 5G auction, scheduled for 2020, as well as the reallocation of public resources to guarantee the universalization of fixed telephony and the expansion of access to high-speed internet, the next decade will be marked by rapid growth in the use of digital technologies. However, the biggest challenges are the need to qualify the rural workforce and attract young people to the agribusiness market.

In 2018, the value generated by agriculture reached R$1,44 trillion or 21,1% of Brazilian GDP. Over the last 40 years, the sector has been recognized as a key vector of economic growth, signaling that Brazil has the potential to become the world's largest food supplier.

CropLife Brasil plans to carry out public-private partnerships and believes that joining forces between governments, industry, farmers, resellers, cooperatives, academia, technical schools and several other entities is the best way to promote digital education, increase assistance technique in the field and encourage Brazilian agriculture to prosper more quickly.