Digital Agriculture Day brings together countries of the Americas

Digital technologies already offer significant opportunities for the countryside, but experts warn that digital transformation in rural areas will only advance broadly and democratically with public policies that expand connectivity, reduce costs, and promote training. This topic was at the center of discussions during Digital Agriculture Day, held by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA Brazil) and Embrapa, at Embrapa Digital Agriculture headquarters in Campinas, São Paulo.

The creation of the date aims to raise awareness and stimulate debate on innovation in the field. In 2025, IICA will promote the event in 15 countries in preparation for Digital Agriculture Week, scheduled for September 22-25 in San José, Costa Rica.

"The week is a tool for building bridges between the countries of the Americas. Some are more advanced in the digitalization of agriculture, like Brazil, while others are far behind. We want to build a network of interaction between countries, a regional ecosystem that serves as a motivator for digitalization. We are a key region for global food security," stated Federico Bert, Coordinator of Agrifood Digitalization at IICA Headquarters.

Public policies as a central axis

One of the initiative's goals is to generate recommendations for governments on the creation of public policies that encourage digitalization. For Stanley Oliveira, general manager of Embrapa Digital Agriculture, progress depends on more than technology.

"Events like this enable dialogue, new partnerships, and inspire the growth of digital agriculture in Brazil. But technology alone doesn't drive transformation. Training, mentoring, and public policy support are necessary," he emphasized.

Along the same lines, Embrapa's Director of Innovation, Business and Technology Transfer, Ana Euler, reported that she has been working with the Ministry of Agrarian Development to transform the company's digital solutions, such as the E-campo and Ater+Digital platforms, into public policies aimed at strengthening technical assistance and rural extension.

São Paulo's Superintendent of Agriculture and Livestock, Estanislau Steck, emphasized the urgency of computerization to support climate change adaptation and sustainable production. The state's Undersecretary of Agriculture, Orlando de Castro, emphasized the importance of integration between research institutions, universities, and the private sector to consolidate Brazil's digital transformation.

Gabriel Delgado, IICA representative in Brazil, noted that rural connectivity has advanced rapidly thanks to private sector solutions: "Our commitment is to keep pace with these changes and generate modern public goods that serve producers. In this sense, it is essential to integrate initiatives from the countries of the Americas to accelerate the digitalization of rural areas," he said.

Brazilian Agtechs at Digital Agriculture Week

During the event, IICA announced the two agtechs that will represent Brazil in Costa Rica in September. Agrotrace and iCrop were selected from among 18 registered startups and will have all expenses paid to present their solutions at the international event, which will bring together companies from 14 other countries.

In addition, IMBR Agro will participate online. This was the second edition of the selection process organized by IICA. In 2024, only three startups applied, including Vega Monitoramento, which represented Brazil at Digital Agriculture Week and, according to its co-executive director, Samuel Campos, expanded its international presence through the connections made at the event.

Debates and programming

Digital Agriculture Day was supported by the Southern Cone International Cooperation Program for Agriculture (Procisur) and featured a program of panels, such as: "The role of the innovation ecosystem in the generation and transfer of digital technologies"; "Digital inclusion and scalability in the field"; and "Connection between investment and innovation, with the participation of international and national organizations and investment funds."