The president of Embrapa, Celso Moretti, defended the importance of mobilizing government agents in the search to guarantee connectivity to the countryside. Only with the internet, producers across the country will have access to the technological resources responsible for offering conditions to increase productivity, sustainability and income generation.
The issue was presented in the Agro pelo Brasil project, promoted by the CNA/Senar system. Moretti spoke via virtual conference to event participants about the demands of the Brazilian agricultural scenario and the responses of science to the needs of rural producers. And he cited examples of how research has favored advances in the field and addressed perspectives for the future.
Participating in the panel were Adauto Liberato, coordinator of communities and innovation at Senar (BA), Fernando Borges Fernandes, innovation manager at Senar (GO), and Daniel Carrara, general director of Senar. For Carrara, “this is an innovative moment for Senar. We launched our communication system in line with the latest news and the desire to innovate with Embrapa. It’s great to have Embrapa’s support in this new initiative,” he said. Carrara is one of the members of the Company's Board of Directors (Consad).
To contextualize the current agricultural panorama, Moretti reviewed the trajectory of Brazilian agriculture, over the last five decades, responsible for transforming the country from an importer and dependent on international markets into one of the main global protagonists in productivity, quality and sustainability in food production. “It was thanks to science that this scenario changed in such a surprising way and elevated Brazil to the category of leadership when it comes to tropical agriculture,” he said.
“The transformation of acidic soils into fertile ones, the tropicalization of varieties and animals and the development of a sustainable production platform sum up this change in direction, which resulted in what is today Brazilian research, a reference for the entire world.” Moretti highlighted the effort of work carried out in universities, private companies, producers, technical assistance and rural extension, cooperatives, and system S, such as Senar, which, he highlighted, contributed to agricultural transformation.
As an example of the national agricultural potential, the president cited what today represents the corn crop, distributed throughout the national territory, and what could become tropical wheat, developed by researchers. “Around the Federal District, we have producers harvesting 8 tons of wheat per hectare and last week we followed the harvest in Ceará, with the same productivity as in the Cerrado in half the time”, he added.
When approaching digital agriculture, agro 4.0, Celso Moretti looked back at the path taken at Embrapa. He said that, for 20 years, the Company has made applications available for use by producers: “and we will continue to advance until 2030, the direction is towards digital tools in agriculture”. He also reaffirmed the importance of connectivity to ensure the efficiency of resources such as the internet of things and robotics. “Data from IBGE 2017 reveals that 72% of rural properties still do not have connectivity and this is the biggest challenge for us to move forward.”
Regarding the contributions of research in digital agriculture, he cited projects from the various Embrapa units, involved with the development of software, applications, sensors, embedded technology, collection, transmission and storage of data digitally and sensors that allow, for example, to evaluate animal behavior and welfare.
“We have used computer modeling and simulation tools, artificial intelligence, special cameras that predict the occurrence of diseases and productivity in some crops. It is a set of technologies to help the producer”, highlighted the president. He also said that precision agriculture can support producers in having more information about soil fertility, pest attacks, productivity and the need to apply inputs. As an example, he cited the partnership with the Instituto Mato Grossense do Algodão, in which 260 farms are monitored to check the occurrence of cotton phytonematodes and where there has already been a 10% increase in production.
Celso Moretti highlighted the potential of precision irrigation, which, through the use of sensors in the soil, makes it possible to connect via the internet of things and, selectively, calculate the water depth that will be applied. “We have developed a huge set of applications, such as 'Plantio Certo', which helps producers define what, how, when and where to plant”, he explained, remembering that the application supporting Agricultural Climate Risk Zoning (Zarc) , is today used in public policies of the Federal Government.
The president spoke about the work to encourage startups linked to agribusiness, and the Bridges for Innovation program, where start-up companies are put in contact with large investment funds. “Examples of success are Farmly, which produces specialty coffees and exports to Europe, Gira and SpecLab, both created within Embrapa”.
Moretti addressed priorities mapped out at the Company with great potential in a scenario of population growth, greater urbanization, income, longevity and changes in consumption patterns: “there will be a 35% greater demand for food, 40% more for energy and 50% for more water – and for this we will have to use technological resources to resolve or minimize impacts”. Digital technology, according to him, is what will help Brazil to increase its production and have more productivity and efficiency to be one of the largest players global markets in the production of food, fiber and bioenergy.
Among the research priorities, he cited digital platforms, use of drones, artificial intelligence and computer vision, georeferencing, automation, data transmission, internet of things and robotics. “This is our agenda, when we are going to move from agribusiness 4.0 of automation and connectivity to total autonomy, which is already a reality on some properties, but will become more widespread in the coming years”, he concluded.
The president of Embrapa answered questions from producers about contributions to scientific production for the field, and about the importance of investing in technology on rural properties. He said, for example, that “biological nitrogen fixation is one of the most important contributions for the producer, because it represents significant savings in inputs in soybean cultivation”. And he cited the advantages of the technology that benefits the mango production chain, through hydrothermal treatment, a requirement of international markets such as the North American.
“There is no doubt that the adoption of technology increases the sustainability of Brazilian agriculture”, he explained. And he gave as an example the use of drones in crop spraying, without the need to apply it to the entire plantation: “less pesticide, more sustainable systems and less cost and more competitiveness”. For him, “public research institutions are fundamental to offering advantageous solutions at lower costs for Brazilian producers”.
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