USDA representatives present the Fertilize 4 Life project in São Paulo

With the aim of increasing the efficiency of fertilizer use and reducing the need to import the product, representatives from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) were at the São Paulo Department of Agriculture and Supply (SAA), to present the project Fertilize 4 Life (F4L) and learn about the entire technological and scientific structure of the Institutos da Pasta.

The initiative seeks to bring the US Department of Agriculture closer together, together with Embrapa, the University of Florida (UF) and the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC). At the moment, there are more than 50 researchers involved in the development of four fronts: big data, soil management, fertilizer composition and the Crop Livestock Forest Integration system (ILPF).

“The importance of SAA getting closer to the USDA, especially Fertilize 4 Life, is strategic for the state and the country. After all, we need to understand the best way to use fertilizer resources and the technological alternatives we have to reduce consumption and increase production”, said the coordinator of the Secretariat's Technical Advisory and International Affairs, Alberto Amorim.

It is worth noting that Brazil registered a record volume of fertilizer imports in January this year. The Logistics Bulletin of the National Supply Company (Conab) reports current consumption of 2,77 million tons, compared to 2,41 million in the same month of the previous year, an increase of 15% in movement. The current war situation in Ukraine has led to an increase in international fertilizer prices, with both Brazil and the USA being major importers of these inputs.

At the meeting, the current scenario of food production in the face of population growth was also discussed, with the purpose of aligning effective measures to minimize food insecurity in the country and the world. Furthermore, on practices to support and accelerate innovation in tropical agriculture and agri-food in São Paulo and Brazil and compliance with the climate agenda.

“Apta, the São Paulo Agribusiness Technology Agency, encompasses seven research institutes, distributed across 40 cities in the State of São Paulo, bringing together 500 scientists who carry out research, knowledge transfer and technology development. Our most recent action was the creation of Apta Hub, a space to connect all this research knowledge and startups, with the intention of promoting technological advancement and generating businesses that benefit agribusiness and society”, explains Carlos Nabil Ghobril, coordinator of Agência Paulista of Agribusiness Technology (Apta).

Present were the Technical-Scientific Council of the Agronomic Institute of Campinas and Director of the Soil and Fertilizer Research Center Heitor Cantarella, the agricultural advisor, Michael Conlon and the coordinator of the Fertilize 4 Life (F4L) project, Marcela Formiga from the USDA of Brazil .