Bayer introduced new guided recommendation tool. The development is part of Pro Carbono, a Brazilian carbon program focused on agriculture, which supports rural producers in adopting regenerative practices.
Starting next semester, the tool will be available to farmers and consultants participating in the program. Using data collected from more than 300 soil samples and machine learning algorithms from the Climate FieldView platform, the tool seeks to facilitate the construction of effective management plans for sequestering carbon in the soil and reducing CO2 emissions. In addition to improving soil health and productivity, the tool boosts biodiversity by promoting the diversification of plants and microbiota.
Users of the tool will be able to view three different scenarios for their management plans, each with a projected average cost for implementation over the next four years. Recommendations range from conservation interventions to reducing the environmental footprint, with options ranging from basic to advanced.
The solution will be integrated into the Conecta Pro Carbono platform, which centralizes information on grain production and productive areas, offering data quality, transparency and traceability. At the end of the process, producers and consultants will have access to summaries of management plans and technical guides for implementing suggested practices.
Bayer also collaborated with Raix and AG Croppers to develop an exclusive portfolio of Pro Carbono cover crops, available for purchase with special commercial conditions for program participants.
Fabio Passos (pictured left), leader of Bayer's carbon business for Latin America, emphasizes that the tool not only benefits farmers with clear and precise guidelines, but also projects safer future scenarios and helps reduce the carbon footprint in grain marketing.
"The tool will provide a more managerial view of properties and will support consultants and farmers from the next semester onwards", says Passos. He highlights the objective of unifying data, generating credibility and scaling scientific knowledge, highlighting the positive impact that the initiative will have on the agricultural industry as a whole.
The producer will be able to customize his recommendation strategy, having multiple alternatives available: for carbon sequestration, the tool will provide the cost, sequestration potential, number of different species planted, days of bare soil, rotation intensity, rotation diversity and persistence of straw. As for emission, the tool will bring factors such as increased productivity, replacement of fertilizers, not disturbing the soil and application at a variable rate instead of a fixed one.
Finally, the tool will have, in total, 6 coverage mixes available with 17 different varieties, aligned with the needs of different biomes in the country and produced in partnership with Raix and AgCroppers. The inputs can be redeemed by rural producers through Orbia, the company's marketplace, with exclusive commercial conditions as they are participants in PRO Carbono.
To ensure broad coverage, 3 coverage mixes will be aimed at the subtropical region and 3 at the tropical region. Among the species covered are brachiaria, crotolaria, millet, buckwheat, white oats, Japanese turnip and forage pea.
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