ConnectFarm is selected to participate in the Cerrado Sustainable Soy Program

ConnectFarm — a data intelligence platform that allows you to monitor vegetation, pasture and cultivation areas — was one of five startups selected to participate in the third cycle of the Cerrado Sustainable Soy Program. The chosen agtechs offer forest regeneration, carbon market, impact mitigation, compliance and environmental monitoring solutions. The companies will compose a portfolio in favor of a sustainable soy supply chain, free from deforestation and conversion of native vegetation.

Land Innovation Fund and AgTech Garage are partners in this initiative, which has strategic support from the Brazilian Industrial Research and Innovation Company (EMBRAPII). The “Cerrado Sustainable Soy Program — promoting entrepreneurship and innovation for deforestation-free production” will initially have around R$2,2 million to support startups. There is the possibility of increasing revenue from the entry of new partners interested in supporting the innovation ecosystem for the sustainability of agribusiness.

During the selection process, alternatives that generate value for the conservation of native vegetation on rural properties in the Cerrado were prioritized. Eleven finalists from a total of 54 registered startups presented solutions to a committee formed by the AgTech Garage team, Land Innovation Fund, Embrapii, Telecommunications Research and Development Center (CPQD) and Cargill. The winners were chosen based on criteria such as innovation, maturity and business model, team profile and environmental impact.

Sustainable alignment

Agtech already participates in initiatives that combine productivity, innovation, sustainability and social impact. Recently, ConnectFarm was chosen by Syngenta to work on the Reverte project, developed in partnership with the NGO The Nature Conservancy (TNC), which wants to recover at least 1 million hectares of degraded land in Brazil over the next five years. Furthermore, the startup is one of the official consultancies of Bayer's Carbono+ project, which aims to connect Brazilian producers to the carbon market. Currently, Connect takes this technology to rural producers in seven states.

According to the CEO of ConnectFarm, Rodrigo Franco Dias, the selection for the Program is in line with a series of initiatives in innovation and sustainable agriculture developed by the startup. In addition to partnerships with multiple companies, the company has a permanent sustainability committee, promotes the digital inclusion of family farmers and small producers in Rio Grande do Sul and, in partnership with a technical school in Rio Grande do Sul, brings biofortified foods to 6 thousand people in situations of of social vulnerability.

“We are happy with the selection for the Cerrado Sustainable Soy Program, by the Land Innovation Fund, AgTech Garage and the Brazilian Industrial Research and Innovation Company (EMBRAPII). We have a natural alignment with the principles of sustainability and value generation. We want to take our technology in favor of sustainable productivity to this new agricultural frontier,” declared CEO, Rodrigo Franco Dias.

A look at the Cerrado

According to the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), the Cerrado lost 8,351 thousand square kilometers of native vegetation in the period from August 2020 to July 2021. This is equivalent to five and a half times the size of the city of São Paulo. The combination of fertile land, water availability and flat relief makes the Cerrado — especially Matopiba, the agricultural border between Maranhão, Piauí, Tocantins and Western Bahia — a region with high potential for agribusiness, particularly for grain planting. , and points to the need for innovative solutions for sustainable agricultural development. 

“The selected initiatives form a portfolio of innovative solutions for rural properties as a whole, capable of contributing to the conservation, restoration or expansion of the area of ​​native vegetation, in dialogue with the main challenges of the international agenda in favor of agricultural sustainability and mitigating climate change”, says Carlos E. Quintela, director of the Land Innovation Fund, one of the program’s partners.

The potential for exchange and complementarity between projects to face some of the biggest challenges on the international agenda of combating deforestation and mitigating climate change was also taken into consideration. “We are happy with the quality of the selected startups. We believe that they can contribute to generating value for the standing forest, stimulating the creation of actions and financial mechanisms favorable to environmental conservation”, says José Tomé, co-founder and CEO of AgTech Garage.

About ConnectFarm

ConnectFarm has been standing out in the Brazilian and international market. There are more than 500 producers in the portfolio located in Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás and Tocantins. The agtech is now preparing to expand its business, with headquarters in the United States and Paraguay.

The startup gained prominence by winning the National Maximum Productivity Challenge of the Brazilian Soy Strategic Committee (CESB), in the "Irrigated" category, in 2020. A property in Boa Vista das Missões (RS) achieved 111,9 bags of soybeans per hectare — while the average production in Brazil is 54,5 bags per hectare.