Embrapa and Jacto form a partnership on a digital inclusion project in the countryside

Embrapa Digital Agriculture (Campinas/SP) and Jacto signed a partnership to validate sensors for portable equipment to be used in the Agrotechnological Districts (DATs) of the Semear Digital Center. The actions aimed at precision agriculture will initially reach small and medium-sized producers in three of the ten municipalities that are part of the Semear Digital project, financed by Fapesp.

Caconde/SP, São Miguel Arcanjo/SP and Vacaria/RS are the Agrotechnological Districts (DATs) of the Science Center for Development in Digital Agriculture (Semear Digital) covered by the initiative. Farmers will participate in research, innovation and technology transfer actions provided for in the cooperation agreement signed during the 29th Hortitec held between 19 and 21/06, in Holambra/SP.

Semear Digital works to find solutions adapted to the different rural realities in the country and, through partnerships, identifies connectivity bottlenecks and proposes communication solutions, in addition to researching, developing and validating enabling technologies for digital solutions. The project also focuses on training producers, agricultural technicians and consultants in digital technologies through producer associations, cooperatives, public or private rural extension offices.

Union of efforts 

“Increasingly, those who have accurate information about what they are producing will differentiate themselves and add value to production. The initiative should help the segment a lot, with which we already work,” he said. Carlos Daniel Haushahn (in the photo above, right), CEO of Jacto's Portable Equipment line. At the signing, the director highlighted the importance of associating the company with Embrapa's digital agriculture project.

The coffee and fruit production chains will be reached by the initiative, which should open up new opportunities in other chains and regions. The expectation is to Stanley Oliveira (in the photo above, left), general head of Embrapa Digital Agriculture, who signed the agreement for the institution. “The innovative initiative in the segment should help fill labor gaps and accelerate the automation process in fruit estimation, already adopted on large properties and for grains”, highlighted Oliveira.

The action plan relating to the partnership will be developed over the two years of the agreement, aiming to validate and improve the sensors in portable equipment and includes the coordination of research teams with focal points of the DATs.

There are also plans to validate the system for apple farming, digitize data in coffee farming for certification purposes and collect a variety of data in fruit farming. The Research and Development Support Foundation (Faped) is also a partner in the technical cooperation agreement.