Information is key for agriculture to face criticism

The need to generate and make available data on Brazilian agriculture, especially regarding production sustainability, has been emphasized in discussions at the 10th Brazilian Soybean and Mercosoja Congress, taking place this week in Campinas, SP. At the opening conference of the program this Wednesday (23), Professor Edivaldo Domingues Velini, from Unesp/Botucatu, presented information on the sustainable aspects of the rural sector.

From an economic perspective, agriculture exports more than it imports, keeping not only the sector's trade balance positive, but also the country's. A graph with historical data dating back to 1988, displayed by the speaker, shows that Brazil's trade balance has almost always remained positive. However, when the agricultural sector is excluded from the equation, it becomes negative starting in the 2000s.

The field's production also plays a decisive role in Brazil's energy matrix. Biomass accounts for 32,56% of Brazil's energy consumption. Biodiesel provides more energy than solar systems, and the volume generated would be enough to supply all of Uruguay, the professor stated. Brazil's energy matrix is 49% renewable, well above the global average of 14%. "But Brazil, without biomass, would be like the rest of the world," warned Velini.

A common criticism of Brazilian agribusiness, the volume of pesticides used in Brazil needs to be analyzed in perspective, the speaker argued. "It's a complex country, with intensive agriculture across vast areas, and many comparisons don't make sense," he pointed out. Brazilian agriculture leads the ranking in absolute value of pesticide purchases, but drops to 7th and 14th place when considering the value per hectare and per ton of product, respectively. In the case of herbicides, Brazil also leads in total volume consumed, but falls below the world average when analyzing the rates per cultivated area and per yield obtained.

Velini argued that even these indicators aren't the most appropriate. He advocates the use of indices that assess application safety for workers, consumers, and the environment, such as the Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ). Considering this indicator, safety has improved in sugar, sugarcane, corn, and soybean crops, the professor emphasized.

Despite presenting a wealth of data, Velini highlighted the lack of accessible historical data on Brazilian agriculture. "Take databases seriously. We need information, and it needs to be accessible," he emphasized. According to him, data is key to addressing one of the main challenges facing agriculture: communicating with society.

The professor also highlighted the country's missed opportunities due to underinvestment in research, development, and innovation. "I can't imagine where we would be if, instead of R$20 billion, we were investing R$200 billion in research," he stated. "What does Brazil need in the short term? Data sets and partnerships for research innovation." In the long term, he believes that increased investment requires a more profound shift in the allocation of public resources.