John Deere presents agricultural production 4.0 of Brazilian agriculture in the USA

Due to its engagement in disseminating topics related to food production and sustainability, mainly regarding the use of the ILPF (Crop-Livestock-Forest Integration) system, John Deere was the only private company in the sector to speak at two seminars at the invitation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), in the United States, last week. "Tropical Sustainable Agriculture Best Practices", in Washington DC, and "Investment Opportunities on Brazilian Sustainable", in New York. Aimed at opinion makers, investors and institutions, the events aimed to demonstrate investment opportunities in Brazil with a focus on agribusiness.

"John Deere has a clear vision that Brazil has a vocation: feeding the world. We have a climate that allows us to explore all the agronomic potential and technologies in the field, with total respect for the environment, which leads us to occupy the highest positions in responsible agricultural productivity. Producing and preserving are the greatest strengths of Brazilian agriculture", highlighted Herrmann.

To exemplify this thought, Herrmann shared with the audience data on three major milestones in Brazilian agriculture over the last 40 years, in terms of sustainability and productivity. The first of these was the development of agricultural production in no-till, in the 70s, which results in a carbon sequestration potential of the order of 1,5 ton CO2 eq/ha.year, compared to conventional planting systems. Around 60% of the planted area in Brazil (35 million hectares) uses this system, while of the total planted area in the world, only 12% use direct planting.

Another notable achievement was the growth of second crop (safrinha) and even the third grain harvest annually, which has led Brazil to break agricultural production records each year.

The third major milestone, highlighted Herrmann, has been the successful adoption of ILPF, promoting the advancement of low-carbon agriculture that led Brazil to meet some environmental targets assumed in the Paris Climate Agreement ahead of the deadline. According to the Brazilian government's commitment, the country should reach 9 million hectares covered with ILPF by 2030. However, according to data from the ILPF Network (public-private organization led by Embrapa, with support from John Deere since its creation) , Brazilian farmers already apply this agricultural management technique on around 15 million hectares. In other words, almost double the target initially established, more than a decade in advance.

Looking to the future, the president of John Deere highlighted Brazil's agronomic and environmental potential through the adoption of cutting-edge technologies. Herrmann commented on the advances of the John Deere Operations Support Center - a technological data analysis platform -, made possible by a pioneering service from the company in Brazil: Rural Connectivity.

Aiming to contribute to the greater productive efficiency of Brazilian farmers, John Deere took the lead in discussions and alternatives to meet one of the greatest challenges facing rural producers: the deficiency in telecommunications infrastructure in rural areas, which until then had been preventing farmers from being able to use the technological potential of machines to their fullest. Conceptually launched in 2018 in partnership with Trópico, the Rural Connectivity service is now available to all producers in the country. "It is agriculture 4.0 that is expanding rapidly in Brazil, consolidating the country's essential role in feeding a growing world", finished.