Startup from Paraná combines productivity, economy and sustainability in agribusiness

Monitor, plan and control. The triad is part of the daily life of rural producers who, when seeking to increase the productivity of their plots, need to monitor the land, plan activities and inputs and control investments and returns. Not by chance, these three words are also part of the operating basis of a startup in Palotina, western Paraná, which also seeks to offer other elements: economy, sustainability and increased productivity.

Based on georeferencing technologies, NetWord Agro monitors soils by generating nutritional maps that indicate the need to apply, or not, fertilizers at variable rates, also indicating the agents causing damage to crops long before they cause losses to production.

“Through the technologies we use, the farmer is able to visualize the entire soil on his property, visualizing the nutritional deficiencies of small plots and also anticipating which points may be affected by pests, diseases and weeds. With this, he can reduce costs, increase productivity and profitability and reduce the environmental impact, as he will use agricultural pesticides to reach the target areas and not the entire property”, explains the CEO and founder of NetWord Agro, Marcos Ferronato.

With technology, the startup already has several titles under its belt. Officially entering the market in 2017, it was a finalist for the Inovativa Brasil 2018 award; AIT Swiss 2019 award winner; winner of the SDG Awards 2019; finalist at AMCHAM Arena 2019 and holds a title at SDG Super Heroes 2020.

Based on these recognitions and the automation of integrated soil and crop management (pests, diseases and weeds), for use in precision agriculture, which generates cost reduction and increased profitability, the startup has become a “giant” in the world. digital agribusiness and already has contracts with companies such as Biosev, Corteva and Cargill, with expansion in several states in Brazil and Paraguay.

The technology, however, also benefits small rural producers. During the 2019/2020 soybean summer harvest, several properties were monitored using a standardized method to ensure scientific rigor and data reliability.

In Guaíra, a city that borders Mato Grosso do Sul and borders Paraguay, a producer had around 49 hectares monitored by NetWord Agro. In space, the standard productivity was 55,74 bags of soybeans/ha. With soil management carried out using the startup's solutions and technologies, there was a 19% increase in productivity, representing an additional 10,67 bags per hectare. Furthermore, investments in agricultural pesticides also decreased: after the work carried out by the startup, there was a 29% reduction in herbicide costs and a 44% reduction in insecticide costs, saving the producer more than R$24.