Startups from Brazil and abroad present solutions during Digital Agro

Risk management, biodefensive products and property monitoring are some of the solutions presented by the startups that were present at the Frísia Exhibition Pavilion, in Carambeí (PR), in Startup Space. The third edition of Digital Agro brought together the main agtechs on the market. The American Indigo, which was one of the first to achieve the status of “agtech unicorn” and is currently valued at US$3,5 billion, is one of the sponsors of the Space.

AgBiTech, an Australian startup, operates in the biodefensive market and invests in research and innovation for the intelligent management of agricultural pests. SURTIVO Plus, a premix that controls a wide variety of caterpillars, was the solution taken by the company to the fair. CowMed has developed a cow monitoring system. Through the collars developed by the startup, the producer can monitor the animals' rumination, activity and leisure in real time and also receive alerts and management warnings through the application.

Integrated Agribusiness Receivables Management (GIRA) also brought its solutions to the event. It offers a solution for risk management, aiming to assist receivables throughout the process, in order to ensure correct planning and safe execution. The solution also makes it possible to reduce the risks of that operation, enabling access to the capital market.

 Kuhlmann works in agricultural monitoring. O with  developed crosses data from all actors in the chain – producer, banks, tradings, chemical pesticide and fertilizer companies – and provides information that helps those involved to have a real and transparent view of the situation.

The third edition of Digital Agro also presented innovation when it comes to property management. This is the case of AgriWin, which integrates the producer's financial data, such as invoices and internal expenses, helping to control the farm's expenses and profits. The system is automatically updated every day and allows real-time updates by the producer with the platform dynamically. Azship is also a startup focused on management, but in another sphere: logistics. The platform offers facilities for the various agents involved in the process, from the shipper to the transporter, with services such as freight quotation and catalog of carriers and drivers, with cargo monitoring in real time, providing more agile decision-making.

YouAgro has developed an application, available for Android and iOS, to promote interactions between people involved in agribusiness, from the producer to the consumer.

Lectures 

 The second and final day of Digital Agro 2019 (June 13) was also attended by scholars and leading institutions in agriculture. Kevin Kimle, director of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Agricultural Economics at the University of Iowa, in the United States, opened the day's program by talking about innovation and sustainability in agriculture. Kimle made a historical review of the changes that have occurred in the food industry since 1920. “Although we have experienced many changes to date, what should happen in the next ten years will completely change current production patterns and will certainly determine which companies will survive these changes”, highlighted Kimle.

In "Intelligence, management and territorial monitoring applied to the challenges of Brazilian agriculture", Lauro Rodrigues Nogueira Junior, member of the Research and Development department at Embrapa Territorial, presented the work developed by the institution to monitor Brazilian agricultural production. "Brazilian agribusiness feeds 1,5 billion people in the world, it is a giant sector that needs good infrastructure and investment. Between 1976 and 2018, productivity gains saved 128 million hectares from deforestation. A sample of what technology can do for global agriculture", he highlighted. Nogueira also presented the Carponis Project: a high-resolution Brazilian satellite operated by Embrapa that should be launched soon.

Benedito João Gai Neto, general coordinator of Articulation for Innovation at the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), presented Mapa's objectives and initiatives to encourage innovation in Brazil and highlighted the holding of the 1st Regional Agricultural Innovation Forum promoted in Carambeí, on June 11th, and the importance of forming a qualified agenda to advance in this field. “We have a lot of technology available for the field, but we have difficulty disseminating this knowledge. That's why we are creating dissemination programs to take this technology to the end consumer. And despite creating a great demand for innovation in this field, little technology is produced here. We have no doubt that, with everyone's help, Brazil will soon become a major developer of new technologies for the field,” he concluded.