The contribution of technology contained in the concept of Agriculture 4.0 was the subject of a debate held by CEBDS this Tuesday (29), in São Paulo. During the meeting, which was part of the series of events Breaking Walls, experts exchanged experiences on the subject and participated in the launch of the publication Agriculture 4.0, available on the CEBDS website.
One of the pieces of information highlighted in the paper is that the agricultural sector is one of the main sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Brazil and worldwide. At the same time, it is the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which frames the issue as a survival factor for the activity.
“It is very difficult to have this discussion based on sustainability, because we always talk more about Agriculture 4.0 with a focus on productivity,” said Guilherme Raucci, Director of New Business at Agrosmart.
What is Agriculture 4.0
Agriculture 4.0 consists of a set of advanced technologies integrated and connected through software, digital systems and field equipment capable of bringing more information, monitoring, precision and efficiency to agricultural production. Among the most present aspects of Agriculture 4.0 is hyperconnectivity with a focus on data generation.
The goal is to generate information on the most diverse aspects involved in the decision-making process in production. Resulting from the phenomenon known as the “fourth industrial revolution”, the concept tends to become an important resource in the coming years to make the agri-food chain more sustainable and resilient to the effects of climate change. Although Agrosmart was founded with a focus on productivity, Guilherme Raucci stated that data generation has always played a central role in the solutions developed by the company.
“From the beginning, we knew we had to help with decision-making. Today, there are many technologies, and it is common for producers to say that they cannot differentiate between these technologies, that they are not integrated. That is why we propose to make this integration,” said the director of Agrosmart, which is considered a reference in Brazil among AgTechs, that is, companies specialized in technologies for the agricultural sector.
Incentives for AgTechs
The Supervisor of Environments, Networks and Initiatives of Embrapa, Cleidson Nogueira Dias, assessed that AgTechs that are born from a technological base tend to be prepared in relation to the segment in which they operate, but they deal with a risky business. Therefore, he states, they need to prepare themselves.
“Companies need to think about how to plan their business model in a scalable and sustainable way. The company needs to know the market, test hypotheses, evaluate its investment and evaluate investments,” Dias said.
The Embrapa superintendent cited among the state-owned company's initiatives to stimulate AgTechs the following: Bridges to Innovation, carried out with several partners in the financing area with the purpose of developing the acceleration of startups. Applications for this year's edition of the program will be open until the 3rd.
Bridges for Innovation was held for the first time in 2017, with 42 applicants and 7 finalists. In 2018, there were 72 applicants and 8 finalists. In this third edition, the program brings new partners who present their main technological challenges in agribusiness. In this way, the possibilities and connections with investors, accelerators, partners and potential clients are expanded.
According to Angélica Rotondaro, founder and consultant at Alimi Impact Ventures, innovation in the sector demands impact investments, but there are still difficulties in gathering indicators and, consequently, traceability for those who apply the resources.
“This measurement has a lot to do with the certification bodies, to verify traceability. We have just concluded a project with a Dutch foundation, Rabobank, which seeks precisely this, which is to identify producers to provide technical assistance and a line of credit for those who cannot access Pronaf (National Program for Strengthening Agriculture),” he said.
More traceability in agriculture with blockchain
Blockchain was one of the aspects discussed during the meeting regarding traceability and information. The practice creates an opportunity for small producers, with the possibility of accessing new markets. The reason is to meet increasingly greater demands for information related to products.
“It’s a way for companies to share information and interact with each other. Once you create a blockchain network, you have the opportunity to create new value,” said Percival Lucena, IBM’s Blockchain leader. “Building these networks is not easy, but today we offer the IBM Food Trust, with more than 500 different products from companies that are collaborating with each other. The big issue is this, that is, uniting the links in the chain for common interests.”
Bayer’s Director of Environment and Agriculture Strategy for Latin America, Alessandra Cerdeira, noted that the general public’s perception of innovation in the food production chain is still low. “We believe that Agriculture 4.0 will help maintain biodiversity, whether through reducing GHG emissions, reducing environmental impact, reducing land use, or even ensuring food security. Bayer is aware of this. Our sustainability commitment takes this into consideration, and perhaps agriculture will play a more incisive and recognized role in this process.”
The coordinator of the CEBDS Agroclimatic Intelligence program, Felipe Cunha, noted that the solutions presented in the publication indicate the relevance of the agricultural sector in efforts to combat the effects of climate change. “Climate is also a production factor for agriculture. The WBCSD launched this initiative called Agroclimatic Intelligence, and Agriculture 4.0 has been emerging as a solution.”
Possible solutions for Agriculture 4.0 in combating climate change:
More accurate analysis models of climate, environment and productivity;
High precision sensors for monitoring agricultural equipment;
Biotechnology;
Hyperconnectivity (big data, cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), remote operation);
Geographic Information System (e.g. GPS, satellite images, geoprocessing);
Robotics and use of drones;
Artificial intelligence
