Focused on small and medium-sized rural producers, the initiative also includes the participation of other associated institutions
The advance in the use of digital technologies is pointed out as one of the determining factors for Brazilian agriculture to maintain its productive capacity in a sustainable way, both from an economic, environmental and social point of view. And the participation of small and medium-sized rural producers in this transformation process in the countryside is fundamental. With this focus, the Science Center for Development in Digital Agriculture (CCD-AD/SemeAr) was inaugurated today, 04/11, an initiative of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), linked to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, and the Research Support Foundation of the State of São Paulo (Fapesp), which has CPQD as one of its associated institutions.
Approved at the end of 2022, in a public notice from FAPESP for the creation of virtual centers oriented to specific problems and with social and economic impact, the project will have a total investment of R$ 25 million over the next five years. Its mission will be to act in research, development and innovation in emerging technologies aimed at including small and medium-sized rural producers in the digital transformation process, in order to expand competitiveness and Brazilian agricultural services.
“The technologies and solutions proposed in this project are of crucial importance for the country. We have the most competitive tropical agriculture in global terms, but connectivity in the rural area is very low and the use of digital technologies still leaves much to be desired, especially for small and medium-sized producers”, says Marco Antonio Zago, president of FAPESP. “The development of communication solutions and relevant applications for the different types of cultivation and creation can bring these producers closer to the market and enable tools capable of increasing the productivity and income of these producers”, he adds.
Among the actions foreseen within this initiative is the implementation of ten Agro-Technological Districts (DATs), distributed throughout the state of São Paulo and in other regions of the country, considering the productive diversity and natural resources. Selected based on socioeconomic indicators, the DATs will serve as a basis for identifying bottlenecks in connectivity and the mapping of digital solutions demanded by rural producers, as well as public or private institutions, companies and startups capable of meeting the needs of that local arrangement. As smart farm pilots, the DATs will also allow investigating and validating enabling technologies for the development of prioritized digital solutions for each reality.
For Silvia Masshurá, a researcher at Embrapa Agricultura Digital and responsible for coordinating this project, the expectation is, through the DATs, to promote the connection with multiple actors in the production chains and enable new business models, in order to scale technologies and reduce transaction costs. “The objective is to encourage the integration of digital technologies into rural production processes in an effective and simple way, which meets the real needs of producers, generating socioeconomic impacts in the short and medium term, in addition to offering technological training and the sharing of knowledge and knowledge. practices, with a view to accelerating the adoption of digital technologies”, he emphasizes.
Among the ten DATs planned by the CCD-AD, two have already been implemented in a project led by CPQD and Embrapa, within the SemeAr initiative, created to structure the governance and economic support of this operating model to promote digital agriculture. The first pilots, which serve as a reference for the new project, were established in the São Paulo municipalities of Caconde, a region characterized by the presence of small and medium-sized coffee growers, and São Miguel Arcanjo, which has grape production as its main activity.
The implementation of these DATs contemplated aspects such as connectivity – one of the main challenges for the adoption of innovations in digital agriculture -, provision of services and training. And it involved the participation of local actors, such as rural producers, cooperatives, associations, unions, municipal governments, research institutes, technical assistance and rural extension, companies, service providers and startups. The aim is to validate a viable model, capable of being replicated in other locations in Brazil, generating subsidies for public policies and other initiatives in the field of digital agriculture.
“The CCD-AD/SemeAr project provides connectivity and the implementation of digital solutions in different regions of the country, with different needs and challenges. Thus, in places where connectivity infrastructure already exists, the idea is to take advantage of what is available. But the project's strategy also foresees the choice of locations that present connectivity challenges that will demand the research and development of innovative solutions. And this can be done using the skills of CPQD and partners in the area of connectivity technologies”, explains Alberto Paradisi, director of CPQD and one of the deputy directors of CCD-AD/SemeAr.
Paradisi observes that the diversity of actors is an important factor for the success of the project, as has been shown by the experience at the São Miguel Arcanjo DAT, which attracted companies and suppliers of different solutions and services – among them, a local internet provider, equipment and satellite link providers and several startups. “It is a very interesting experience, which shows the importance of attracting different actors”, he says.
Embrapa Digital Agriculture, located in Campinas, is the headquarters institution of CCD-AD/SemeAr. The project also has as associated institutions, in addition to CPQD, the Luiz de Queiroz School of Agriculture of the University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP), the Agronomic Institute (IAC), the Institute of Agricultural Economics (IEA), the National of Telecommunications (Inatel) and the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA).
