Key Takeaways
- Topcon Agriculture has released a new report, “From barriers to progress: Accelerating the adoption of technology by Brazilian farmers,” examining precision agriculture adoption in Brazil.
- The report draws on input from agricultural research scientists, farmers and industry studies to outline how wider technology adoption could help produce food more efficiently, profitably and sustainably.
- It identifies practical, economic and political issues as common constraints on ag tech adoption in Brazil, even as lower-cost precision solutions become more accessible to farms of all sizes.
- The report says autosteering and variable-rate systems have the potential to save millions of hours and thousands of liters and tons of inputs, from fuel to fertilizer.
- Contributors include experts from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and a farmer based in São Paulo, Brazil. The report is available in Portuguese.
Topcon Agriculture Releases Report on Precision Ag Adoption in Brazil
Topcon Agriculture has released a new report examining the barriers and opportunities in the adoption of precision agriculture technology in Brazil. The report, titled “From barriers to progress: Accelerating the adoption of technology by Brazilian farmers,” draws on input from agricultural research scientists, farmers and industry studies to outline how wider technology adoption can help produce more food efficiently, profitably and sustainably. Brazil is described in the report as a major contributor to the global food supply, producing export commodities including soybeans, sugarcane, beef and coffee, and viewed as a country capable of expanding output to meet rising global food demand.
“Brazil's agriculture is not just nationally important. It is globally important for food security, economic stability, and environmental sustainability,” said Bruno Lucio, director of Topcon Agriculture in Latin America.
Barriers to Technology Adoption Identified by Topcon Agriculture
According to the report, precision technology such as machine guidance and autosteering was initially adopted mainly by large-scale operations, but advances have made these tools more accessible to farms of all types and sizes, including small grazing livestock farms, horticultural businesses and fruit operations. Lower-cost solutions are now available to help producers reduce field inputs, fuel use and labor hours. Still, the report finds that ag tech adoption in Brazil is often constrained by practical, economic and political issues.
“This report sets out some of the circumstances that support that claim and backs them with comments and statistics from across the food and agriculture sector,” said Lucio. “It calls for stronger collaboration between industry stakeholders, government agencies and research institutions for expanded access to financing, investing in rural connectivity infrastructure and strengthening farmer education and technical support programs.”
Expert Perspectives on Brazil's Agricultural Future
The report includes contributions from Vitor H. V. Mondo, innovation ecosystems supervisor at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa); Ricardo Inamasu, a research scientist at Embrapa; and João Pierobon, a farmer based in São Paulo, Brazil, among other industry experts.
“Technologies that reduce complexity, improve interoperability, demonstrate clear return on investment, and support decision-making at the farm level are likely to play a central role in expanding adoption across different production systems,” said Vitor H. V. Mondo.
Key Findings and Recommendations
The report highlights precision technologies as key to making farms more productive, noting that solutions such as autosteering and variable-rate systems have the potential to save millions of hours and thousands of liters and tons of inputs, from fuel to fertilizer. The full report is available in Portuguese on Topcon's website.
