According to the United Nations (UN) World Population Prospects 2022 Report, the world could reach 10 billion people by 2050.
To produce enough food to supply this population, the adoption of innovative, sustainable and very high quality agriculture has become increasingly relevant.
And Brazilian agribusiness, aware of this demand, has already been implementing the technology and expertise necessary to increase field productivity in the field.
In 1977, the country produced around 46 million tons of grain, according to information from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa). The projections of the National Supply Company (Conab) indicate that the 22/23 harvest will produce a record volume of 312 million tons.
Yes, in less than 50 years, the country has gone from being a food importer to one of the biggest exporters of agricultural commodities.
Innovation in the field
The expressive growth is the result of investment in technological innovations, intensified from the 1970s onwards, when new cultivation techniques allowed the production of two crops within the same year, a phenomenon until then extremely rare on the world stage.
In the 1990s, the use of transgenics increased the resistance and durability of seeds, even in the face of challenging environments, such as lack or excess of water, and represented another advance towards increased productivity.
As early as the early 2000s, precision agriculture led to increased production with greater efficiency and sustainability of economic and environmental resources. Through advanced technologies and the process of collecting and analyzing data from the areas, the ideal conditions for the cultivation of the main agricultural crops are identified, contributing to a more assertive decision-making. In other words, precision agriculture has been helping to ensure ideal conditions for farming, whether through monitoring and pest control, pesticide application, irrigation and others.
Sustainability in rural areas
Sustainable agriculture is one that invests in productivity, but does not give up respect for the environment, social justice and economic viability. However, the way to balance this balance and harmony between nature and production involves the development of cutting-edge technologies and sustainable management practices that allow the agricultural sector to mitigate its negative impacts.
As for the rational use of water, for example, the sector has been adopting more efficient management systems that, adapted to climate variations and the specific circumstances of the place, optimize the resource used and, at the same time, increase yields from the volume captured.
Regarding the soil, the sustainable agriculture model invests in the preservation of its good conditions, through irrigation and drainage systems and crop rotation, to avoid erosion, a problem that impairs agricultural capacity.
Another important movement in sustainable agriculture in Brazil is the use of biofuel, a renewable and less polluting source of energy, which used in the supply of machines and vehicles has helped to mitigate CO2 emissions.
Still in terms of carbon emissions caused by fires, soil degradation, and swamp drainage, among other factors, low-carbon agriculture has adopted practices such as the no-tillage system, recovery of degraded areas, crop-livestock integration -forest (ILPF) and crop rotation, which in addition to reducing the loss of CO2 to the atmosphere, also capture this gas and incorporate it into the soil.
Agronomy professionals: the rural producer’s partners
To meet the demands of agribusiness, balance the increase in productivity in the field and the reduction of environmental impacts, the sector relies on the expertise of agronomist, forestry, agricultural, fisheries, meteorologists and aquaculture engineers.
With in-depth knowledge of the technical part and connected with the main trends in both the technology and business areas, these professionals act as development agents, seeking to align with market demands. Focusing on management and strategies, but without forgetting to look at the needs of the field, they interact with all links in the production chain and offer more security in decision-making.
From planning to the execution of services related to the production and exploitation of natural resources, agronomy professionals are the rural producer’s partners for a more assertive decision-making.
Yes, agronomy is part of everyone’s daily life, making agricultural production one of Brazil’s greatest riches. And to guide, monitor and improve the ethical and legal practice of these professionals are Confea (Federal Council of Engineering and Agronomy, Crea (Regional Council of Engineering and Agronomy) and Mutua, the Assistance Fund for Creas Professionals. With the support of these entities, they transform agriculture into a source of food, innovation and sustainability, and impact the development of the entire country.
Source: CNN Brasil
