Murilo Bettarello argues that agronomists are the ones to disperse new digital technologies. He himself supports farmers with his IZ Agro.
because the software gives data regarding international prices and, moreover, about logistics to manage their fleet, for example. “Growers begin to get a more advanced under- standing of their business. Some clients decreased their costs by 30%”, Mr Ivan says.
Academic background José Paulo Molin, president of the Brazilian Precision Agriculture Association and profes- sor at Esalq, argues that agronomists are not programmers. Their role is to interface be- tween innovation and improvement opportu- nities on farms. “Digital farming is in a start-up phase. Agriculture involves many aspects like weather, soil, seeds, plagues and diseases, and every crop has its own features. Agronomists cannot solve everything, merely because their knowledge already covers a wide range”, Mr Molin says. According to him, Brazil does not yet have those new techniques on graduation pro- grammes, despite its 330 agronomy courses. “Adding further courses means to remove oth- ers. So, universities face a kind of stand still,
while digital solutions pop up rapidly”, Mr Mo- lin explains. “There is not one magic innovative tool for all agricultural issues. Anyway, being
Mind the human factor
HR director for Bayer Crop Science, Flavia Ramos, explains that simply knowing about and managing new techniques is not enough. Self-knowledge and interpersonal skills are increasingly crucial. “Digital trans- formation adds a lot of value to the producer and society. It is most essential that talents are willing to learn constantly, as techniques and tools will evolve continuously”, Ms Ramos says. According to her, the profession- al needs a new mind set to be able to feel comfortable in uncomfortable contexts, and be innovative in an environment composed of many factors such as volatility, uncertain- ty, complexity and ambiguity. “Lifelong learning professionals are key to keep up
multidisciplinary and thinking independently are vital for those who want to work in this area”, he concludes.
Flavia Ramos underlines the human factor in technological adoption.
with technological advances. They are quick to adapt to new contexts, break paradigms, co-create and learn fast. Emotional intelli- gence will be essential. So, invest on self- knowledge, empathy, and build emotionally healthy bonds”, she concludes.
▶ FUTURE FARMING | 27 August 2019 23
PHOTO: BAYER
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