PHOTO: LINDSAY CORPORATION
PHOTO: AGROSMART
INPUT EFFICIENCY ▶▶▶
Precision tools reinforce sustainability of farms in Brazil
S BY DANIEL AZEVEDO
ustainability is likely to be one of the best consequences of precise and in- novative tools in agriculture. By using less resources to produce more and
mitigating environmental impact over an en- tire chain, those technologies become a kind of prescription without contra-indications. Saving inputs (water, fertilisers, agrochemicals, electricity) and gaining more productivity at the same time, agriculture can face the chal- lenge of feeding the world. Improvements can be achieved of 20%, 30% and up to 60% in some cases, depending on the features of each property. It is exactly what these four in- novative companies bellow are doing. Check them out:
Agronomic intelligence Agrosmart is one of the leading digital agricul- ture platforms in Latin America, helping produc- ers to make better decisions in the field and be more efficient and resilient to climate change. The company generates recommendations by monitoring crops through satellite imagery and sensors, interpreting plant needs in real time
Innovative solutions already deliver more efficiency on the usage of chemicals, fertilisers, water, workforce and electricity across the country.
regarding irrigation, diseases and pests. This system saves up to 60% water, 40% elec- trical energy, 33% of chemicals and increases productivity by up to 15%, making the crop smarter. Step by step, the system starts with climate, soil and atmosphere data collection in real time by sensors or manually. The second step is to integrate and relate that info to a vast data platform. Finally, it allows a high lev- el of agronomic intelligence through Data Science for recommendations, insights, KPIs and benchmarks. “The improvement depends on the level of prac- tices in each farm. However, every farmer can develop and achieve better results in sustaina- bility, efficiency and profitability if they have an effective system to provide info and analysis,” explains Raphael Pizzi, product director. AgroSmart already covers 210,000 hectares all over Brazil and has 120 clients, among small and big properties. Their technologies are ap- plied in several cultures, from grains (soy, maize,
hop and wheat) to coffee, fruits (mangos, guava, grapes and coconut) and cotton.
Confident water saving advice Lindsay offers, in Brazil, a package of technolo- gies that allows the saving of up to 40% of wa- ter, 40% of energy and 70% of workforce for growers and farmers. Using remote control, the FieldNet device manages irrigation pivots in 2,500 properties (140,000 hectares), increasing dramatically its efficiency and related processes inside farms as well. As if that was not enough, the company launched last April, a complementary solution in Brazil called FieldNet Advisor. “The tool is simple and intuitive to help growers make bet- ter-informed, more confident irrigation deci- sions. It saves time with quick and easy-to-un- derstand irrigation recommendations and alerts, avoiding crop water stress, yield loss, and nutrient leaching to maximise profitabili- ty,” says Bruno Perroni, commercial manager of Lindsay Brazil. During the last Brazilian harvest, FieldNet Advisor beta version was tested in Goiás, São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul. This technology is cutting edge with regard to irrigation sys- tems. With more and better information re- garding soil water demands, professional irrigators saved a further 20%. “For customers who have no support, this saving tends to come in with better results, more than 40%. Efficiency is a relevant aid for business and sustainability,” Mr Perroni says.
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FieldNet Advisor dashboard is friendly for farmers. ▶ FUTURE FARMING | 24 May 2019
Less fertiliser, more production Digital Farms suggests a solution, appointing a sensible usage of those resources. By georefer- enced maps and soil analysis, the system con- cluded that farms often use up to three times more inputs in some areas than they really
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