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Meet the professional behind the power of Brazilian agribusiness
Field workers are increasingly going beyond manual techniques, building a new profile with an innovative look and technological familiarity and collaborating for even more efficient agribusiness.
Agribusiness is a market that does not stop growing in Brazil. Even with the economic adversities caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the sector was one of the only ones that had a positive impact on 2020 GDP and continues to deliver great value. Behind these results is the rural worker, whose profession is celebrated on May 25.
Although this professional is often still portrayed as a person dedicated only to manual labour, the reality is that this scenario has been changing increasingly in recent years. Today, 84% of Brazilian farmers use at least one technology as a tool to support their work, according to a study by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Company (Embrapa) in partnership with the Brazilian Support Service for Micro and Small Enterprises (Sebrae) and the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) — and the prospect is that the number will grow increasingly.
"Traditional production techniques and the vast tacit knowledge of producers will continue to occupy a central role in rural processes. However, the new digital reality requires professionals in the area to be open and prepared to connect with the changes that happen in agribusiness and in the world, in the continuous search for improvement of results," comments Bernardo de Castro, president of Hexagon's Agriculture division, which provides digital solutions for the field.
With innovative software and hardware that optimise from planning to analysis of field operations, the digital transformation is consolidating. With it comes the formation of a new profile of the rural worker: if previously it was enough to have knowledge about agronomy, meteorology and logistics then today, understanding information technology and digital tools are already prerequisites.
Characteristics such as a technical and analytical look, capable of interpreting the data presented by the new technological solutions and making decisions in an agile and precise manner, become essential, according to Bernardo. “The knowledge about the application of technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence and Edge Computing will no longer be a differential and will become a necessity for those who want to stay ahead of field operations soon”, complements.
The other agribusiness professionals
Rural workers remains the protagonist of rural productions. However, it is with the support of technologies for the sector that they have been able to constantly increase productivity and efficiency in their operations.
Therefore, the profile of the agribusiness professional is currently expanded, counting not only on agronomic science professionals, but also on other areas of engineering, software developers, computer and data researchers and scientists. "They are the ones who contribute to the creation and dissemination of these technologies used by teams in the field and by business managers. Control and automation engineers, aerospace and mechatronics, for example, have a growing role in agribusiness productivity with their collaborations for agricultural automation and precision agriculture", reinforces Bernardo.
Whether in the future or in the present, it is the concern with innovation that marks the new profile of the agribusiness professional and that allows this market, so historically important for the country, to maintain its growth even in the midst of adversity.