Family farmers should have access to new technologies to fuel greater productivity, sustainability and income

Brasilia, 23 April 2021 (IICA). The incorporation of new technologies opens the door for increased productivity and efficiency in any industry, including agriculture.

The most important challenge at this time, which has come to the fore due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is the incorporation of these technologies in a simple, dynamic way and on a mass scale, so that they can be made accessible to all, thus providing opportunities. In agricultural production, the inclusion of small farmers is particularly critical.

These were some of the issues raised by Luciano Braverman, the Director for Education for the Latin American division of technology company, Microsoft, during an interview with the Agro América program, which airs on the Brazilian TV channel Agro Mais.

“The impact that the incorporation of sensors, cameras, data or drone images has on agriculture is incredible. Today, we are achieving things that in the past were impossible to imagine. The convergence of three important technologies—the cloud, big data and artificial intelligence—has a direct impact that creates greater efficiency, in both food production and distribution”, said Braverman.

The expert stressed the need to “democratize” access to new technologies, ensuring that they are not exclusively available to large agribusiness corporations or companies, but also to family farmers, who are responsible for most of the food produced in Latin America and the Caribbean and who maintain the region’s food security.

“Technology should not remain in the hands of only a few”, insisted Braverman. “It should be accessible to small farmers, who should learn to use it, in order to access its benefits. They must be assisted in the process because family farmers sometimes do not have all the necessary information. Thus, we are focusing on learning processes, from basic skills, such as turning on a computer, to the use of mathematic models to apply artificial intelligence in specific areas”.

“Within this vast spectrum, we are working with free material, videos, content and webinars, so that the knowledge can be gradually acquired. We are close to many rural schools and have given them access to our free learning platform. We believe that it is important to empower each individual and each institution”, he added.

As part of a partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Microsoft recently supported various research studies, which placed on the regional public agenda the need to provide rural communities in Latin America and the Caribbean with access to new information and communication technologies.

One of the studies revealed that at least 77 million rural dwellers are unable to access internet services that satisfy minimum quality standards. Another focused on the need to develop digital skills in rural areas, as an essential factor in transitioning and adapting to the jobs of the future.

Braverman explained that the first aim of the joint Microsoft-IDB-IICA studies was to assess the situation in rural areas, explaining that, “The objective was to understand where we are and what are the main challenges, as a means of determining specific actions. It is a process in which we are deeply involved. We need to provide learning tools with free content that will allow people to reinvent themselves. The acquisition of digital skills was already essential, and the pandemic has accelerated this process. In any case, I am one who believes that technology is a means and not an end. For these transformation processes to be efficient, we must continue tapping into our resilience, motivation and creativity”.

The education specialist emphasized the value of connectivity, as a means of providing employment opportunities, generating income and accessing knowledge and the information to perform that work.

“Today we are moving towards digital transformation in practically all spheres. The technological component of jobs is massive, and we look at it in a horizontal way. The impact on agriculture is also significant. There is a concept, known as the six Cs, that identifies the skills that are most needed today: Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Computational Thinking and Coding. When I was a child, my parents told me that I needed to learn English. Now I tell youngsters that the language of today—it is no longer one of the future—is Coding. One must learn coding, learning to speak the language of computers. This also applies 100% to agriculture”.

Furthermore, he said that “Farms are increasingly looking like digital cities. At Microsoft we have developed a program called FarmBeats that incorporates new technologies into farms. Today, the importance of precision technologies and the advantages gained from being able to measure and use data as best as possible to increase productivity in the field is evident. There are many innovative projects taking place in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica and the rest of the region. This is a unique moment in history and we cannot miss the opportunity to become increasingly adept in using these new technologies. There is no need to be afraid. Many of these things are within reach; what matters most is creativity and motivation”.

Braverman also spoke of the need to reduce the gender divide, expounding on the work that Microsoft is undertaking to this end. He indicated that, “We have very inspiring programs to facilitate the increasing incorporation of women into technological spheres. Diversity and the inclusion of women is essential. Work teams that contain diversity always produce much more effective results. We are increasingly seeing women as team leaders in technological areas, which is very good, but we need to keep pushing for this”.

Agro América is a television program on Brazil’s Agro Mais channel, a member of the Grupo Bandeirantes communications group. The program, which arose out of a partnership with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), addresses the current state of the agriculture and rural sector in IICA member countries, in a bid to promote experience sharing and to prompt a discussion on challenges and opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean in agricultural and rural development.

More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int