The Technograph

Whether it’s a simple mechanical pencil or a fancy computer, it will most likely say ”Made In Japan. “ Even the United States has begun putting their label of production on items. What many don’t realize is that new technology is rising all around the globe, and its effects are rippling across the oceans. While it may not be an en electronic item we use every day, Brazil’s new rise in farming technology is something that must be paid close attention to.

The idea of a farming economy can be a thought easily brushed off. Through the past decade, Brazil’s investment in new farming technology has significantly contributed to its economy. Its farming industry has been estimated to be worth $250 billion dollars while it produces roughly 35% of the country’s exports. (Hanson, 2010).

Brazilians’ concentration in creating new farming technology relies on the working solutions of the past. Conservative Agriculture (CA), the preferred method used by farmers in this South American nation, implements three main basic forms of operation. At the top of the list is crop residue management, which “aims at making the soil surface suitable for new crops by protecting it with biomass.” While exhausting the soil of all its nutrients by over planting is currently not too strong of an issue in Brazil, by managing the residue correctly, it reduces weeds and the need for other harmful herbicides. Additionally, Brazil has been working on a critical part of farming: seeding. While the advantages of a plough may be many, there has also been work on machines that just as effectively cut into the biomass covering, which allows the injection of seeds and fertilizers and covers them back up in one swift move.

While everyone is hurrying to get a piece of the money pie, the main player in Brazil’s agricultural sector has been Embrapa, a national company started in 1973 that has helped generate and recommend more than 9,000 technologies for Brazilian agriculture. Consisting of 38 research centers and over 8,000 employers, it places a high emphasis on education as a solution; 74% of its over 2,000 researchers hold a doctoral degree in a related field.

As the positive effects have been seen with the rise of production in new farming technology within Brazil, many countries are on the lookout to benefit from the enterprise. The most obvious countries to benefit are South African countries, which not only share similar latitudes with the Amazonian giant, but also a similar resemblance in soil content. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, or the FAO, countries such as Kenya have been implementing the basic farming techniques of Brazil (such as crop residue and weed management) and have seen immediate improvements.

As Brazil remains the world’s main producer of coffee, oranges, and sugar cane, it may be very possible that we will begin to see an additional increase of other food productions to the list due to its rise in farming technology.

Tagged with: brazil, farms, farming, FAO