Last November, IDH celebrated our 15th anniversary with an innovative event. The event was held in Campinas-SP on 29 November and brought together over 60 partners from all over Brazil. The core topic of the event was “Using Data and Artificial Intelligence to Generate Income in Rural Areas”. Throughout the day, experts conducted debates and presented valuable perspectives on the topic.
During the event, the focus was on the growing importance of data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as catalysts to drive modern activities in agriculture, promoting efficiency, innovation and income. In the morning, Ludovino Lopes, a lawyer specializing in Environmental Law and Information Technology, discussed the fundamental principles of data ownership, providing important insights for the sector. “It is imperative to guarantee fairness, security and privacy in operations, through solid regulations,” he pointed out.
Unicamp PhD professor Cristiano Torezzan, representing the Artificial Intelligence Research Centre – Brazilian Institute of Data Science (BI0S), shared views on the challenges and opportunities in implementing AI-based solutions, highlighting their relevance in rural areas. “The implementation of AI-based solutions helps improve decision-making, but the results depend on the quality of the information and the management done during the process,” he said.
In the afternoon, Carla Macário, deputy head of Research and Development at Embrapa Digital Agriculture, addressed issues of governance and data management applied in agricultural research, and provided a comprehensive overview of the importance of these elements to boost the adoption of practices that are more adapted to the specific demands of the sector and the generation of interconnection. “Data needs to be accessible, applicable, measurable and generate new uses,” she recommended.
The CEO of BovControl, Danilo Leão, used practical examples to demonstrate how the monetization of personal data in agribusiness not only generates additional revenue for farmers, but also opens the door to technological innovations that improve operational efficiency and competitiveness. “These solutions create a virtuous cycle of benefits, where farmers receive compensation for the data they provide and companies have access to valuable information that improves the production chain, benefiting the end consumer,” he said.
The event, which was marked by an atmosphere of collaboration and learning, highlighted the growing relevance of the use of data and artificial intelligence, which is essential for modernization in rural areas. It also underlined the fact that ensuring the quality and security of data is crucial to maintaining the trust and transparency of farmers and consumers.
“We are happy to be able to celebrate this moment with our partners by bringing the future of income generation in rural areas to the center of discussions,” said Daniela Mariuzzo, executive director of IDH Brazil.
In addition to the discussions on data and AI, the event also featured the pre-launch of the campaign that will register 1 million calves by 2025 on the Sustainable Calf Production platform, promoting a fully traceable production chain from breeding farms to end consumers.