Índice de digitalização e tecnologias de produtores de soja brasileiros

Abstract

"With the increase in population and the growing demand for food, it becomes clear that producing more within the same geographical space requires the use of innovations and technologies that optimize and maximize productivity. The digital transformation process in rural properties is no longer an option; it is an essential path to make Brazilian agriculture more competitive and of higher value. Based on this, the Aquarius Project emerged in the year 2000, a pioneering project in studies and research in the field of Precision Agriculture. Over more than twenty years of research with reliable results that have brought precision agriculture to rural producers. With the emergence of what is known as Digital Agriculture, rural producers find themselves increasingly in need of integrating with the digital world and maximizing their production processes. In light of this, this project was motivated by the fact that technologies are gaining more ground in the rural landscape, where their use involves the consolidation of data, information, and results for agribusiness, and can be seen as a great ally to the producer. Thus, this research sought to understand which digital agriculture technologies are most commonly used by Brazilian soybean producers and aimed to understand the level of adoption and usage. This study was conducted with 446 rural producers who cultivate Soy (Glycine max L.) in the following states: RS, PR, MS, SP, MG, GO, MT, and BA. An online questionnaire with 36 questions was made available with the aim of understanding the characterization of the evaluated agricultural area, the technologies and services adopted, and the use of information for decision-making. Therefore, the results, as evidenced by statistical tests and research from other studies, show that the adoption and use of digital agriculture tools and services by soybean producers in Brazil are at an INTERMEDIATE level, where farmers are gradually introducing digital agriculture technologies into their properties, and this scenario has a great potential for growth due to the evolution and globalization of the world. Technologies such as autopilot, digital field contouring, georeferenced sampling, fertilizer maps, variable rate maps for lime and fertilizers, internet access, and smartphone usage are the most adopted by the respondents. It was observed that large rural properties, above 500 hectares, have higher adoption rates of digital agriculture compared to small rural properties, smaller than 500 hectares. The larger properties, between 1000-3000 hectares and above 3000 hectares, are especially concentrated in the state of Mato Grosso/MT, which may be attributed to the high level of agricultural production, particularly in monocultures such as soybean."