Land Innovation Fund at Bahia Farm Show
International fund to participate in one of Brazil's most important agribusiness events with a portfolio of projects underway in Western Bahia
The Land Innovation Fund will be present at the next Bahia Farm Show, in Luiz Eduardo Magalhães, one of the country's most important agribusiness events. From May 31st to June 4th, the Fund will have a booth to receive partners, farmers, researchers and other professionals interested in learning about actions, projects and initiatives for sustainable agriculture in the 21st century. At the same time, the Fund will offer another cycle of Land Innovation Dialogues, with two panels on the challenges of feeding the world sustainably, on June 2nd and 3rd, at 10am. With 22 partners and 21 projects in its portfolio, four of them currently underway in Western Bahia, the Land Innovation Fund fosters innovative solutions for a sustainable soy supply chain, free of deforestation and conversion of native vegetation in three of South America's priority biomes: Cerrado, Gran Chaco, and Amazon.
As one of the regions with the highest agricultural yields in the country, Western Bahia has received a number of investments in sustainable agriculture from the Land Innovation Fund. The region produces more than seven million tons of soy per year, according to data from the Western Bahia Association of Farmers and Irrigators (AIBA). The focus of the Fund's four projects for the region is to develop innovative solutions combined with sustainable agricultural practices. Implemented by three partners – the Western Bahia Association of Farmers and Irrigators (AIBA), the Solidaridad Foundation, and Senai Cimatec – the initiatives are devoted to diverse but complementary segments, such as monitoring and traceability, carbon balance, online competitions for innovation, and engagement of producers. Representatives from the three institutions will be at the Fund's booth to present their projects for the region.
"We recognize the importance of Western Bahia for agribusiness and the efforts by local farmers to align the production of some of Brazil's main commodities with international demands to preserve and restore the biome. That is why we joined efforts and investments in these integrated projects, for positive impacts on the region's soy production chain", according to the Land Innovation Fund's director, Carlos E. Quintela. "AIBA, Solidaridad Brasil Foundation and Senai Cimatec are working on projects to uplift Western Bahia as a benchmark for sustainable actions in agribusiness," he concluded.
AN INTEGRATED SOLUTION FOR SUSTAINABILITY:
During the Fair, Senai Cimatec will present a beta version of its Western Bahia Territorial and Environmental Intelligence Monitoring System (SIMA), a digital platform to manage rural landholdings in connection with public data and general information about the region, especially environmental data. With AIBA's support, the system is being developed to assist rural landowners in making decisions in the field. With features for the on-farm management of water resources, land use and carbon, the platform aims to bring together into a single system information about water use permits, watersheds, road structures and rainfall, and other data, to increase the farms' yields and environmental efficiency. During the five days of the Bahia Farm Show, representatives from Senai Cimatec will be using tablets, available at the Fund's booth, for potential users to get to know and test the monitoring tool. SIMA will be available for use later in 2022.
The Solidaridad Foundation is developing a carbon calculator adapted to the reality and needs of Western Bahia. The tool is integrated into the SIMA system and was designed in partnership with the Institute for Forest Management and Certification (IMAFLORA), with the support of AIBA and the Carbon Working Group with its experts on the subject. The calculator will draw a portrait of the carbon balance in the region's soy production to help in the sustainable management of farms. Twenty farmers, growing around 61 thousand hectares of soybeans in five municipalities of Western Bahia – São Desidério, Luís Eduardo Magalhães, Barreiras, Formosa do Rio Preto, Correntina -, provided information on their management systems, productivity and agricultural operations to define the baseline, adjust the calculator and determine the carbon balance on each farm involved in the project. Solidaridad representatives will also be on hand at the Fund's booth to present the calculator and answer questions about the importance of carbon balance for rural landholdings.
Bahia's largest farmers' association is responsible for coordinating the Fund's field activities and project communications in Western Bahia. With Senai Cimatec, AIBA participates in the operation and validation of SIMA's modules. With the Solidaridad Foundation, AIBA ensures the involvement of farmers in the Carbon Balance project activities in the region. Throughout 2021, the association also helped promote the events for the AIBA LAB open competition, held in three cycles – Hackathon, Next Generation and AIBA Conecta -, attracting more than 80 participants and helping to identify and understand the demands, challenges and opportunities for sustainable agricultural development in Western Bahia.
On AIBA's initiative and under its organization, the portfolio of projects implemented in the region with the Fund's support will be launched in the "Western Bahia Innovation and Sustainability" space. Built in a dome format similar to a planetarium, the auditorium will showcase videos with stories of local agribusiness, lectures, and the presentation of projects by AIBA's partners, Senai Cimatec and Solidaridad, with the participation of representatives from the Fund.
LAND INNOVATION DIALOGUES IN WESTERN BAHIA:
The challenge of feeding the world with sustainability is the theme of the next Land Innovation Dialogues, a series of events implemented by partner institutions with LIF's backing to strengthen the exchange of knowledge about innovation for sustainable agriculture. At the Bahia Farm Show, the two meetings organized by AIBA and will take place in a face-to-face format, on June 2nd and 3rd, at 10am. The events will bring together researchers, partners and farmers to talk about efficiency, governance and good agricultural practices in a market increasingly interested in aligning growing demands for productivity with the global environmental preservation and restoration agenda.
Under the theme "Agro dialogues: Innovation, efficiency and sustainability in the production process", the meeting on June 2nd will have the participation of Embrapa's researcher Lineu Neiva. With a PhD in Agricultural Engineering from the Federal University of Viçosa and a postdoctoral degree in Irrigation Engineering and Water Management from the University of Nebraska, USA, Lineu Neiva is the assistant head of research and development at Embrapa Cerrados and is currently dedicated to studies on water resources in this biome. Also participating in the meeting will be the president of the Western Bahia Association of Farmers and Irrigators (AIBA), Odacil Ranzi, and local farmers Carminha Missio and Luiz Pradella, with mediation by the Sustainability Manager of the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (Abiove), Bernardo Pires.
On June 3rd, the discussion entitled "Agro dialogues: Governance, good practices, responsibility and sustainability" will have the participation of Jorge da Silva Junior, a researcher and professor at Bahia State University (UNEB) and coordinator of the Agronomy Department at São Francisco de Barreiras University (Unifasb). An agronomist with a PhD in Plant Production in Cerrado areas from the Federal University of Uberlândia, Jorge da Silva Junior has experience in areas such as crop disease management and natural pest control. The researcher will share the panel with local farmers Eduardo Majabosco and Martin Dowich.
These Land Innovation Dialogues enhance participation as one of the Fund's main lines of action, in addition to supporting projects and programs for a sustainable, deforestation- and conversion-free soy supply chain. These events are intended to broaden the dialogue and increase the diversity of voices in the sustainability debate.
AGENDA:
Land Innovation Dialogues:
June 2, at 10 am, Fundação Bahia auditorium:
"Agro dialogues: Innovation, efficiency and sustainability in the production process".
With Lineu Neiva (Embrapa), Odacil Ranzi (AIBA), and farmers Carminha Missio and Luiz Pradella. Mediation by Bernardo Pires (Abiove).
June 3rd, 10am, Abapa auditorium:
"Agro Dialogues: Governance, good practices, responsibility and sustainability". With Jorge da Silva Junior (UNEB, Unifasb), and farmers Eduardo Manjabosco and Martin Dowich.
Western Bahia Innovation and Sustainability Space
June 2nd, at 4:30pm, next to the Central Square
AIBA & LIF Opening * AibaLAB: How agribusiness is investing in an innovation ecosystem * Senai Cimatec: Western Bahia Environmental and Territorial Intelligence System (SIMA) * Solidaridad Foundation: Carbon Calculator
Land Innovation Fund Stand at the Bahia Farm Show:
From May 31st to June 4th
Pavilion 3 – P12.