Innovative Solutions Laboratory
AIBA Lab
PATHWAYS
pathways
START
February 2021
DURATION
11 months
BIOME
Cerrado
LOCATION
Western Bahia, Matopiba, Brazil
STATUS
Concluded
In collaboration with the Association of Farmers and Irrigators of Bahia (AIBA), SENAI CIMATEC and LIF created an open innovation program ("AIBA Lab") with startups to identify and implement innovative solutions for a sustainable soy supply chain in Western Bahia, engaging farmers, students, researchers, local communities, and partner institutions. Organized in three cycles (e.g., Hackathons) held throughout 2021, AIBA LAB attracted more than 80 participants through 110 hours of business mentoring and 14 online meetings with experts and farmers to identify and understand the demands, challenges, and opportunities for sustainable agricultural development in Western Bahia.
AIBA LAB created the basis for an innovation ecosystem in Western Bahia, laying the foundation for the launch of AgroNordeste Digital, a Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) initiative to foster technological entrepreneurship in the region. Under the project, professionals from AIBA's sustainability department provided mentorship services to the federal government team, sharing lessons learned and challenges of the process of launching and running an open competition for sustainable innovation in Western Bahia.
The grant activity culminated successfully in 2021 and resulted in a selection of 15 startups with solutions that combine innovation and sustainability applicable to the needs of agribusiness in Western Bahia (for more information see the LIF article linked here). To expand the reach of the initiative, AIBA has also produced an e-book (linked here) describing the competition methodology and results.
“The AIBA LAB brought an opportunity to establish communication and synergies between farmers from Western Bahia and new generations of farmers from all over Brazil. Attending the hackathon and listening to other points of views about the difficulties of our productive sector made me understand the great opportunity we have to open our doors and minds to innovative solutions that come out from the exchange between the ‘inside the farm professionals’ with the turbocharged minds of the “participants”.
- Carolina Zuttion, AIBA farmer
