Embrapa initiative will test solution to support integrated management of sugarcane borer
A partnership between technology company Elsys, Embrapa Digital Agriculture and the São Paulo State Department of Agriculture and Supply will test connectivity solutions and the use of smart traps for integrated pest management on small and medium-sized rural properties. The technical cooperation agreement, established at the end of December, is expected to benefit rural producers in Alto Alegre, Jacupiranga and Lagoinha.
The municipalities of São Paulo are among the ten selected by the Semear Digital project throughout Brazil to function as Agrotechnological Districts (DATs) and receive actions to expand internet access and the adoption of digital technologies in agricultural production. Based on this new partnership within the project, the expectation is that this month the first long-range antennas will be in operation to bring 4G connectivity to rural areas without signal coverage.
“Conducting proof of concept tests on DATs in these municipalities is another step in the search for connectivity solutions in the field. With this equipment installed, the project team will be able to test Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence devices in production areas and validate whether the Elsys solution can be adopted more widely,” explains Luciana Alvim Romani, Semear Digital partnership coordinator and researcher at Embrapa.
The partnership with Elsys also involves the direct participation of the Institute of Agricultural Economics (IEA) and the Agronomic Institute (IAC). For researcher Priscilla Fagundes, from IEA, who is working on the project, the choice to implement the technology in these municipalities is in line with the efforts that the Department of Agriculture has been making to expand connectivity in the agricultural regions of the state of São Paulo. “With this, the objective is to contribute to increasing the competitiveness of small and medium-sized producers in São Paulo through digital agriculture,” she adds.
Integrated digital pest management
In Alto Alegre, the partnership also includes the installation of an Elsys AI solution to support the integrated management of the sugarcane borer, one of the main pests affecting sugarcane fields in Brazil, harming the development and productivity of the crop. The technology consists of a trap to capture the insects and generate images to monitor the crop on a daily basis, remotely, using artificial intelligence and computer vision techniques.
“The digital trap is capable of providing information on the level of pest infestation and generating georeferenced maps and alerts that reach the producer via a mobile messaging app and help them make decisions for control and management,” explains Franz Bories, New Business Manager at Elsys. With more detailed information on the conditions of the plantation, which guides when and where to act, it is possible to optimize the use of pesticides and other products on the farm and achieve greater savings and sustainability in production.
The solution has already been installed for testing on a property in the Santana neighborhood and the first data collected in the experiment will be analyzed by the Semear Digital project team and Elsys. Bories explains that the goal is not only to validate the gains of automation in pest monitoring, but also to democratize and expand access to this technology to various rural properties and agricultural crops.
"The sugarcane trap solution is just one of the options we have developed within Elsys and we want it to be the starting point of a partnership that aims to collaborate with Brazilian agriculture, later extending to other important crops, such as soybeans and citrus, promoting greater efficiency, productivity and sustainability in the field", he states.
Semear Digital seeks the inclusion of small and medium rural producers
Launched in 2023, the Science Center for Development in Digital Agriculture (Semear Digital) is led by Embrapa Digital Agriculture and is funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). The initiative focuses on including small and medium-sized rural producers in the digital transformation process of the countryside. The goal is to promote connectivity solutions in rural areas and the insertion of digital technologies, including, for example, artificial intelligence and remote sensing, automation and precision agriculture, traceability and certification.
The project's actions are carried out in ten Agrotechnological Districts (DATs) selected in the five regions of the country, covering all Brazilian biomes and different production chains. In addition to Embrapa, the project's associated institutions include the Center for Research and Development in Telecommunications (CPQD), the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture of the University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP), the Agronomic Institute (IAC), the Institute of Agricultural Economics (IEA), the National Institute of Telecommunications (Inatel) and the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA).