The Duo Designing the Future of Farming

It’s been just over six months since Case IH’s connected farm project began in Brazil. Now, we chart the journey of Christian Gonzalez, Case IH’s Vice President for Latin America, and Paulo Humberto Gouvea, Senior Director of Corporate Solutions at TIM Brasil, as they collaborate and seek to develop digital agriculture in the most rural of areas.

Here’s an overview.

The Challenge

Find a partner – For CNH Industrial brand Case IH, to get the connected farm – a lab to test, learn and gain first-hand feedback from the farming community – up and running, it would need more than just its digital expertise. A connectivity partner was required with the knowledge and expertise to deal with Brazil’s vast agricultural landscape. And that’s when TIM Brasil stepped up.

Network connection – TIM Brasil provides the largest mobile network coverage in the country. However, these are just urban areas. The next major challenge is connecting the country’s vast rural areas.

“I would say Brazil is a continent,” remarks Gouvea. “Brazil has over 300 million hectares of agricultural areas, so we have a big challenge ahead.

Pinpoint the right location - “We wanted to find a location that represents real Brazilian agriculture,” says Case IH’s Christian Gonzalez. The company wanted the aim of the connected farm to demonstrate how rural connectivity increases in-field productivity, even in an already highly productive region.

After looking at different regions, the perfect partner was found – one of their dealers in Água Boa, in Mato Grosso state. A small city with around 80,000 inhabitants in the heart of the main soybean production, Água Boa is a fast-developing agricultural area.

The Solution

Prove the benefits – The team measured three central pillars to convince the community of the project’s benefit. The first was productivity – in terms of fuel savings, machinery logistics, labor, and reducing chemical usage. The second was financial with return on equity, assets and investments – how will it pay farmers back? And the third, which is vitally important, is sustainability. How will the project help farmers produce more with less carbon impact, less water, fewer chemicals and less fertilizer?

Engage with the community – Over 25,000 people in the area now have connectivity, covering a huge 58,595 hectares and including 93 rural properties. And it’s not just homes that have been able to enjoy the fruits of the project – 21 schools teaching over 6,000 students have also benefitted, ensuring Água Boa's younger generations can look forward to a more connected future.

The Results

Long Term Vision – The connected farm project will run over three years, and with the project just several months in, nature is not giving up too much information just yet.

“We have to respect the timing of nature,” says Gonzalez. “We have our three main pillars to measure by, but we need to have three full agricultural cycles to analyze and compare data.” Initial findings are, however, positively impacting how the farm is run daily. “We are seeing a very important impact on the farming practice, in the way problems are addressed at the farm,” says Gonzalez.

Just the beginning – There are a number of interested partners keen to be project sponsors because they believe in its vision. Even with the project in its early stages, the growing team of sponsors is already planning the next phase. “We are already starting the same type of project in Argentina,” Gonzalez says.

Generational impact – As well as improving agribusiness through digitalization in the Água Boa region, the project’s 4G connectivity is opening doors to technological knowledge. Recently, Case IH opened the Digital Empowerment Center – helping young people and adults attain digital literacy skills for personal and professional development.

To read the full article and discover Gonzalez and Gouvea’s tips for business transformation, click here

To watch CNH Industrial’s video introducing the connected farm, click here