🇳🇱🇧🇷 🌱 PART 2: TRADE MISSION PRECISION AGRICULTURE AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION TO THE SOUTH OF BRAZIL

Following the institutional meetings and strategic engagements in Porto Alegre, the Dutch trade mission continued with an immersive technical programme in Não-Me-Toque and Passo Fundo—two of Brazil’s leading hubs for precision agriculture, agribusiness innovation, and the development of agricultural machinery and technologies.

📍 Thursday
On 16 July, the delegation began its technical visits in Não-Me-Toque, starting at Stara S/A – Indústria de Máquinas e Implementos Agrícolas, a nearly 70-year-old company founded by a family of Dutch origin and internationally recognized for its leadership in precision agriculture and agricultural machinery technologies.

The delegation then visited Cotrijal Cooperativa Agropecuária e Industrial and CCGL – Cooperativa Central Gaúcha Ltda., gaining insights into how cooperatives, applied research, and digital agriculture contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of Brazilian agribusiness. The presentations demonstrated how producers, industry, technology, and field validation are integrated into a model that drives innovation at scale.

🔸 The day concluded with a gathering of the Dutch community in Não-Me-Toque, highlighting the long-standing ties between Brazil and the Netherlands in the region.

📍 Friday
In Passo Fundo, the programme showcased initiatives that position the region as a strategic environment for developing the agriculture of the future.

At GDM Seeds, the delegation visited facilities dedicated to genetic research and the development of new crop varieties. At Grupo J2M, the visit highlighted smart farming solutions, advanced manufacturing, and precision planting technologies, while reinforcing a recurring message throughout the mission: effective water management is one of the most strategic assets for agricultural productivity.

The agenda also included a visit to Be8, Brazil’s largest biodiesel producer and one of the country’s leading renewable energy and grain processing companies, demonstrating how innovation, bioenergy, and sustainability go hand in hand in building low-carbon production systems.

The mission concluded with the Connections Meeting, held at Arena Tecnoagro (UPF Science Technology Park – Universidade de Passo Fundo). Presentations highlighted the city’s leadership in agribusiness innovation, energy transition, and biofuels. The event brought together representatives from the regional precision agriculture ecosystem, universities, public authorities, and companies to expand opportunities for cooperation between the Netherlands and Southern Brazil.

🤝 Inge Horstmeier, a key leader of the mission on behalf of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the 🇳🇱 in Brazil.concluded the mission by reaffirming its core purpose: bringing people and organizations together, identifying new projects, strengthening joint research, and, through cooperation, farming the future together.

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The delegation brought together Ag Leader Technology, AgroCares, Doktar Technologies, Farm24 Farm24 Brasil, FarmTree B.V., Koppert Koppert Brasil, RH3S, the ITC Faculty of the University of Twente / Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) of the University of Twente and Wageningen University & Research (WUR).

🌱 🛰️ 🚜 📡 📊 The Trade Mission Precision Agriculture and Climate Adaptation to the South of Brazil was organized by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Brazil and the Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) | Partner in Sustainable Development, with the support of NBSO Porto Alegre and local partners—especially Esfera Assessoria e Consultoria—strengthening connections between the Brazilian and Dutch innovation ecosystems. 🇳🇱🤝🇧🇷 | 📸 Photo credits for this post: Ingrid Coradin.