Agenda: Building Sustainability and Profitability at Scale

• What climate, quality, and productivity challenges do South American farmers face? Which solutions show the greatest potential for improving their economic and environmental sustainability?
• How are animal producers rising to face changing regulatory requirements? What innovations are helping to make animal production more sustainable?
• Where, and how, do corporate sustainability commitments meet farm operators? How are agribusinesses working with growers to boost yields and revenues, while protecting soil health and reducing inputs use?
• How are growers balancing climate resilience and economic growth? What are the challenges of these more environmentally friendly methods?

Session Chair:
Rodrigo Rodrigues, Head of Agriculture, FALCONI

Speakers:
Celso Moretti, Researcher on Plant Sciences and Former President, EMBRAPA
Mauricio Rodrigues, President – Latin America, BAYER CROP SCIENCE
Aysu Bilgin, Head of Global Strategy, Insights & New Ventures, BRF
Rossano de Angelis Jr, Agribusiness Vice President for South America, BUNGE

A presentation about carbon farming, the opportunities it offers South America, and how to choose a suitable program. Learn more about how it can generate value in terms of both finance and sustainability, and how BASF partners with farmers to realize these benefits.

Speaker:
Sergi Vizoso, Senior Vice President, Latin America, BASF AGRICULTURAL SOLUTIONS

• What level of traction are regenerative agriculture approaches gaining across Latin America? What factors are driving this trend? Where are the biggest innovations coming from?
• How are low- and no-till farming using the soil itself as a tool to reduce carbon emissions?
• Are there certain factors that make for a high-quality ag carbon credit? Are they a successful incentive for growers to contribute to a planet-positive future?
• What are the greatest barriers to adoption of regenerative agriculture and carbon farming? How can we overcome these challenges?

Session Chair:
Kalob Williams, COO, 12TREE 

Speakers:
Daniel Baeta, CEO, LUXOR AGRO
Aline Tristão Bernardes, Chief Sustainability Officer, S.OLEUM
Jairo Trad, Founder, KILIMO
Fabiana Munhoz, Senior Project Manager, RENATURE

Delegates attending the event in São Paulo will take a brief networking coffee break.

Hosted by:

• Which innovative biologicals solutions are making waves in South America, and has the adoption rate of biologicals accelerated over the past year?
• What are the challenges in scaling these solutions? How can products be optimized for different regions or systems? What is the impact of product shelf life?
• With what methods is the efficacy of products evaluated and compared in South America? With some growers encouraged to produce their own on-site biologicals, are regulatory quality control measures needed?
• Are regulators impacting biologicals development? Do biologicals provide an easier or faster route to market than new synthetic chemicals?
• How are smart technologies supporting decision-making at the farm level? What were the enabling factors that allowed the shift to biologicals?

Session Chair:
Tomas Romero, Partner, AQUA CAPITAL

Speakers:
Sebastian Calvo, CEO, SURCOS
Natalia Verza Ferreira, Managing Director, Brazil, OXITEC
Grey Frandsen, CEO, OXITEC
Marcelo Magurno, Brazil Business Director, FMC
Cristiane Delic, Brazil & Paraguay Leader for Biologicals Portfolio, CORTEVA AGRISCIENCE

With biologicals becoming more advanced, this presentation will elaborate on the unique aspects of live biologicals. While there are many benefits, there are also still key challenges around efficient delivery, which this presentation will address.

Speaker:
Gustavo Herrmann, Commercial Director, KOPPERT

• In which areas are advances in genomics allowing growers in Brazil to do more with less? Where are the biggest innovations coming from?
• What is the roadmap to scaling these new crop varieties? Will this create new opportunities for exports to Europe and the rest of the world?
• How can solutions such as CRISPR be used for more sustainable farming systems and supply chains in Latin America? Can this be applied to smaller growers as well?
• Are there barriers to innovation in gene editing and crop breeding that are unique to Latin America? How can we overcome those challenges?
• What is the current regulatory landscape like for new plant breeds and genomics in Latin America? Is this expected to change?

Session Chair:
Alejandro Hernández, Biotechnology Director, CROPLIFE LATIN AMERICA

Speakers:
Carlos Perez, Co-Founder & Director of Strategy, BIOHEURIS
Alexandre Garcia, Global Head of Seeds, BIOCERES CROPS

Agrostart join us with their partners to discuss their collaboration strategy and how they are working with innovators and growers to commercialize new technologies.

Speaker:
Mirella Lisboa, Open Innovation Agrostart Manager LATAM, BASF

Delegates attending the event in Sao Paulo will take a networking lunch break.

• What is the farmer’s perspective of the future of agriculture in South America? What challenges do South American farmers face, and are they being addressed by the innovation ecosystem?
• Which technologies have been truly disruptive and delivering the most value? What are the main drivers for on-farm adoption of new technology?
• What new technologies are today’s farmers looking for? What is currently missing?
• How can regulation and government better support the pace of innovation? What’s happening now and what needs to change?

Session Chair:
Yahell Bonfim, Editor-in-Chief, CANAL RURAL

Speakers:
Nicolás Ridley, Technology & Digital Transformation Lead, MSU
Pedro Hales, AgTech Consultant, RIA
José Massad, CIO, RAIZEN
Carlos Visconti, Head of Innovation, CNH INDUSTRIAL/ITAU

How do we use satellite data for rapid agricultural assessments for food security, sustainability, and climate change, and what is the value of public-private partnerships?

Speaker:
Ricardo Guerra, Sales Director Latin America, PLANET

This session showcases start-ups from across the region and around the world who have innovative solutions to the core challenges faced by South America’s agri-food system. Companies will pitch their solutions to a panel of judges – followed by Q&A to delve deeper into their products, strategies and vision for the future.

Sharks:
Hadar Sutovsky, VP External Innovation, ICL GROUP & General Manager, ICL PLANET
Francisco Salvatelli, Brazil Manager, GRIDX

Presenting Companies:
Alejandro Nuñez, CEO, SMARTSOIL
Larry Gil, Founder & CEO, LOADS
Franco Ciaffone, Co-Founder & CEO, QUMIR NANO
Guilherme Dominici, Founder, MERX

Delegates attending the event in São Paulo will take a brief networking coffee break.

• What is driving the current verticalization trend? What opportunities does a more consolidated market present?
• What does digitization and online purchasing mean for traditional, brick-and-mortar retailers? What benefits does online retail provide for growers?
• How are digital platforms integrating into existing distribution models? Is this consolidation trend a regional phenomenon?
• In what ways can product consolidation support greater data integration across the whole production system? How can a suite of solutions bridge food companies and their suppliers?
• Will these new one-stop-shop solutions facilitate collaboration between growers and agribusinesses, or silo knowledge?

Session Chair:
José Tomé, CEO, AGTECH GARAGE

Speakers:
Fernando Degobbi, Director President, COOPERCITRUS
Matheus Ganem, Co-Founder and CEO, SEEDZ
Ruy Cunha, CEO, LAVORO AGRO
Andre Savino, Commercial Distribution Platform General Director LATAM, SYNGENTA

Join The Yield Lab LATAM and a selection of companies to find out how they are supporting homegrown talent and demonstrating the ample opportunities for global investment in the region.

Speaker:
Santiago Murtagh, Managing Director, The Yield Lab LATAM

• Where can start-ups look for funding in 2023 and what local and international investment landscape is emerging?
• Who are the new investors entering the playing field and the ones to watch? What will it take to attract more risk capital to unleash the sector’s vast potential?
• How are investors working with entrepreneurs to get the value proposition right, engage farmers, and scale their technologies? What challenges have been encountered, and how are they being addressed?
• What are investors doing to weather higher interest rates and inflation, combined with lower valuations?
• Brazil and Argentina recently announced plans to roll out a regional currency for Latin American countries. This proposed euro-like currency would hope to reduce reliance on the American dollar. How will this factor into future investing? What opportunities does this present?

Session Chair:
Olga Maslikhova, Founder, THE J CURVE

Speakers:
Francisco Jardim, Founding Partner, SP VENTURES
Mariano Mayer, General Partner and Co-Founder, NEWTOPIA VC
Bernardo Milesy, Founder & Managing Partner, GLOCAL
Magdalena Coronel, Chief Investment Officer, IDB LAB

The final two hours of the summit will be devoted for dedicated networking time, allowing our physical audience to connect with future partners without the worry of missing out on any of the action on stage.

Hosted by:

• How are new technologies disrupting South America’s agri-food market? What is the impact on efficiency, productivity, and sustainability?
• With new guidelines around sustainability and carbon reporting, what climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies can we expect to see across the region? What is being done to reduce deforestation, how is the agri-food innovation ecosystem developing in line with ESG targets?
• What is the position of South American agriculture on the international stage? Do perception and reality match?
• Has regulatory activity impacted the development of South American agriculture in the past 12 months? How will it do so over the coming 12 months?

Session Chair:
Juliana Lopes, Director of Nature and Society, BRAZILIAN BUSINESS COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (CEBDS)

Speakers:
Kieran Gartlan, Managing Director, THE YIELD LAB LATAM
Murilo Parada, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head, North Latin America, LOUIS DREYFUS COMPANY
Gabriel Santamaria, Head of Sustainability, BANCO DO BRASIL

• Could Brazil spearhead the next fintech revolution in agriculture finance? What innovations are we seeing in this sector?
• Should growers look to the government, traditional banks and VCs, or AgFinTech solutions to improve their buying power?
• Why are AgFinTech companies the first point of contact for embedded lending instead of banks? Are they offering models that better meet farmers’ requirements?
• How is data changing the way farmers engage with finance and insurance providers? How is AgFinTech creating a more connected, streamlined, and transparent value chain?

Session Chair:
Marina Mansur, Partner, MCKINSEY & COMPANY

Speaker:
Fabricio Pezente, Founder & CEO, TRAIVE
Nadege Saad, Head of Agribusiness, BRADESCO
Renato Girotto, Product Director, Agribusiness Unit, SERASA EXPERIAN

Delegates attending the event in São Paulo will take a brief networking coffee break.

Hosted by:

• What are the biggest barriers to technology adoption and experimentation with growers? Can we reduce risk and provide safety nets?
• Will breaking down silos and foster strategic partnerships between growers, investors, start-ups, corporates, policymakers, and the academia to improve collaboration, education, and integration become easier or more difficult in the future? Where does the responsibility lie for driving partnerships, and which new business models are best suited to support the innovation scale-up? How can we bridge the gaps in infrastructure?
• Which governing standards are needed to build trust in these new technologies? How can we create a secure yet open culture for knowledge?
• How can the latest technologies in sensing, IoT and AI be utilized for a more predictive, precise connected approach to agriculture? What is the scale needed for technologies to be financially viable? What ROI can growers expect?

Session Chair:
Carlos Hirsch, Chief Revenue Officer, EIWA

Speakers:
Almir Araujo, Director of Digital, BASF AGRICULTURAL SOLUTIONS
Gregory Riordan, Director Digital South America, CNH INDUSTRIAL
Frederico Logemann, Head of Innovation & Strategy, SLC AGRICOLA
Tomás Dandrea Balistiero, COO, CITROSUCO

This presentation focuses on the benefits around using data and knowledge bases to offer growers better-informed recommendations. AgTechs can leverage APIs to support their digital platforms and deliver better results for their end users.

Speaker:
Marcus Birke, Head of Product, AgTech APIs, YARA INTERNATIONAL

Cubo Agro and some of its portfolio companies will be presenting the fruits of their collaborations, showing how start-ups and investors are working together to position Brazil as a global hub for agricultural innovation.

One of the most interactive sessions of the program, each roundtable discussion group is hosted by an industry expert on a specific theme offering you a valuable opportunity to network, brainstorm solutions and discuss ideas with your peers on shared areas of interest.

With around 10 participants per table, it’s an informal setting where you’re encouraged to speak freely, ask questions and swap contact details.

• The Future of The Ag-Input Chain
  Hosted by: Gabriel Vidal, CEO, AGRIACORDO
• Harnessing the Power of Data in Agriculture
  Hosted by: Davide Ceper, CEO, VARDA
• Strategic Connections: How can Founders Position Themselves to find the Right Investors
  Hosted by: Tomás Peña, Managing Partner, THE YIELD LAB LATAM
• Functional Agriculture: Nutritional Density from Farm to Fork
  Hosted by: : Ithamar Prada, VP Marketing and Innovation | South America, ICL PLANET
• Innovation in Biological Control
  Hosted by: Felipe Itihara, Innovation Manager, KOPPERT BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
• Unlocking the Soil Microbiome for Data-Driven and Regenerative Food Production
  Hosted by: Irving Rivera, CEO, SOLENA
• Earth Observation: Supply Chain Tracking & Sustainability for EU Compliance
  Hosted by: Flávia de Souza Mendes, Program Manager of Forest and Land Use, PLANET
• Commercial Adoption of Biologicals: How do we Make Biologicals more Beneficial to Farmers?
  Hosted by: Elisa Bertini, Co-Founder & CSO, PUNA BIO
• AgTech Allies: Addressing Sustainability Challenges and Opportunities in the Field
  Hosted by: Juan Martin Maisterrena, AgTech Advisory Board Lead, AAPRESID
• Navigating Traceability: Working with New Sustainability Frameworks in Agriculture
  Hosted by: Leonardo Gava, Senior Brazil Agriculture Transition Manager, CLIMATE BONDS INITIATIVE
• Agile Agriculture: Applying Lean Management Concepts
  Hosted by: Celso Moretti, Researcher in Plant Sciences and Former President, EMBRAPA

Delegates attending the physical event in Sao Paulo will take a networking lunch break.

• What new ESG-driven finance models promise to disrupt how innovation is funded, implemented, and scaled?
• To what extent are the international pressures on sustainable practices like reforestation influencing investors? How can ESG and other investments focus on adopting climate-smart technologies and innovation?
• The IFRS Foundation’s International Sustainability Standards Board released new global standards for sustainability and climate-related reporting this month. Will this help to provide a regulatory framework for ESG initiatives in South America?
• How will the UNEP’s new Nature Risk Profile methodology help investors ensure that their portfolios really are supporting sustainability and biodiversity?
• With such a difficult menu of options for companies, could a more consolidated landscape make ESG more approachable in the future?

Session Chair:
Sérgio Meirelles, Partner, CAMPOS THOMAZ

Speakers:
José Pugas, Partner & Head of ESG and Agribusiness, JGP CRÉDITO
Marcelo Lima, Co-Founder, 10B
Flavio Zaclis, Founder, BARN INVESTMENTS

• With pressure from consumers and regulators increasing, how is the conversation about supply chain traceability evolving?
• How are farmers monitoring and reporting on their production methods? To what extent are they developing their own technologies vs working with suppliers?
• What are the key barriers to greater tracking across the value chain? What is needed to increase adoption in agriculture operations?
• How do farmers identify and implement solutions, and monitor their impact? How can farmers vet potential suppliers to ensure they comply with regulations?
• Is this increased transparency being integrated into the risk management strategies of food companies and commodity traders? Are insurance companies using this data?

Session Chair:
Roberta Paffaro, International Market Development Director, CME GROUP

Speakers:
Yuri Feres, Country Director, Brazil, RAINFOREST ALLIANCE
Melissa Brito, Global Director for Zero Conversion Agriculture, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
Diego Hoter, Co-Founder & CEO, UCROP.IT

• How are growers in South America using agricultural data generated on their farms to make better decisions more quickly?
• In what ways can we enhance farmers’ access to and benefits from their own data?
• Are there currently good case studies of farms, agribusinesses, or universities collaborating to streamline innovation cycles with data sharing?
• How is this wealth of new data informing climate or inputs modeling?
• What standards and training are needed to help farmers and their workforce collect the most relevant and useable datasets?

Session Chair:
Stephanie Regagnon, Executive Director, Innovation Partnerships, DANFORTH PLANT SCIENCE 

Speakers:
Carolina Sevciuc, Senior Director of Strategy & Transformation, PEPSICO
Vitor Mondo, Head of Technology Transfer, EMBRAPA
Leandro Carrion, Regional Innovation Lead, JOHN DEERE
Pedro Ronzani, LATAM Business Lead, EARTHDAILY AGRO

• With technology advancing at a rapid rate all along the supply chain, and growers that in many cases have lived the better part of their lives without laptops and smartphones, there’s a huge risk of getting left behind. How are educational institutions and businesses stepping up to meet that challenge?
• Who are the biggest players in this sector? How are they staying at the forefront of agricultural education?
• What barriers to entry do growers face? How can these be overcome?

Session Chair: 
Marina Piccini, Founder, AGROSCHOOL 

Speakers:
Ana Galiano, Vice Rector, AUSTRAL UNIVERSITY, ROSARIO 
Renato Botelho, CEO, REHAGRO

• Export markets are constant in their demands for South American products, and also constantly introducing new regulations and standards. How can agribusinesses anticipate these ever-evolving challenges?
• Political turmoil and the climate are changing where the world gets its food. Will this region become the world’s pantry?
• Some of the biggest game changers in agriculture currently are coming from South America. What can be done to ensure the region remains at the cutting edge of innovation?
• Plant-based alternatives: consumer tastes are growing more tolerant of new sources of protein and shifting away from meat. In what ways can producers adjust to meet these changing trends?

Session Chair:
Fabio Cardo, Founder, FOOD FORUM

Speakers:
Gus Guadagnini, Managing Director, THE GOOD FOOD INSTITUTE
Mariana Vasconcelos, Founder, AGROSMART
Roberto Viton, Managing Director, VALORAL ADVISORS
José Gobbée, Principal, THE CONTEXT NETWORK