Other five research fronts are being discussed to reduce Brazil's reliance on imports in 25% by 2030 Starting from April, Embrapa researchers and technicians will start to visit about 30 production centers in nine agricultural macroregions of Brazil, with the aim of promoting an increase in the efficiency of the use of fertilizers and inputs in the field, in order to reduce production costs and encourage the adoption of new technologies and best practices in soil, water and plant management. The action will be called Embrapa FertBrasil Caravan and is one of the short- and medium-term measures stipulated by the National Fertilizer Plan, which will be launched by the Federal Government in the upcoming weeks, so as to reduce dependence on imports of products and technologies, a situation that has been aggravated by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. "Our goal is to sensitize leaders in agricultural production chains, as well as technicians, consultants and multiplying agents, so that Brazil can overcome the fertilizer crisis through training and systemic knowledge exchange between research instituties and the production sector, and thus establish a dialogue between research and agribusiness in Brazil, proposing technological solutions for each of these 30 agricultural centers", explained Celso Moretti, president of Embrapa. According to him, the travelling caravan will address practical issues of immediate impact, which in combination with other initiatives of the National Plan, will promote up to 20% savings in the use of fertilizers in Brazil for the 2022/23 harvest, which could result in up to a billion dollars of savings for Brazilian farmers. By the end of the 2022-2023 harvest, the researchers will have covered the main producing regions in Brazil, emphasizing the importance of sustainable management of soils and fertilizers to maximize the efficiency of the use of such inputs, improve productivity, and ensure the competitiveness of agriculture and food production in Brazil. “When we learn agronomy, they teach us that fertilizer applications depend on soil fertility analysis and plant leaf analysis. But we know that in many places in Brazil, they end up using an out-of-the-box generic technological package. For example, an application of 500 kg/ha of NPK [nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium] fertilizer regardless of the fertility of the soil in question, but in accordance with the price of the fertilizer", Moretti stated. Water and soil management strategies for the rational use of fertilizers will be systematized by Embrapa in standard lecture modules that will be suited to the conditions of the different Brazilian biomes, and that will customize and level information for each of the country's producing regions. At the end of presentations in each production region, regional needs for technological knowledge will be lined up, followed by a broad debate on the main problems found in each region. In some areas there will be demonstrations of the efficiency of some of the technologies developed by Embrapa through Technological Reference Demonstration Units. “This caravan will also make a precise, regionalized diagnosis of the actual short term challenges farmers face to increasingly improve actions within the National Fertilizer Plan, as the Plan was built by the government and the production sector”, asserts Bruno Caligaris, director of Strategic Projects at the Brazilian Presidency's Secretariat of Strategic Affairs (SAE-PR). The face-to-face activities will be aimed at rural extension technicians; technicians from cooperatives, farmers' unions and farmer associations; and production leaders; with the goal of reaching about 10,000 professionals and making them multipliers of the techniques and guidance transmitted by Embrapa's team of researchers and analysts and by partners that will compose each Caravan. After each time the Embrapa Caravan passes by an agricultural macroregion, Embrapa will turn systematized knowledge into digital modules to feed a hotsite and contribute to building a comprehensive digital knowledge platform about the subject, which could be offered to reference multipliers, such as CNA/SENAR, EMATERs and agro-industrial cooperatives. The modeling of the Embrapa FertBrasil Caravan will enable capacity-building events during their stay in the diferent Brazilian producing regions. Virtual capacity-building events are also being planned post-caravan, for farmers, leaders and technicians, using Embrapa's e-Campo system or other learning tools available. Right now the company is looking for sponsors of the Caravan in the private sector and production sector. Those who are interested in participating in the initiative can contact depd@embrapa.br. This will be the second travelling caravan Embrapa has promoted. Between 2013 and 2015, the company also covered the main production regions of the country to disseminate technological solutions to control the Helicoverpa armigera caterpillar, an exotic pest that invaded the Brazilian territory causing strong losses in the main cash crops. Five research fronts Embrapa's and partner institutions' research agendas also have other activities to help reduce Brazilian dependence on imported fertilizers. Our goal is to cut the demand for imported fertilizers in 25% by 2030. Brazil does not have a magic wand to change this overnight”, affirmed the president of Embrapa. Therefore, according to him, the company prioritized five research fronts: biofertilizers, organomineral fertilizers, nanostructured fertilizers, precision agriculture, and soil conditioners with stone meal. Besides the initiative in partnership with Embrapa, the Federal Government (through MAPA and SAE-PR) has been developing promotion and funding strategies to increase the production of bioinputs, organic-mineral fertilizers, nanotechnology and digital agriculture in the scope of the National Fertilizer Plan. “Brazilian agriculture is strong, it is going to keep being strong, and we have to provide alternatives so that it continues to work”, minister Tereza Cristina stressed in a conversation with journalists last week. Brazil currently consumes about 8.5% of all fertilizers at a global level, and takes fourth place; China, India and the United States appear on the top of that list. Such countries are also major world producers of fertilizers, except for Brazil, which in 2021 imported about 89% of the 43 million tons consumed by agricultural production. In Brazil, soybean, corn and sugarcane account for 73% of fertilizer consumption in the country. Russia is responsible for supplying 25% of Brazil's fertilizers. Alongside Belarus, they jointly supply more than 50% of the potassium annually consumed by Brazilian farmers.