The Precision Agriculture (PA) network, coordinated by Embrapa, has obtained significant results in terms of knowledge on the variability of the production and environmental parameters of plants, pests and diseases of diverse crops such as soybean, corn, cotton, wheat, eucalyptus, sugarcane Sugar, orange, grape, apple and peach.

The network made possible the integration of research efforts in the theme, with the participation of more than 150 researchers, 21 Embrapa Units, more than 50 external partners of public institutions and private initiative, as well as the creation of the National Reference Laboratory in PA (Lanapre), in São Carlos (SP).

The previous phases of this network project have played an important role in consolidating the concept of PA and advancing knowledge by generating methodologies and information that will serve as tools to support the management of variability and differences in the field, favoring a more sustainable agriculture.

However, new challenges are ahead, especially in transforming the knowledge generated in simple technologies that can be appropriated by the productive system, so that PA techniques are adopted by large and small producers and, in this way, generate important impacts on the productive systems.

Added to this are the new research opportunities in PA that are sharply emerging with new technologies in automation with the use of drones, sensors, robots, wireless networks, digital image processing, telemetry, Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, among others.

For this, the third phase of the PA network is structured in five technical projects, three with scope in enabling technologies, one focused on technologies with rupture potential and another on the so-called "future carriers", in addition to two management projects.